Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages

The Penguin History of the Church #2

by Richard William Southern

The concept of an ordered human society, both religious and secular, as an expression of a divinely ordered universe was central to medieval thought. In the West the political and religious community were inextricably bound together, and because the Church was so intimately involved with the world, any history of it must take into account the development of medieval society. Professor Southern's book covers the period from the eighth to the sixteenth century. After sketching the main features of each medieval age, he deals in greater detail with the Papacy, the relations between Rome and her rival Constantinople, the bishops and archbishops, and the various religious orders, providing in all a superb history of the period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Church History, Religion, Medieval, Christianity, Medieval History

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Sir Richard William Southern was a noted English medieval historian, based at the University of Oxford. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in history. At Oxford, Southern's mentors were Sir Maurice Powicke and Vivian Hunter Galbraith. He was a fellow of Balliol from 1937 to 1961 (where he lectured alongside Christopher Hill), Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford from 1961 to 1969, and president of St John's College, Oxford, from 1969 to 1981. He was president of the Royal Historical Society from 1969 to 1973, and was knighted in 1974.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

Rereading this I wondered who the intended reader was meant to be, perhaps if one could seize on that elusive person Southern's choice of material and organisation of the book would become clear.

From the first the difficulty involved in writing a book like this is clear. It is of a series, following on from The Early Church and followed by a volume on the Reformation - this requires Southern to cover over a thousand years of history in 360 pages. The way that Southern decided to deal with that massive spread of time and space is bizarre. During this period Western Christianity expanded in the British Isles, Scandinavia, all of Europe east of the Rhine, retreated from and then reconquered the Iberian peninsula, conquered and then lost the Holy Lands and sent missions to the Mongols, China and North Africa none of which one would be aware of from Southern's book (you might want to reach for The Conversion of Europe if any of that tickles your fancy). While at the same time within the Church as an institution there were dramatic changes, perhaps none more so than the Papacy becoming the pre-eminent ecclesiastical institution in the west and the spread of priestly celibacy - the former not stated baldly and the latter isn't mentioned at all which is interesting because one can imagine its imposition would have been disturbing to generations of married priestly families.

Implicitly Southern seems to be writing from a viewpoint that might be acceptable in catholic seminaries I imagine, no doubt with protestant narrow mindedness - that the Papacy was pre-eminent providing leadership and direction within the Church as a whole from the start, and indeed in the section that deals with the division between the Orthodox and Catholic churches this is very much the impression given. Unfortunately this conflicts with how Southern shows that change bubbled up from various levels in the Christian community - the circle of churchmen around Charlemagne for the addition of filoque to the creed, the development of monasticism and new forms of religious life both of which the Papacy reacted to but didn't lead, inspire or cause.

Nor does Southern appear interested in the entire period covered by his book. He is far more comfortable discussing the Church from the eleventh century onwards and has the most to say about western Christianity in Northern Italy, France, England, Western Germany and the low countries from about the twelfth century through to the end of the fourteenth. Areas geographically beyond that get one or at most two entries which are overwhelmingly about the spread of the Cistercians or the Friars who admittedly are pretty exciting especially if you like sheep, or preaching. Spain gets an extra mention on account of some Abbesses who preached, took confessions and undertook the benediction of their own nuns. This predilection for a tight geographical area and a limited time period comes to a head in the case studies he chooses for his discussion of Bishops - all of which are from the thirteenth century, two of which were appointed by the pope in the context of the struggle against the Emperor Frederick II. This provides a very restricted view of what it was to be a bishop in medieval western Europe.

Despite the focus on the thirteenth century in particular I don't think that this book has much to offer somebody who had just read The Name of the Rose and was curious to find out a little more about monasteries, friars and heresy.

A history of the Church has to opt to be either a history of the community of the faithful or a history of the institution. Southern takes the latter route. The plus side of this is that this book is an introduction to the world of monasticism, the friars and the growth of the business of the papacy. The downsides are that there is no bibliography so you are on your own for the further reading that you will need to supplement this book to understand the Church in this period.

Southern splits the material thematically, there are separate sections for the Papacy, Bishops, monastic movements and so on which then breakdown into case studies. This works well in giving both a broad brush overview and individual detail. The problem is that the case studies don't cover the breath of the time period or the geographical area under consideration. Overall its an introductory book that does not intend to be completely through. It succeeds in giving an overview of developments, although one that is skewed in certain directions.

