Between God and Man: Six Sermons on the Priestly Office

by Pope Innocent III

The six sermons presented here cast light on Pope Innocent III's concept of what his duties. They include: the inaugural sermon of Innocent's consecration, the opening sermon of Lateran Council IV, two Roman Synod sermons, and another on the constitution of the priesthood.

Genres: History, Medieval

131 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Pope Innocent III (born Lotario dei Conti di Segni) was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 8 January 1198 to his death in 1216. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni. Pope Innocent was one of the most powerful and influential popes. He exerted a wide influence over the Christian regimes of Europe, claiming supremacy over all of Europe's kings. Pope Innocent was central in supporting the Catholic Church's reforms of ecclesiastical affairs through his decretals and the Fourth Lateran Council. This resulted in a considerable refinement of the Western canon law. Pope Innocent is notable for using interdict and other censures to compel princes to obey his decisions, although these measures were not uniformly successful. Innocent called for Christian crusades against Muslims in Spain and the Holy Land and against heretics in southern France (Albigensian Crusade). One of Pope Innocent's most critical decisions was organizing the Fourth Crusade. Originally intended to attack Islam through Egypt, a series of unforeseen circumstances led the crusaders to Constantinople, where they ultimately attacked and sacked the city (1204). Innocent reluctantly accepted this result, seeing it as the will of God to reunite the Greek and Latin churches, but it poisoned relations between the two churches.

Reviews

[Athur Karls · Rating 3 out of 5]

so that the sublimity may be humble, and the humility may be sublime.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of sermons from Pope Innocent III, one of the most prominent medieval popes. Innocent is usually associated with the secular power of the papacy during his pontificate - at one point or another he was involved with all the big secular powers in Europe. This acts as a nice counterbalance to the reputation, illustrating Innocent's concern for preaching, good clerical behavior, and the spiritual state of the church. He's also a pretty impressive writer - most of the sermons (though they're heavily allegorical) are pretty rhetorically effective. It's hard to grasp the actual voices of so many historical figures, so it's nice to read something like this to get a slightly more personal view.