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The Popes: A History

John Julius Norwich

9780099565871

Vintage


Religion & beliefs; Church history; Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church; Christian leaders & leadership

Paperback

528 pages

$19.95  $17.95

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John Julius Norwich examines the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter (traditionally - but by no means historically - the first Pope) to the present. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity. One was said to have been a woman, her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Almost as shocking was Formosus whose murdered corpse was exhumed, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne and subjected to trial; or John XII, of whom Gibbon wrote 'his rapes of virgins and widows had deterred the female pilgrims from visiting the shrine of St Peter'. John Julius Norwich brings the story up to date with lively investigations into the anti-semitism of the contemptible Pius XII, the possible murder of John Paul I and the phenomenon of the Polish John Paul II. From the glories of Byzantium to the decay of Rome, from the Albigensian Heresy to controversy within the Church today, The Popes is superbly written, witty and revealing.

By:   John Julius Norwich
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 33mm,  Width: 198mm,  Spine: 129mm
Weight:   402g
ISBN:  

9780099565871


ISBN 10:   0099565870
Pages:   528
Publication Date:   June 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock at Abbey's Bookshop
This is in stock in our store and available now.

John Julius Norwich is the author of histories of Norman Sicily, the Republic of Venice, the Byzantine Empire and, most recently, The Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean. He has also written on architecture, music and the history plays of Shakespeare, and has presented some thirty historical documentaries on BBC Television.


The stories are glorious...stuffed with monsters, absurdities, wonders and politics... the parade is endlessly interesting Scotsman Norwich certainly has an eye for the tiny detail that illuminates a whole character Mail on Sunday A highly readable book Sunday Times One of the most bizarre and enjoyable history books I've ever read Daily Express [John Julius Norwich] approaches his vast canvas with broad brush strokes, dashing off profile after profile with aplomb, flashes of wit and a formidable accumulation of detail Financial Times

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