Time has not been kind to the book. A few years after Southern wrote in this book that there is something about town life that gives rise to heresy, Montaillou was published showing how deeply heresy was embedded in a rural context, ie just the opposite. I think in the light of women's history, although Southern does give over one of his case studies to the Beguines, more would have been made of those Spanish Abbesses and their aristocratic equivalents in Anglo-Saxon England and Germany as well as the spirituality represented by Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena or Margery Kempeor Bridget of Sweden and so on. Also I can't help thinking how the growth of the Papacy from holding power by virtue of the relics of St.Peter through becoming a court of appeal, an international mediator and bureaucratic powerhouse ties in to the kinds of developments discussed in From Memory to Written Record. This underlines for me how Southern's book really works best as a starting point and isn't an end in itself.

Despite the title of Western Society and the Church Southern turns away from the how religious life was expressed through lay group like Guilds or lay patronage in the arts and architecture and extravagantly in England at least, through chantries. But again this is an area that has been developed since the publication of his book. Reading between the lines of this book the pressure from people to express their spiritual life in some way that wasn't catered for through existing church bodies was hugely important and drove the appearance of, as well as the rapid growth of new movements whether judged to be orthodox or heretical.

It is an elegantly written book, but because of the scale of the field also a very personal one, a different scholar would have inevitably taken a different approach to the topic. Still readable and still of use, it is best suited to the undergraduate as a first text to introduce them to the most visible organisations within the medieval western church, but is an inadequate introduction to the field as a whole.

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late fourteenth century religious men had some shattering paradoxes and failures before their eyes. The Benedcitines had retreated from the world, and had become great centres of government and institutions of social cohesion. The Cistercians had gone into the wilderness, and had become the greatest organizers of economic forces before the Fuggers and Medicis. The Franciscans had dedicated their lives to poverty, and were comfortably installed in every large town in Europe. In all this, effective religion(so it seemed) was lost in superficiality.

Dr. Southern's work affected me, it spawned an almost Pauline conversion. No, I haven't embraced the faith, but I felt my thoughts change. A shift was endeavored. Covering a thousand years in a mere 360 pages remains daunting if not impossible. That said, I tended to agree with the learned medievalist when he opines the significance of the church at such a monumental time in European history. What would've been the result if the church had failed? What other institutions could've kept the wolves of the time from the everyman's door?

The book begins with the differences between the Rome and Constantinople and all their doctrinal baggage. He then proceed to traverse the history of the papacy and follows with other offices of the church and concludes with a history of the myriad Orders and their consequent effect on the development of the West. The book is rife with anecdotes and more than a few charts and graphs. It also succeeded in altering the opinion of this crusty agnostic.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-done introduction to the history of medieval institutional religion. Since he's only working with 350-odd pages, Southern makes the good decision to not try to crazily dash around and cover all of it. Instead, he goes for a clear and concise look at the main pillars of medieval institutional religion - popes, bishops, and the most prominent orders of monks - and an examination of how they interacted with the social environment in which they operated. It's a good primer, but it also has some good depth to it - it's always fun to find an intro survey like this that doesn't talk down to its audience.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern's book remains an excellent historical introduction to the shaping of medieval ecclesiastical institutions by their environment (and to a lesser extent the other way as well). It has been rounded out by other deeper studies including those clever studies attempting to grasp "the large mass of inarticulate Christians" and heretical movements, but it remains a lively and thoughtful survey of medieval life from 600 to 1500. Covering political relations, relations with the East, the papacy, bishops, religious orders, and fringe movements (beguines and the brethren) he specializes in historical change and sentences that expand your understanding.

"The unity of the period from the seventh to the sixteenth century comes from the more or less effective preservation of a unity that draws its strength from the ancient world. The modern world begins when that strength, despite all the talk of humanists about the rediscovery of classical literature and culture, ebbed away."

After 1050: "The area of life directly controlled by an appeal to supernatural power was slowly and inexorably reduced. As a corollary of this, new methods and new efforts to enlarge the area of intelligiblity in the world are the most prominent features of the new age.... Both secular and spiritual hierarchies, becoming more clearly distinct in their offices, developed new techniques of government and a new range of expertise."

