Editorial Review

The outrage that, two decades ago, greeted the plan to restore Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel seems absurd, now that they're on view in all their glory. The 150 absolutely magnificent color plates in this big, beautiful book are eloquent testimony to the project's utter success. Even two small patches of background sky, the "before" picture, gray and streaked, and the "after" picture, blue and clear, are thrilling. Two photographs are used almost as bookends: One of the huge fresco of the Read more

Reviews (3)

Great book of art
Anyone can appreciate this book, hundreds of pages of full color glossy photos of zoomed in shots of paintings done on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.... remarkable. Not bad for the price, usually for this type of quality you'd easily spend another twenty bucks... it has wonderful art history, explanations, descriptions, and fantastic imagery that makes you oooh and ahhh...
Truly Enriching !
Have you ever seen something that completely stuns your mind? This is exactly what happened to me when I first saw The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. Visually I was so overwhelmed that my mind just could not absorb this titanic Masterpiece.Thanks to the glorious photographs and comprehensive interpretation in this book, I realize how much more I have missed visually and spiritually. "Michelangelo:The Last Judgement-A Glorious Restoration" does this Masterpiece justice and reminds us of the God driven powers of Michelangelo. The pictures before and after the restoration are truly revealing and touching.They tell us of the tremendous effort Colalucci, Mancinelli and their team made to return this Masterpiece to mankind. Sirs, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Incredible, detailed look into this masterpiece
I must admit that for the longest time, my attention and focus, while studying Michelangelo, has been towards the Sistine Chapel. Most of the books I own on him devote numerous text and space to the ceiling, and a moderate take on the Last Judgement. It's not that I didn't appreciate the wall, or regard it as a masterpiece--truthfully, when I saw it in person, it floored me--I just didn't pay very much attention to it.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Conservation and restoration    4. History - General    5. Individual Artist    6. Individual Painters - Renaissance    7. Judgment Day in art    8. Mural painting and decoration, Italian    9. Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance    10. Vatican City    11. Criticism and interpretation    12. Individual artists    13. Italy    14. Last Judgment    15. Michelangelo Buonarroti    16. Painting & paintings    17. Renaissance art    18. c 1500 to c 1600   

Editorial Review

The Vatican's 1998 report "We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah" purportedly exonerated the Church of complicity in the Holocaust. In Read more

Reviews (35)

The Jews Against the Popes
I tried to read this trash-book, here in Brazil.Even being an agronomist, I love to read book about religion and history.And this is a trash-book.The core's idea of this trash-book is that, Popes were jew's enemies.
A useful, although painful, reference
Based on documents first available in 1998 when the Vatican opened the archives of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, Kertzer challenges the conclusions of the March 16, 1998 report commissioned by Pope John II (We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah) wherein the Church absolves itself of any responsibility for the slaughter of millions of Jews during World War II. While admitting Jews had for centuries been discriminated against and used for scapegoats, and that Christian teachings had on occasion been misinterpreted to encourage this behavior, thereport concluded this "older history" was largely overcome after 1800. Kertzer cites a seemingly endless litany of Vatican documents after 1800 that seriously challenge the veracity of this statement.
Unbelievable .... and sadly true
I was not surprised by the facts exposed in this much needed bood. Unbelievably, the Catholic Church's anti-semitism is still alive and flourishing.My daughter,a Catholic, was asked to be godmother to her cousin's child.She needed a letter from her parish priest, who said "he would not allow her to be a godmother to a child...you're married to a Jew".My only point of contention is that the author often refers to Catholicism and Christianity as one and the same.They are not...any humble, Bible practicing Christian knows that the Catholic Church is not true Christianity, and any true Christian would not accept the abominal practices dictated by the Popes and the Catholic clergy on any of their fellow man. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - History - Catholic    2. Discrimination & Racism    3. Europe - Great Britain - General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Religion - Classic Works    8. History / General   

Reviews (2)

Amazing value
If you have an interest in art, or in Michelangelo in particular, this book should be part of your collection.The reproductions are remarkable (photos were taken after the Sistine Chapel ceiling had been cleaned), and I can't imagine a better book on the subject at this low price.I was amazed when the book arrived, because it is a substantial book for the price, and the photos are just beautiful.I visited the Sistine Chapel this summer, and ordered this book when I got home. I would highly recommend your having this book before a trip to Rome.Most of the images are far away when standing in the Sistine Chapel (the ceiling is high) so it's hard to see detail when looking at the real thing.Looking at these photos beforehand will give you an even greater appreciation of Michelangelo's genius.

