Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church

[Stylteralmaldo]

I was wondering what many of you thought about this history of the Catholic Church…

Someone else posted this review of it:

amywelborn.com/reviews/triumph.html

I’m particularly interested in your thoughts on the reviewers comments on Martin Luther:
Amy Welborn's Review:

…The only problem is that Crocker applies this commitment to historical context very selectively. A good example is in his treatment of the Protestant Reformation. Crocker does readers a great service by revealing details about Martin Luther that were ignored and suppressed by their high school and college textbooks, details ranging from Luther’s fixation with certain bodily functions to his willing incitement of violence. But one comes away from this section, with Luther drowned in a flood of ink and the Church, its every Medieval excess and corruption explained and “put in context, spotless and smelling like a rose, believing that the only reason the Reformation occurred was because Martin Luther was a raging lunatic who happened to get a sympathetic noble ear. That is, I’m sorry to say, simply not the case, and Crocker’s account of the Protestant Reformation and events like it is weakened by his broader purpose and selective application of “context”, not strengthened.

 

[whosebob]

JMJ + OBT​

I have Crocker’s book and have read about a third of it, having flipped back and forth in it a good bit. I plan later this year to read it in its entirety.

Crocker does come across as quite partisan. I think part of the reason is that he assumes you already have read and know everything that Protestant and secular authors have written about the same time periods and historical events he covers in his book. In that light, he does a good job of balancing with a sensible, Catholic perspective. But for someone who is “uninitiated” or is seeking a more comprehensive treatment, this book can appear slanted.

If you are looking for a more comprehensive and scholarly treatment of the same broad swath of history that Crocker covers, and from the perspective of another Catholic believer, then I cannot recommend the following highly enough:

History of Christendom Series by Dr. Warren H. Carroll, Ph.D.
The Founding of Christendom (to A.D. 324)
The Building of Christendom (A.D. 324-1100)
The Glory of Christendom (A.D. 1100-1517)
The Cleaving of Christendom (16th and 17th centuries)

Yet to be published by Dr. Carroll, volumes 5 and 6 in the same series:
The Revolution Against Christendom
[supposed to be published in time for Christmas this year]
The Crisis of Christendom
[5 years from now? Pray for Dr. Carroll, whose health is ailing, that he will live long enough to complete his work]

Dr. Carroll writes great, scholarly history books in a manner that read like a good novel you just can’t put down. Also, they are filled with literally thousands of footnotes that back up his premises, analysis and conclusions. He is a Catholic (convert from atheism), and presents the truth about the history of the Church that Christ founded, including the blemishes and bright spots across the centuries.

Dr. Carroll also founded and for some time was President of Christendom College.

I hope you have a chance to read and enjoy his books, which have been his labor of love for the past 30 years.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

IC XC NIKA

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

whosebob:

I hope you have a chance to read and enjoy his books, which have been his labor of love for the past 30 years.

Fascinating…thanks for the info, I’ll have to check these out.

 

[JimG]

It’s true that Crocker comes across as somewhat partisan *toward * the Church. But I think it’s a necessary corrective in view of the way that history has been generally been slanted against from the Church in writings over the past 40 years.