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing brilliant here, but he avoids a couple of pitfalls of Medieval History

1. The old view that this was a barbaric waiting period until the Renaissance
2. Some with a positive view of the period try to correct this by showing us how all the foundations of the modern world can be found in the Medieval period.

Number 2 is closer to the truth, but is still a problem because
1. It assumes that we are farther along than they were, and
2. Does not allow us to evaluate the period on its own merits.

Southern tries to get us to understand the period on its own merits in its own context, as a system unto itself. It had strengths that we do not have, and weaknesses as well. The book essentially tells the story of how a dynamic Church could rescue the world from barbarism and then stagnate -- how the seeds of the growth and 'triumph' of the church set the stage for the 'Lawyer Popes' of the 13-14th centuries. His account is insightful and sympathetic, but by the end we see that it had to die.

The one thing he does not do (but does not claim to try and do) is to apply this to our own time. All systems have strengths, flaws, and the seeds of destruction sewn in them. We can't just wag our finger at the past, we need to apply its lessons and see how we can (or are) making the same mistakes.

He writes clearly and gives good statistical and anecdotal support in a very readable format-- a solid work.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical inquiry of the Papacy, Bishops and Monastic orders (and fringe orders) from the 11th to the 16th century. Obviously a small book can only do so much, but Southern narrows his topic well without oversimplifying. A good read for those interested in the relation of secular and sacred in the Middle ages.

[Zack Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a fine enough sampling of a few ecclesiastical institutions. The chapters on the papacy and episcopacy are good-not-great. The chapters on monastic orders and fringe movements missed. Southern is heavily Anglo-centric and conspicuously favors the late medieval period. Overall, it’s very incomplete for the book it purports to be. Southern doesn’t come anywhere close a broad enough survey, nor does he have a specialist’s attention for the church-society intersections he’s interested in. I might recommend it to someone mostly clueless as to how the medieval church did its business, but few others.

[Rich Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview.

History. Divided period covered 700-1550 into three subsets (700-1050, 1050-1300, and 1300-1550) and discussed general trends for each. Material was reasonably interesting but done at a very high level.

The schism. Good discussion providing insight into politics as well as doctrine that resulted in split between Roman and Eastern church.

The Papacy. Reasonably interesting overview of how the papacy started out associated primarily with the apostle Peter before evolving into the "Vicar of Christ". Also good discussion of how the popes were drawn into issues at such a low level they hardly had time for providing visionary leadership.

Bishops and Archbishops. Discussed the senior members of the church hierarchy and their relationship with Rome as well as with local secular leaders. Used a few specific examples from England, France, Germany.

Religious Orders. I thought this was the best section of the book. Compared and contrasted the various orders of Monks and Friars and gave insight into how they fit into Medieval society based on what was going on in society at large.

Fringe Orders. Thought a bit too many pages were spent in this area covering somewhat obscure orders. You could see method to the madness as these orders (Beguines, Deventers, etc.) were characterized by individual service to God largely independent from "the Church". This change in focus is one of many precursors to the reformation.

All in all I found it interesting but would hesitate to recommend it to someone unless they already have an interest in the subject matter.

[George Kettler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a misnomer, Society and the Church isn’t a description of the interactions between lay folk and clergy, but a deep dive into the inner functioning of the medieval church. Choosing to organize the book thematically instead of chronologically, Southern begins with an overview of major ecclesiastical events in the Middle Ages (including the schism with the East) before devoting the next sections to the functioning of the papacy, bishops and religious orders religious orders respectively. This structure lets the read get a good feel for how the church was run and it’s internal politics. Punctuated with anecdotes and examples to help illustrate his point, Southern gives the reader a leak into the life of many of the movers and shakers of the Medieval Church. Would have liked to see a bit more of an explanation of the day to day on the parish level and what the lay folk thought of the various ecclesiastical developments.

[Edward C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm immensely pleased with Prof. Southern's book. It is amazing how much he is able to articulate in so few pages. The trick is to know when to name players and when it is unnecessary.