Loved it!
This was a wonderful book at a really good price.The pictures are quite good, showing a lot of detail and clarity.The narrative is enjoyable as well.This book will make you want to go to Rome and see the real thing up close!(This is also a good book to read along with Ross King's "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.")Great for your coffee table or art history collection! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1475-1564    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Cappella Sistina (Vatican Palace, Vatican City)    5. Criticism and interpretation    6. European    7. History - Renaissance    8. Individual Artist    9. Michelangelo Buonarroti,    10. Mural painting and decoration,    11. Mural painting and decoration, Italian    12. Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance    13. Subjects & Themes - Religious    14. Vatican City    15. Art / Individual Artist    16. Fresco    17. High Renaissance (c 1500-1530)    18. Individual artists    19. Italy    20. Modern period, c 1500 onwards   

Reviews (5)

Insightful Summary
The author does an admirable job of summarizing the cultural and theological divisions that reached the boiling point at Vatican II, and how these divisions continue to distort and confuse the meaning of the Council. Going back to the 19th century, he shows how various theologians, in response to and/or sympathy with the secular tide, began to challenge Church structures and advocate all sorts of novel, and often heretical, theological positions.Some were motivated by a sense of social justice in the here and now, stressing the Church's earthly mission almost to the exclusion of its eternal one.Others, believing democracy to be the only just form of government, sought freedom from the authority of Rome.Still others, affected by rationalist study of the Bible ("higher criticism"), began to see the Bible as something less than divine or outright folklore.
This book confirms one's suspicions
In Turmoil & Truth Philip Trower gives a nice succinct description of what has shaped Roman Catholicism in the early 21st century.Trower vividly describes how some Catholic thinking is routed in Kantian philosophy and that the chaos we see today started long before Vatican II.The names of the usual suspects appear throughout the book Tyrrell, deChardin, Kung, etc.I appreciated how the author pointed out that so-called "progressive" Catholic thinking developed along the same lines as that of its older Protestant brother "higher criticism."It just tagged along, like an unwanted younger sibling.In other words, Liberal Catholicism is just a new wedding band playing the same old tunes.If you want a book that describes the history of the confused state of current Catholic practice, this is the one.But, it also holds out hope because it shows that the future of the Church is a bright one, as the "progressives" have not abandoned their 19th century roots.It is those faithful who, building upon Vatican II, that are the Church not of the world, or even against it, but in the world.

A scholarly and thoroughly researched presentation
Turmoil & Truth: The Historical Roots Of The Modern Crisis In The Catholic Church is a meticulous analysis by Philip Trower of the diverse woes besetting Catholic Church today and the roots of this modern church turmoil. Delving for answers into the previous centuries, and introducing the reader to critical historical events which caused ripples far outside their era, Turmoil & Truth is a scholarly and thoroughly researched presentation seeking to understand the origin of corrosive divisiveness found within the Roman Catholic Church today in America, Europe, and Australia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (2nd :    2. 1962-1965)    3. 20th century    4. Catholic Church    5. Christianity - Catholicism    6. Christianity - History - Catholic    7. Church renewal    8. History    9. Religion    10. Religion - Classic Works    11. Vatican Council   

Reviews (21)

Hint:It wasn't the Council....
In the decades following the second Vatican Council, Catholics remain confused about it.What was its purpose?Did it really change everything and try to strip away Catholic identity?Why did we even need it?The Catholic Church was in great shape in the years immediately preceding the council.... wasn't it?
Prophetic
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not find the title misleading because what went wrong with Vatican II was not Vatican II itself. Unfortunately, the Council, its documents, andsubsequent documents with Church authority have been deliberately misinterpreted or ignored by people acting without authority.

Thought provoking, but it begs some questions
If you have any read any other reviews, you realize that this book is more about Humanae Vitae that about Vatican II.But that should not concern you as Humanae Vitae provides all the examples that Mr. McInerny needs.Read more

Subjects:  1. (2nd :    2. 1962-1965)    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Christianity - History - Catholic    5. Christianity - Theology - Ecclesiology    6. Church Government Of Specific Denominations    7. Religion    8. Religion - Classic Works    9. Roman Catholic Church    10. Vatican Council    11. Christian theology   

Reviews (4)

Wineskins without Wine
In the 1960s, Andrew Greeley was often accused of never having had an unpublished thought. Following his inordinate number of novels, we can now add that he hasn't had an unpublished fantasy. This scattered and strangely dated book envisions a kind of fantasy revolution in an American Catholicism where lay people can be holier than priests (no kidding) even though most of them scoff at strictures against birth control and even abortion, where the biggest problem seems to be that someone removed the statues from the sanctuary of the parish church while failing to appreciate how movies like "Dogma" improve on 2,000 years of theological reflection. He seems to think it objectively true that guitar players are all terrible musicians (take THAT, Les Paul) while all organ players are virtuosos.
Why Catholics stay in the church
Pretty much boils down to the idea that (American) Catholics who stay "in" the church, do so "because they like being Catholic".
Romantic defense of Catholicism revisited
Greeley's analysis of the reasons for the church's loss of authority after Vatican II is totally believable, but that is not news.What is news is that Greeley bases his belief that the Catholic church and faith will survive entirely on what early 19th-Century Europeans called a Romantic defense of religion -- essentially invented by people like Chateaubriand, it held that religion would last because it was "beautiful."Because it filled a need and no amount of scientific evidence against its dogmas or practices would make any difference.Read more

