In this compelling series of lectures, widely esteemed author and professor Thomas F. Madden illustrates how the papacy, the world's oldest institution, gave birth to the West. Since Jesus Christ instructed the foremost of his Apostles, Peter, that he would be the rock upon which Christ would build his church, the papacy has survived the rise and fall of empires while continuing to assert an undeniable influence on world events. The men who have served as pope are a fascinating collection of larger-than-life personages who have touched millions of lives, changed the course of history, and even launched crusades that have altered the balance of global politics. With a learned approach and incisive analysis, Professor Madden not only provides a history of the papacy, but sheds light on the personalities of the popes and the flavor of their pontificates; and at the same time, Madden demonstrates how the papacy has survived the tumultuous cauldron of history and offers a studied commentary on the future of this resilient institution.Lecture 1 The See of Peter
Lecture 2 The Papacy During the Decline of the Roman Empire
Lecture 3 The Changing of the World
Lecture 4 Birth of the Medieval Papacy
Lecture 5 The Reform Papacy of the Middle Ages
Lecture 6 The Papacy and the Byzantine East
Lecture 7 The Papal Monarchy
Lecture 8 Decline of Papal Authority in Europe
Lecture 9 The Avignon Papacy and the Great Schism
Lecture 10 Renaissance and Reformation
Lecture 11 The Papacy in the Age of Revolution
Lecture 12 The Confrontation with Nationalism
Lecture 13 The Era of World Wars
Lecture 14 A New Engagement with the Modern World: 1958 to Present