Southern's addition to the Penguin History of the Church focuses on how the medieval Church (700-1550) "did business," especially between kings and popes. The book is centered around the rise of papal power and how it affected everything: the internal workings of the Western Church, how it perceived itself, its relations with secular rulers, and its relations with the Orthodox. Southern's prose is thorough and informative without being dry or overly full of data.

I should note that he breaks each part into three, based on dates: 700-1050, 1050-1300, and 1300-1550.

The final third of the text reviews the great religious orders of the Middle Ages, as well as some of the "fringe" and "anti" orders.

[Alex Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

R.W. Southern provides an excellent little primer on the Church in the Middle ages. Southern sets out to “understand the connection between the religious organisations and the social environment of the medieval church.” As such does not focus on the thickets of doctrine and controversies over theology, or the development of ideas, but instead on the building of the trans-national institution of the Church; the division of the church from the east; the rise in the central place of the Pope; the role of bishops between Kings and Popes; the main orders of monks and how they fit into society; and not quite conformists and where they fit in around the cracks.

The book covers a lot of ground. In terms of time it covers from 700-1500, and space across Europe. Moreover, the Church was omnipresent in medieval society so this is a small book for a very big subject. As such it is no surprise there are quite a few things where I wish Southern had provided more details. His mention of an ephemeral negotiated unity with the Eastern Church in 1274 (p.74,78) is intriguing but little detail is provided on the negotiations and what the concessions on both sides. But this kind of book is supposed to serve as a starting point so I’ll simply consider it something to find out more about in the future. More seriously this also occasionally leads to the potential for misunderstanding, for example he points to massive urban growth from 1300 to 1345 without mentioning the plunge in population just after this caused by the Black Death (p.46) so a little prior knowledge of the medieval world is required.

The biggest flaw for me is the focus of geography; it is very western Europe centric. In particular the focus is on England, France and Italy with some mention of Germany. Spain gets the odd look in, of the fringe of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia or Eastern Europe nary a mention. And this is despite in some of these areas there being considerable growth in Christianity during this period with the conversion of the Vikings, Hungarians and Baltics. Was the connection between church and society any different in these newly Christian regions, did it present different challenges? The other big gap is heresy. Despite the Dominicans being looked at their role in suppressing heresy is not. But I can see why heretics outside the church would fall out of the scope of the book. More difficult to understand is the exclusion of the later challenges from those edging towards Protestantism such as Wycliffe and Hus – but as this is part of a series perhaps the antecedents of Protestantism are covered in the next book.

Southern does make some pretty large contentions; for example, he briefly posits that one way of uniting the eastern and western churches would have been through military force (p.74) pointing to the fourth crusade as showing it could perhaps have been done earlier which both forgets that the Byzantine empire was considerably stronger prior to the period of the crusades and that there were no really strong western states either. And indeed, Southern later concedes that wars were mostly indecisive (p.147) which would seem to rule out the military option.

This book is nice and easy to read. At 360 pages it appears quite long but they are small pages and with engaging writing I found it went very quickly – it is always nice to feel you are getting through a book!

Definitely a book to read for anyone with more than a passing interest in the Middle Ages. That is the case even if that interested is mainly directed elsewhere (such as mine towards the political/military). This book explains the central role of the Church in medieval society without being dull. If you are looking for something more in depth this may be just a starting point but it is always useful to understand the wider context which Southern provides.

[Adam Marischuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this book I felt that it was excessively critical of the Catholic Church, but the second time through, fifteen years later, I felt that R. W. Southern was rather sympathetic to the Church and the process of growing bureaucracy, perhaps too much.

Not that my opinions on the Church have changed, but rather my opinions on the value of government and bureaucracy have changed. Where Southern sees a clear and positive development of bureaucracy as the Church mirrors medieval society, I see a loss of the dynamism in Christianity as lawyers replace theologians and bureaucrats make episcopal leadership superfluous.

Really the book is neatly divided into two uneven parts. The first two hundred pages deal with the papacy and the bishops, their relation with the East, eachother, the kingdoms (and Empires) and the growing bureaucracy as society becomes more complex and less rural. Fifteen years ago I felt the use of examples excessively negative and focused on papal misbehaviour, but this time around I found the examples more illuminating. This is the second book this month that has had as a central focus the development of bureaucracy, the other being The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400-1000. Significantly lacking from this section is the Inquisition, specifically the Medieval Inquisition as part of the papal power structure.