Subjects:  1. (2nd :    2. 1962-1965)    3. Catholic Church    4. Christianity - Catholicism    5. Christianity - General    6. Christianity - History - Catholic    7. Doctrines    8. Religion    9. Religion - Classic Works    10. Sociology - General    11. Vatican Council    12. Religion / General    13. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    14. USA   

Subjects:  1. Agesander    2. Agesander.    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Art Criticism    6. Criticism    7. History    8. History - General    9. Laocoon (Legendary character)    10. Laocoon group    11. Laocoèon (Legendary character)    12. Laocoèon group    13. Art / General    14. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    15. History of art & design styles: c 1400 to c 1600    16. Laocoön group    17. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    18. Sculpture    19. Vatican   

Reviews (1)

Good Non-Academic Survey of Papal Elections
This is a book that focuses on how the Popes have been chosen and elected, starting with Peter and going all the way to John Paul II.Given that records of the earliest elections are scant, or non-existent, Baumgartner spends only about 20 pages going through the first 1000 years of the Church, and then another 20 pages for the next 300 years or so, but Baumgartner presents all of the solid historical information that is available, without engaging in the salacious or scandalous rumors that have characterized other histories of the Church. For example, he mentions "Pope Joan" only in passing but provides references for both those who believe she was only a myth and for those who believe she was real. Baumgartner is sparse with his footnotes, which makes the book easier to read, but all sources are cited.
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Subjects:  1. Western Europe - General    2. Leadership    3. Roman Catholic Church    4. Religion - Classic Works    5. Popes    6. Christianity - History - Catholic    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    8. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    9. Vatican    10. Christianity - History - General    11. Christianity - Catholicism    12. Religion    13. Election    14. History    15. General   

Reviews (1)

Only Thing Interesting is the Title!
Of the 330 pages in this book, about fifty of them are interesting.The book was written in 1912 and this is a reprint of that original publication.Despite his disclaimers, the author definitely has an ax to grind.It doesn't seem so much to be one he wields to disparage, as it does one wielded by someone on the outside looking in, who is green with envy.The antiquated writing style of this author is pretty boring.He goes on with endless lists of names of papabili and the women they allegedly recruited as patronesses.It's hard to tell which ones are men and which are women, and that really confuses some of his tales.When the author zeros in on a couple of major pope makers, like Mathilda of Tuscany or Donna Olimpia, it gets a little interesting.As a period piece, it is a good one, but it just doesn't work beyond that.Use the handy dandy index to look up Mathilda and Donna and you will get those good fifty pages I mentioned. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - History - Catholic    2. Religion    3. Religion - Classic Works    4. Religion & Beliefs   

Reviews (2)

best introduction to catholic social teaching
In a little over one hundred years, the Catholic Church has undergone a remarkable transformation, from an ecclesiastical model in which the Church is Mater et Magistra, to cite the opening words of the first social encyclical of John XXIII, so that "the Church allies itself with the dominant classes that control the state, organizing projects around these classes, giving rise to colleges, universities, Christian political parties, and the like," to quote Leonardo Boff, one of the key spokesmen of the theology of liberation.Boff continues, "A vast network of assistance programs are established, leading the Church to become a Church for the poor rather than a Church with or of the poor." best introduction to catholic social teaching
In a little over one hundred years, the Catholic Church has undergone a remarkable transformation, from an ecclesiastical model in which the Church is Mater et Magistra, to cite the opening words of the first social encyclical of John XXIII, so that "the Church allies itself with the dominant classes that control the state, organizing projects around these classes, giving rise to colleges, universities, Christian political parties, and the like," to quote Leonardo Boff, one of the key spokesmen of the theology of liberation. Boff continues, "A vast network of assistance programs are established, leading the Church to become a Church for the poor rather than a Church with or of the poor." Read more

Subjects:  1. Catholic Church    2. Christian sociology    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Doctrines    5. History    6. History of doctrines    7. Religion    8. Religion - Classic Works    9. Roman Catholic Church    10. Social Theology    11. Christian social thought & activity    12. Christian theology    13. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Reviews (1)

