The Catholic Church Through the Ages: A History

by John Vidmar

This bestseller, now in a second edition, is a one-volume survey of the history of the Catholic Church from its beginning until, and including, the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Genres: History, Religion, Catholic, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Christian

392 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2005

About the author

Rev. John C. Vidmar, O.P. is an associate professor of theology at Providence College, Rhode Island where he also serves as provincial archivist and teaches history.

Prior to his work at Providence, he served as associate professor, academic dean, acting president and prior teaching history for 15 years at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. He also taught history at Ohio Dominican University.

Vidmar holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy, and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in Ecclesiastical History.

Reviews

[Nzcgzmt · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Vidmar is an Associate Professor at the Providence College and member of the Dominican Order. In this incredibly accessible introductory book to the history of the Catholic Church, he narrated the important events and personalities of the church in conjunction with the theological developments. He divided two thousands years of church history into six periods: the early church (AD 30-330), the age of the Fathers (AD 330-650), the early Middle Ages (650-1000), the High Middle Ages (1000-1450), Reformations and Renaissance (1450-1789), and the Modern Age (1789-Present).

The periods are distinguished by crises. The first period ended with Roman prosecutions of 70,000 Christians. The second period saw its final the rapid disintegration of the Roman Empire. The third was marked by schism and the inception of crusades. The ending of the fourth was mired in the Papal Schism, whereas the fifth was terminated by the French revolution. Vidmar holds that the church always adapted despite the terminal events that happened.

Vidmar did a phenomenal job piecing together vast amount of materials without overwhelming the readers. The earlier periods were especially engaging, where some of the early heresies and religious orders were discussed. The later periods were a bit dense, partly due to the complexity of world events that served as backdrops.

Each chapter was complemented with a great list of further readings - thus the book can serve as a starting point of any systematic learning effort.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Story is Hard to Find #95. Julie and Scott talk about history. Genuine, real-life Church history. Some things are discussed that no one expects!

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Now THAT'S good reading. It lost a star because the Sixth Age was not really an overview as much as I'd have liked. It delved into more detail than I necessarily needed for a variety of topics. However, I've found that in a lot of history books because we're so close to current issues that it can be hard to know what to drop and what to keep. Really looking forward to talking to Scott about this.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good survey of the history of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which is just what I wanted. I don't envy the author's chore of consolidating 2000 years into 300 pages, but names and information are presented haphazardly and required considerable secondary research to follow the action.

For example, some minor player's birth and death are noted, but no years are given when St. Thomas Aquinas in introduced. Some events were not portrayed in a clean timeline. Occasionally, names are dropped without backstory or proper introduction.

Admittedly, I am not terribly familiar with certain periods of world history and these required more brushing up on my part.

Thank goodness the internet is in my pocket. I took margin notes like I was back in college.

Wonderful list of additional reading and movies at the end of each age for further study.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class I was taking on Church History. It was an easy, concise read but I would have enjoyed a few more maps to orientate myself geographically, especially during the early periods of the church.

[G.P. Loehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most concise and resourceful text on the history of the Church out there. Any Christian or non Christian would do well to skim this so as to not seem foolish when speaking about the reality of the Church and Her teachings and sources.

[Melissa Bair · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent bird's eye view of the history of the Catholic Church. As a convert to Catholicism, my understanding of Church history was very lacking. This book is listed on the Mater Amabilis high school syllabus, so I decided to read it now, well ahead of my kids getting there.

This book also carries the high honor of introducing me to Hugo Rahner's Greek Myths and Christian Mystery, which was recommended under the "Further Reading" section of the early Church. Vidmar's book gets 5 stars from me just for these extra reference lists. I added a lot of books to my TBR list after every single chapter.

[Liz Gazca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books covered the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Catholic history in am accessible manner. Arguments could be made that it should be even more specific and detail focus, I would disagree. It is meant for someone who wants a starting point as to what time periods/scandals they want to investigate, and this book provides a list of resources to continue that research. Even if one chose to avoid such a cherry picked selection of readings, it at least provides an conteztualized overview to use as a starting point.

This truly made me grateful for the freedom of religion.

[Maggie Gately · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for religion class. Grew up Catholic but do not consider myself one, so I found this really interesting. The Catholic church is definitely interesting history to read about and it has been around for ages. Yeah do not have a ton to say. Don't think this book is for everyone. A lot of people would not enjoy it. I am not sure if I even enjoyed it. Feel like it was biased in a lot of parts. That's all!

[Father Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It was not the Roman temple that was to become the model for the new Christian church building—for the typical temple was too small for anyone but the priest and his sacrificial victim— but the Roman Basilica, the large rectangular building in which the king (basileus in Greek) heard court cases."

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, direct, and relatable history of the Catholic Church. It is incredibly well cited to help when you have deeper questions. Good for historians, the Catholic Faithful, and even members of other Christian Churches to better understand the history of the early Christian Church.

[Dolores Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good complete history of the Church. Read this with a class group. Easy to read with just enough details without being overwhelmed. Fr. Vidmar is a renowned Catholic historian and I found this book to be interesting and informative.

