Encyclopedia of the Vatican and Papacy

by Frank J. Coppa

Overview

This comprehensive source book focuses on the Vatican from the Renaissance through the 1990s. Developments are studied within the broad context of European and world history. Crucial pre-Renaissance events are included as are entries on all of the popes, and the twenty-one councils from Nicea (325) to Vatican II (1962-1965). Alphabetically arranged, the entries provide valuable and often difficult-to-find information on the structure and organization of the church. While the emphasis remains on the interaction between the Vatican and Papal Institutions within the wider political, diplomatic, social and cultural world arena, theological questions are considered as well as the attitudes and reactions of the Vatican to key historical events, such as the French Revolution, Imperialism, World War I and II, the Ethiopian War, and the Holocaust. Entries on heresies and condemnations are included along with those on the Vatican reaction to various ideological movements such as Arianism, Jansenism, Gnosticism, Fascism, Racism, Marxism and Americanism. Entries address current issues such as the Papal position on social questions, abortion, homosexuality, liberation theology, and birth control.

A valuable tool for Papal scholars and researchers, this informative encyclopedia provides, in one volume, a wealth of easily accessible information on the influence of the Papacy and the Vatican throughout the development of the modern world. In addition to complete listings on all of the popes and all of the councils, topics and individuals are thoroughly indexed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313289170
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/30/1999
Pages:	492
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

FRANK J. COPPA is Professor of History, Director of the Doctoral Program in Modern World History, and Chair of the Vatican Symposium at St. John's University. He has published over a dozen volumes on Papal and Italian History. Among his monographs are biographies of Giovanni Giolitti, Pope Pius IX, Camillo di Cavour and Cardinal Ciacomo Antonelli.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Encyclopedia
Appendix A: Alphabetical List of Popes
Appendix B: Alphabetical List of Antipopes
Appendix C: Ecumenical Councils
Index

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up-Although these clear, brief articles emphasize the Vatican from the Renaissance to the 1900s, this volume covers every pope from Peter to John Paul II. Most of the entries are 200 to 300 words in length though some ("Holocaust and the Papacy," for instance) are several pages long. Each article ends with a bibliography, and appendixes provide lists of the popes, the antipopes, and Ecumenical Councils. While the entries are informative and readable, fact discrepancies warrant owning other books on this topic. For example, the article on Nicholas the III states that "Dante praises Nicholas for his efforts to join the houses of Anjou and Hapsburg..."; while in The Inferno, the poet discovers Nicholas-with the other Simonists-in the third chasm of Hell, head down in a narrow hole. The article on Gregory the III lists his feast day as November 28th (as does the Britannica) but Butler's Lives of the Saints (Liturgical) and the Pocket Dictionary of Saints (Image, 1983) both list it as December 10th. For collections with other books on the subject, such as Monika Hellig and Michael Glazier's Modern Catholic Encyclopedia (Liturgical, 1994) or Richard McBrien's Lives of the Popes (HarperCollins, 1997), this book will make a useful addition. However, it should not be a library's only source on one of the most important elements of Western history.-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This sourcebook focuses on the Vatican from the Renaissance through the 1990's, studying events within the context of European and world history. Topics of the alphabetically-arranged entries include crucial pre-Renaissance events; each of the popes; and the 21 councils from Nicaea (325) to Vatican II (1962-1965). While the emphasis is on the interaction between the Vatican and Papal institutions within the wider political, diplomatic, social, and cultural world arena, entries also consider theological questions, the attitudes and reactions of the Vatican to key historical events and ideological movements, heresies and condemnations, and current issues. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)

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