ABSTRACT
There has been a tendency to the view the history of the early medieval papacy predominantly in ideological terms, which has resulted in the over-exaggeration of the idea of the papal monarchy. In this study, first published in 1979, Jeffrey Richards questions this view, arguing that whilst the papacy’s power and responsibility grew during the period under discussion, it did so by a series of historical accidents rather than a coherent radical design.
The title redresses the imbalance implicit in the monarchical interpretation, and emphasizes other important political, administrative and social aspects of papal history. As such it will be of particular value to students interested in the history of the Church; in particular, the development of the early medieval papacy, and the shifting policies and characteristics of the popes themselves.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |6 pages
Introduction
part |47 pages
The Context
chapter |20 pages
The Ideological Context
chapter |18 pages
The Political and Religious Context
chapter |8 pages
The Social and Economic Context
part |81 pages
The Papacy under the Ostrogoths
chapter |12 pages
The Acacian Schism
chapter |8 pages
The Symmachan Schism (i) the events
chapter |23 pages
The Symmachan Schism (ii) issues and participants
chapter |14 pages
The Rapprochement with the East
chapter |23 pages
The Gothic Reaction
part |95 pages
The Papacy under the Empire
chapter |23 pages
The ‘Three Chapters' Controversy
chapter |19 pages
The Lombardic Crisis
chapter |20 pages
The Monothelete Crisis
chapter |15 pages
The Papal Revival
chapter |17 pages
The Final Crisis
part |53 pages
The Popes
chapter |14 pages
Class Origins
chapter |20 pages
Age and Experience
chapter |18 pages
Geographical Origins and Cultural Attainments
part |75 pages
The Papal Administration