The Medieval Church: A Brief History argues for the pervasiveness of the Church in every aspect of life in medieval Europe. It shows how the institution of the Church attempted to control the lives and behaviour of medieval people; for example; through canon law; while at the same time being influenced by popular movements like the friars and heresy. This fully updated and illustrated second edition offers a new introductory chapter on ‘the Basics of Christianity;’ for students who might be unfamiliar with this territory. The book now has new material on some of the key individuals in church history: Benedict of Nursia; Hildegard of Bingen; Bernard of Clairvaux and Francis of Assisi as well as a more comprehensive study throughout of the role of women in the medieval church. Lynch and Adamo seek to explain the history of the Church as an institution; and to explore its all-pervasive role in medieval life. In the course of the thousand years covered in this book; we see the members and leaders of the Western Church struggle with questions that are still relevant today: What is the nature of God? How does a church keep beliefs from becoming diluted in a diverse society? What role should the state play in religion? The book is now accompanied by a website with textual; visual; and musical primary sources making it a fantastic resource for students of medieval history.
#957926 in Books TT Clark 2012-08-02 2012-08-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .44 x 5.50l; .65 #File Name: 0567263541208 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Reading Political TheologyBy CustomerGreat intro to this topic. Helpful analysis with depth of reference. Encouraged my to continue reading with its references. Highly recommended because of its clarity!0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. It was requiredBy J. PREVEAUXNeeded for a paper. It was required reading.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Best Introduction AvailableBy Johnny WalkerPolitical Theology: A Guide for the Perplexedby Elizabeth Phillips(T T Clark; 208 pages; $24.95)Introducing a discipline poses several hurdles for the scholar. For one; there is the risk that too much material will be surveyed; and thus; any engagement for the reader is general and tertiary at best; or simply overwhelming. On the other hand; one's focus can be too acute; too narrow; delivering in depth exposition; yet; only of a couple key topics; and so presenting a myopic; reductionistic account of the discipline. And of course; there is the dicey challenge of language. How does one introduce a whole field of study; with its over-specialized; hyper-particular jargon; without becoming a mere lexicographer - providing little more than a handbook of definitions? In light of all these obstacles; Elizabeth Phillips must be commended for providing readers a lively; lucid; even-handed initiation into one of the most stimulating theological disciplines in her debut volume; Political Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed.Phillips is able to cover a wide range of material; charting a broad history of the field; addressing the primary loci of conversation and contention; while remaining largely accessible to newcomers.In defining "political theology"; Phillips follows the description offered by William Cavanaugh in the Blackwell Companion (Cavanaugh's influence is detected throughout the volume):Theology is broadly understood as discourse about God; and human persons as they relate to God. The political is broadly understood as the use of structural power to organize a society or community of people . . . Political theology is; then; the analysis and criticism of political arrangements (including cultural-psychological; social and economic aspects) from the perspective of differing interpretations of God's way with the world. (3)The breadth of this definition provides a spaciousness in which Phillips can address topics many and diverse while not deviating from the stated purpose of her volume.While I cannot home in on these topics here with any depth; I can briefly relay the general outline of her discussion.Having presented the various ways in which political theology has been construed and practiced within the history of the Church; with a particularly helpful account of "second generation" political theologians (Part 1); Phillips moves on to discuss particular areas of debate within the current landscape (Part 2). Her selection of the issues to be addressed reveals a keen grasp of the matters that are most determinative for one's overall theo-political vision.She devotes chapters to the discussion of the Church and its political significance (chapt. 3); the impact of Christology on political thought (chapt. 4); violence and peace (chapt. 5); criticism and defense of liberalism and democracy (chapt. 6); as well as several other topics (liberation theology; etc.). These distinct areas of conversation are rightly revealed to be deeply interdependent. For example; the significance one attributes to Jesus for political thought will have major ramifications upon one's construal of violence and peace; ultimately determining one's relationship to poltical orders like liberal democracy; properly demonstrating the notion of distinction without separation.The treatment of the above topics serves Phillips' overall purpose doubly by allowing her to introduce the most significant thinkers in political theology. While Part 1 does give a general history; replete with some reference to major thinker; Part 2 offers readers an opportunity to assess the seminal contributions of these thinkers. In the course of the volume readers will be introduced to St. Augustine; Thomas Aquinas; Martin Luther; Reinhold Niebhur; Dietrich Bonhoeffer; Karl Barth; Martin Luther King Jr.; Oliver O'Donovan; John Howard Yoder; Stanley Hauerwas; and many others. Her expositions of the above figures serve well in piquing interest; and her endnotes in turn provide helpful resources for further study.All in all; Phillips volume serves as top-notch introduction to the field of political theology. Newcomers will be well equipped to pursue more deeply the discipline; having received a strong orientation to the major areas of debate and contention. University professors will be served unmeasurably; as well as interested layperson seeking to get a grasp on the wild field of theological politics. I recommend it whole-heartedly.NOTE: This book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