The second half of the book is much more interesting though rather limited. It deals with the religious orders, who form an integral part of the Church but fall outside the traditional hierarchy. The sections regarding the orders include the Benedictans, Cistercians, Augustinian Canons, Mendicant Orders, the Beguines and the Brothers of the Common Life. In dealing with women Southern attempts to include them in the Cistercians and Beguines, but makes no mention of St Claire and the Franciscans. Southern seems to have little sympathy for the spirit of Medieval Christianity as expressed both within and without the classical hierarchical structure provided by the Church. Ending with the Bretheren of Common Life provides an interesting bridge to the Modern Era, but no mention is made of Erasmus, and similarly no mention is made of Martin Luther, an Augustinian canon, though he spends the closing section attempting to illuminate the growth of individual piety in the later Middle Ages.

Finally, on a stylistic level, the book would have been significantly shorter is Souther had refrained from so many superlative statements, "this is the most important...this is the key...the biggest single factor" but all in all, one of the best and most succinct introductions to Medieval Christianity from an important (though somewhat dated) scholar.

[Robert Monk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's begin by saying what this book is not: it's not a history of medieval religious thought or theology. This is a history of the Church as an institution, and as a part of medieval society. And the Church was a huge part of Western society after the fall of Rome. In some ways, it was the only institution that remained intact, and even grew, the sole unifying factor in a fractured place and time. So anyone who is interested in the Middle Ages needs to know about the medieval Church.

So how is this book at being what it tries to be? It's good. R.W. Southern was a towering figure in medieval studies, author of *The Making of the Middle Ages*. He organizes this survey from the top down, beginning with the medieval Papacy, moving through Bishops and other ecclesiastical lords, down to the religious orders. He puts a lot of time into the relations between the Church and secular leaders, describing the Papacy's attempt to assert leadership over society as a whole, less time on specific Popes and Bishops. It also spends less time (though it does touch upon) the problems that led to the decline of the medieval Church, and the Reformation of the sixteenth century. All in all, however, not a bad survey. Helpful for those who aren't necessarily church historians but who need a grounding for the study of the Middle Ages in general, and maybe a good starting point for those who *are* interested in church history.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

My main objection to this book is implied in its title: it focuses almost exclusively on the Western Church, only mentioning the East in regards to the East-West schism. Even within western Europe, there is a strong focus on a few areas (England, France, the Low Countries, Germany, and Italy) with not much said about others (Ireland, Spain, or Portugal, for example). That focus is not necessarily bad, but I had hoped for a broader view in a series on The History of the Church.

However, taking this book on its own merits, it's a surprisingly fun (and funny) read. Southern does a great job of framing historical trends in terms of people: their beliefs about God and the Church, their beliefs about how society ought to be run, their fears and foibles, their motivation by deep conviction or petty self-aggrandizement. The past is a foreign country, and Southern plays well his role as cultural liaison--while also periodically poking gentle fun at his subjects.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern offers several insights into the societal and religious forces of medieval society which shaped the church at large and religious communities in particular. His main thesis throughout is the necessity of understanding the church within the larger society in which in belongs and finds its shape...and how church, in turn, forms and shapes society. Perhaps this thesis has never proven more true than in the world of the Middle Ages.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly excellent overview of the period. Made me even more excited for the start of the course I’m about to take on the church in medieval England through Davenant. It feels like an eagle;s eye view of the material, but I also appreciate the note at the conclusion that all we know of the times we can only know from the academic and ruling classes, simply by virtue of the fact that they were the only literate ones. So there’s much about medieval piety that we can never know.

[John Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been taking a short course on mediaeval authors and their writings and thought that this book might be a helpful complement. While there was much it that was interesting and I learned a great deal about the development of the church through those centuries, I felt that the author was giving the satellite picture, with no attention being devoted to key individuals or movements such as the Albigensians or John Wycliffe and the Lollards for example.

[David Blankenship · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what its title says, a study of how western society and organized religion were interrelated within the middle ages. A bit dry at times, and there is only so much information to pack into 360 pages when dealing with a period of 700+ years (e.g. his lack of interest in the lives of women in religion), but his analysis seems solid.