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. I would recommend to anyone interested in a well written, fairly balanced and easy to read history of the Church of Rome.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 required reading for school

[Isak · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine

[Paul Czarnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, time for a 3rd Edition

[Jacob Rutledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well organized and easy to read version of the Catholic Church through history. Balanced and honest assessment of the Church.

[Eileen O'Finlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for an online course I taught for the University of Dayton. It give an excellent history of the Catholic Church, from Pentecost to Pope Francis. The book is very readable and clearly written. As a survey, it gives enough information to whet the appetite for more. The author has listed recommended readings and audiovisuals at the end of each chapter so should the reader take a special interest in a particular topic they have a list of resources for further study.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all decent summation of Catholic Church history. It's nothing more than a survey. I would have given it five stars, but I had a problem with the author passing historical theories off as factual. For example, Fr. Vidmar states that the Nazi's where responsible for the Reichstag fire in 1933, but the fact of the matter is that no one is entirely sure who started the fire. It is the subject of ongoing debate in historical circles; no one has brought forward any proof of who actually did it. It's easy to blame the Nazi's due to the fact that it was one of the pivotal events that lead to the rise of Hitler's power in Germany. In retrospect, they had the most to gain from it, but the fact remains that no matter how it is perceived at a later date, a historian cannot simply assume, and that's what fr. Vidmar did. With that said, where else in the book did he do this and me not notice it due to my ignorance of the subject? I hope that this example is the exception, and I would prefer to give the author the benefit of the doubt in that this was not done consciously, but it's difficult to ignore when so many secular historians make it common practice in their writings. In the end, I still give it four stars because the book stuck to being a survey (which is what I think it was supposed to be) and didn't caught up by giving to much information on specific subjects. I would look elsewhere if you're looking for something more "substantial." I also admired his honesty when writing about the "shady" parts of church history. When it was merited, he defended some misconceptions about the parts of church history that are looked down upon by modern society. When the actions of the church where not honorable, he admits it freely, asking only that you think of the events contextually (Granted, their was bias, but I was expecting it so it didn't bother me as much). There's really not much more you could ask for from a historian in that respect.

I really don't have anything to compare it to since it's the first catholic history book i've read, but it seems to be a good starting point for someone with a new interest in church history, or would would like a new element to add into your understanding of general history. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys learning about history.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vidmar attempts to explain two thousand years in a four hundred page book. For someone with little knowledge of Christian history, the book might be useful in providing a quick summary. Vidmar is a theologian, and the book is a theological history; I would have much preferred a historical methodology. The book is too short for the subject matter, and when Vidmar selects what to include and what to exclude, I got the sense that he always erred on the side of the Church. This is not a whitewash. Vidmar includes some embarrassing scenes from Church history, but these are often underdeveloped or excused as a function of the times. The writing is too light, and Vidmar sometimes slips in odd statements which are not supported in the narrative. If you need a quick introduction to the history of Christian theology in an easily readable format, you could do much worse. But if you're looking for a substantial work on Church history, look elsewhere.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summary of 2000 years of Catholic history in less than 400 pages, which is impressive. It is overly simplistic at times, and takes some historical things for granted while skipping over a lot of the Catholic church's problems in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, but you have to remember that the author works for the Catholic Church, so there's a bias. The first 400 years of church history are the strongest section, while the split with the Orthodox Church is pretty glossed over, but not everything could make it into the text.

Otherwise, you know, good but fast introduction.

[John Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. It's not so much a history of Catholicism as it's a history of how Europe came to be. The author does a nice job of explaining the politics behind many of the Church's major reformations, but the content on the protestant reformation gets slightly confusing.

Overall, definitely recommended -- interesting, funny in parts (wait...they chopped the bishop in HALF?) and an easy read.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good survey of the history of the Catholic Church. The book is consciously and decidedly written from a Catholic perspective -- the author is quite explicit about that. Some periods are not covered as thoroughly as others -- I wish the author had treated the Church in the Middle Ages as well as he did the English Reformation. There is also very little treatment of Vatican II.

[Judson Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great concise history of the 2000+ years of the Catholic Church. I love how Vidmar breaks the history into "ages." Interesting if you like history, since much of western history is interwoven with that of Catholicism.

[Kevin Priest · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enrapturing look at the development of the Catholic Church, entirely accessible, not too long, altogether very engaging and enjoyable.

[Rudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good survey of Church history from Christ to the present age. A very good text for an introductory course on Church history.

[Edward C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 for a few vague statements but rounded up for thoroughness and accessibility. This is a very good, readable, under 400 page history of the Church. I may shift to it as my text for the Diocese.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and generally, but to my understanding no where near totally, accurate in its interpretation of history, particularly in the early days of Christianity.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this or my VLCFF class. The author was very thorough and included additional reading lists in each chapter.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

very readable overview of Church history from a Catholic point of view

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this text as the starting point for my Catholic Church history course. It's been recently update and this version has so much more depth than the previous one. I highly recommend it.