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Msgr. Laurence J. Spiteri, JCD, PhD is presently in charge of the legal office of the Vatican Apostolic Library and a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Roman See. The author of The Ten Commandments: A Positive Approach Toward Catholic Morality, Lifestyle and Attitude (ST PAULS / Alba House, 2007) and The Code in the Hands of the Laity: Canon Law for Everyone (ST PAULS / Alba House, 1997, he has likewise authored a number of publications in a variety of languages and is the translator into English of the very fine work of Cardinal Pierre Philippe, The Virgin Mary and the Priesthood (ST PAULS / Alba House, 1993).
Reviews
This book's orientation and objective are carried out professionally in such a way that, assisted by an unpretentious, fluid and practical style, render its reading attractive and persuasive. The author states his objectives in the Preface and makes his own, so to speak, the motto of the famous Franch historian, Jean Chelini, who stated that, "the Church does not need an apology but truth" (L'Eglise sous Pie XII, Paris: Fayard, 1983, cited as an epigraph). I sincerely wish that this little volume, which is thick in its contents, be read by many, especially the young, so that they will come to know what has happened over fifteen centuries (down to the Council of Trent) in the history of the Church to which institution they belong. I hope that the readers will approach this history with the same objectivity with which this historian presents his writing, and with the same excitement and curiosity of one who reads one's own family history and surprisingly discovers one's own identity therein. --Cardinal Raffaele Farina, Cardinal Librarian of the Roman Church, Archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives, March 1, 2008, Vatican City, as cited in the Introduction
This prolific author is in charge of the legal office of the Vatican Apostolic Library and a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Roman See. If you are content to read the basic facts, you will be satisfied by Spiteri's very short history of the Catholic Church until the Council of Trent. He promises a subsequent volume to take us to the present. Perforce there cannot be much that is new in such a rapid survey, though the reader who is fairly well acquainted with the subject will notice a couple of interesting observations, viz., his treatment of Pelagianism and the moderate stance of Luther's theologian, Philip Melancthon, who placed a great emphasis on the role academic studies play in the spiritual life of the individual, curse of writers bedevilling Catholic Christianity today.
The essence of Protestantism is evangelical (biblical) theology and the Eucharist as understood in ways lesser than the Catholic view. Conversely, the essence of Catholic Christianity is tradition, dogmatic development, and Eucharistic Transubstantiation. It is no accident that Luther's view grew out of his work as biblical theology professor and his own desperate search for surety. Islam is treated briefly and makes one wonder why Vatican II accepted the Muslim denial of the Catholic Church as a valid monotheistic faith. The failure of the Church to reform when reform was so needed and would have saved the Church from fracture pervades the book. The medieval Truce of God left only eighty days in the year for soldiers to kill each other in warfare, a wonderful bromide that contrasted with the inhuman ideas of the Albigenses, perverse heralds of modern aberrations of true marriage, spiritualism and inhumanity.
There is need for Dominicans today as they were first intended to spread pure Catholic doctrine. The papacy gradually lost its spiritual prestige in the years prior to the Protestant revolt. The spiritualizing of early Protestant reformers such as the teachings of John Wycliffe and Jan Huss enfeebled the Catholic Church and her mandate to hold spirit and matter in symbiotic relationship. The Renaissance threatened the Catholic practice of the sacraments of Communion and Penance even by the clergy, substituting personal prayer and meditation on Sacred Scripture, a preview of Protestantism.
The best way to summarize the state of the Church prior to the Protestant Revolt is summed up in the concept of Nominalism. Instead of judging the Church as an institution, many judged her by her faults. Luther's hegira from the Church stemmed from his personal lack of inner self-appeasement which led to his jettisoning the Mass, the Divine Office, the priesthood and the sacraments, showing the mistake of extrapolating from one's personal experience to deductive declarations. Dogmatic theology gave way to theology based exclusively on Sacred Scripture. John Calvin's theology developed from purported personal religious experience to create the form of Protestantism which is almost universal today. The loss of Scandinavia to the Church was devastating.
The Council of Trent set the table for permanent divisions in the Church, which are still with us, although the polemic has diminished in an age of tolerance and the Catholic Church's fervent ecumenical dialogue. One will not learn much from this book, but it is a facile read. However, for the beginning student of Church history such as a layperson or convert, it will serve as a good, accurate introduction to the important critical issues of the period. --Gerard G. Steckler. S.J. in Homiletic & Pastoral Review, August-September 2009
This is a very short introduction to the history of the Roman Catholic Church from the beginning to the Council of Trent. The book covers fifteen hundred years of complex history and can only provide a quick overview. As for all Church historians, the author's approach is determined by ecclesiology, his theology of the Church. For the author, the Catholic Church is divinely instituted. This foundation is understood as having important implications for the development of the Church.
According to the author, by the second century the Church is already defined as a hierarchical institution. In order to remain true to its foundation, a special commissioned ministry entitled the episcopacy, was established. Later Constantine identified the interests of the empire with those of the Church. A consequence of the coalescence of Church and civil society was the hierarchization of the Church both in nature and structure. With Pope Gregory VII began the centralization of authority in the hands of the papacy.
The development of the primacy of the pope and of Rome colors the entire history of the Church. Such centrality, while beneficial, also had negative consequences. In fact, the period between 1370 and 1517, the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, was one of a steady downward spiral for the Church. The call for reform was heard from every segment of the Church.
As an historian, the author treats the facts with respect. But by focusing his attention on the hierarchical aspect of the Church, the author neglects the ordinary life of the Church and of the faithful. --Catholic Library World, Volume 79, Number 3, March 2009
Church history: At Your Fingertips: A History of the Roman Catholic Church Until the Council of Trent" is a very short introduction to the history of the Catholic Church covering the centuries from the inception of the Catholic Church when Jesus entrusted the keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter to the eve of the Council of Trent in 1545. As a quick overview of these years the work introduces us to saints and sinners, to the authentic doctrine of the Church and to the heresies which have sought to undermine it. Written by Msgr. Laurence J. Spiteri, JCD, PhD, the book speaks of the commitment of countless dedicated men and women and the rejection of the Church on the part of many others. Upheaval on the spiritual and temporal levels, the successes and failures of Popes and secular rulers, the compromises that were made and the clashes which were inevitable as a result, the humility and personal ambitions of many, the struggle for peace on the part of a few in the midst of countless wars and acts of rebellion are all part of the narrative to be found in these pages. The history of the Catholic Church is marked by ups and downs, sins and bad judgment, constant efforts at renewal, ongoing attempts to find the proper balance, and in the end a determination to fulfill God's will no matter what -- all indicating how the fingerof God has guided and continues to guide His People still in the midst of worldly travail. --Crux of the News, January 26, 2009
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