[Daniel Silliman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more idiosyncratic that the other entries in this series and doesn't provide as much of an overview. But it does offer an interesting look at the expansion of papal power, the change in the role of bishops, and the emergence of the Beguines. Would have benefited from more narrative and examples, but still interesting.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second volume in a series by Penguin of the history of the Church. I really enjoyed the first volume by Henry Chadwick, and was intrigued until the chapters on the religious orders which I'm sure fascinates some people, but for me understanding the development of my faith, it didn't accomplish what I was looking for.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid high level overview of developments in the church in the Middle Ages. One thing I felt was missing was discussion of intellectual and theological developments in this period, but that would probably be too much to take on in one volume. Definitely want to read more about this period!

[Taylor Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the ecclesiastical machinery of the middle ages. Southern is a more than competent stylist, as well.

[Aaron Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern has an eye for linking crusty old church documents into living, breathing events that tell of the greater life of those living in the Middle Ages. This book is excellent.

[Andy Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters of this book are a joy to read others go into detail which is less joyfull.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, skimmed some of the more dense chapters but a good introduction. After reading it I couldn't help but notice ecclesiastical references everywhere.

[Kimrey Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well written but often difficult to stay engaged with.

[Neil Aplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read a book that's been on my shelves since school! Seems like it was a school text book used only to answer one essay question. But nevertheless a fascinating read although I don't suppose I would have been interested all those years ago. After an initial background chapter ot two it broadened into the specific details of the age, and made interesting reading for the details of life at that time.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit at the outset that I had an ulterior motive in finishing this volume. I was a medieval history graduate student of Dr. Norman Cantor at SUNY Binghamton in the mid-1970s. Cantor was a graduate student of Sir Richard Southern at Oxford in the mid 1950s. This was a trip back to my lost and wasted youth. I remember the seminar nights on Twelfth Century England vividly. It was a mixture of abject terror and almost indescribable exultation; sitting there with around a dozen of the best historical minds I had ever encountered. At the head of the circle of tables sat Cantor. He always impressed me as a great shaggy brown bear; huge, slow moving, seemingly oblivious to we mere mortals. But he had the weapons of a Kodiak also. He could rip and claw and devour anyone unprepared or merely ignorant. He gained these formidable tools from his experiences with Southern at Oxbridge. He was a Jew from the Western provinces of Canada competing with English aristocrats and millionaires sons. His mind was like a stainless steel trap. It had a precision and a speed and a ruthlessness that was awe inspiring. He admired Southern's work but found constant shortcomings in it. This work was dismissed as a textbook for undergraduates. For Cantor, the only work worth mentioning was Southern's Making of the Middle Ages. Actually Western Society and the Church is a very good introduction to the interior of the medieval Catholic Church. It is thematic and not chronologically oriented. It explains well the internal dynamics and emotional fabric of an institution over a thousand years. It is highly recommended. Albeit with sufficient background to understand the journey. The average history undergraduate of today wouldn't last fifty pages.

[Melissa Swearingen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’d read Southerns sweeping work - a part of the Pelican History of the Church series - though it has been on my shelf for ages so I picked it up a couple months ago. It’s very dated as to the state of research and the way scholars often think about the Middle Ages. He focused on institutions and organized religion, which is always relevant, but the field has expanded to include more popular piety, personal expression, more sources, and less sweeping generalizations .

His style isn’t the clearest either in sentence structure or organization and I found myself annoyed at having to reread parts just to ravel out a convoluted sentence that wasn’t profound. One also has to pick through his judgments on papal actions and church figures. That said, it was still an enjoyable read and I particularly enjoyed the first half (before you get to the religious orders - I didn’t find that section well done at all, it seemed everyone was too quickly dealt with and written off, there was no nuance or depth of explanation. He clearly favored the less organized internally focused brethren he highlighted at the end.).

Re-reading again in 2025, in spite of its shortcomings there are parts that are really very insightful and worth pondering, particularly that first half.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three semester sequence of Church History courses was one of the unexpected delights in seminary, particularly Dr. Lotz' Mediaeval History. I had expected it to be dull memorization concerning what I still thought of as "the Dark Ages", that stultifying gap between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. Boy was I wrong! Well, at least the teacher and the readings he had us do were of a quality to excite my interest in the period.