An Important New Interpretation of Raphael's Stanza
Raphael's "School of Athens" is one of the best-known works of art in the Western world, yet it has been little understood until now. Many figural attributions, which appear in the standard art history textbooks, are either conjectural or just plain wrong. And even the best of these former writings, have not carefully considered the relationship of the "School of Athens" to Raphael's other three paintings in the same room.Fortunately, Dr. Joost-Gaugier has written this book to set us all straight. Her scholarship is impeccable, and she considers the Stanza in the full context - historical, artistic, literary, and philosophical - of its time. Her book will appeal to many different audiences - art historians, students, scholars, and really anyone who is interested in the art and thought of the Renaissance. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1483-1520    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Criticism and interpretation    5. European    6. Individual Artist    7. Mural painting and decoration,    8. Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance    9. Raphael,    10. Stanza della Segnatura (Vatica    11. Stanza della Segnatura (Vatican Palace, Vatican City)    12. Subjects & Themes - Religious    13. Vatican City    14. Art / General    15. History of art & design styles: c 1400 to c 1600    16. Individual artists    17. Painting & paintings    18. Raphael,--1483-1520--Criticism and interpretation   

Reviews (1)

Behind the scenes
For those who still hold the outdated beleif that the Church is against women in any form, especially those in power, this book will be an eyeopener. For the rest of us who are educated, we will find the behind the scenes life at the Vatican interesting adn informative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Catholicism    2. History    3. Papacy    4. Religion    5. Religion - Classic Works    6. Religion - Roman Catholic    7. Religious life    8. Vatican City    9. Women    10. Women in the Catholic Church    11. Religion / Catholicism   

Subjects:  1. Bishops    2. Catholic Church    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Church history    5. History    6. Religion    7. Religion - Classic Works    8. United States    9. International institutions    10. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    11. USA    12. Vatican   

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Catholicism    2. Christianity - History - Catholic    3. Christianity - Theology - Catholic    4. Religion    5. Religion - Classic Works    6. Christianity   

Reviews (17)

Excellent scholarship
The level of research and scholarship in this volume is impressive to the point of stellar. Halter has painstakingly documented every church teaching related to the question of women's ordination, and she has included the original documents all in one appendix. This book is a scholar's goldmine, but it is also a fascinating read for anyone interested in the crucial issue of women priests.

Nonsense
Save yourself some time and money and pass on this nonsense.The author puts forth the idea that the Catholic Church will not ordain women as priests.That is not the issue.It is not a case of will or won't.Halter tries to spin othewise, but fails miserably in this thinnly-vailed anti-Catholic tome.
Gutsy History of Women in the Catholic Church
The Papal No: A Comprehensive Guide to the Vatican's Rejection of Women's Ordination" by Deborah Halter is a gutsy book, exceptionally well-researched and beautifully written. In it Halter recounts the history of women's roles in the Catholic church, throwing into sharp relief the dramatically different attitudes held by the Church toward women and men. Women are still seen as docile beings defined by their relationships to men. Despite the Church's recent claims of women's dignity, the idea that Jesus (and the apostles after him) did not "choose" women for leadership office persists in various guises into the present day and continues to undergird the Church's refusal to ordain women. And while most of us tend to think of the Church's position concerning lay women and nuns as historically monolithic, the author reveals fascinating examples of women who have successfully taken on much larger, more priestly roles, sometimes under perilous conditions. I enjoyed seeing the ironic paradoxes in the Church's position over time. And, I liked reading a charming narrative interlaced throughout the book about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun in 19th Century France, who never lost her fierce desire to become a priest. "The Papal No" makes a powerful statement about a contemporary problem that is unlikely to just go away, even though the patriarchal Catholic Church would surely like it to. This compelling book is suitable for anyone--male or female, Catholic or not, teenager or adult--who rejects the notion that women's God-given gifts and calling to ministry should be limited by a church controlled by a hierachy of powerful men who have yet to recognize women as equals. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Catholic Church    2. Christianity - Catholicism    3. Christianity - History - Catholic    4. History of doctrines    5. Non-Classifiable    6. Nonfiction - General    7. Ordination of women    8. Religion    9. Religion - Classic Works    10. Sexuality & Gender Studies    11. Christian ministry & pastoral activity    12. History of religion    13. Religion / Catholicism    14. Religion / General    15. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Catholic Church    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Christianity - Church Administration - General    5. Christianity - History - Catholic    6. Christianity - Theology - Catholic    7. Christianity - Theology - Ecclesiology    8. Clergy    9. History    10. Religion    11. Religion - Classic Works    12. United States    13. Christian spiritual & Church leaders    14. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History - General History    3. Religion    4. History    5. History / General   

Reviews (1)

An Inside Look at the American Catholic Church
Msgr. Kelly, well familiar with the key leaders in the American Church, chronicles developments here since Vatican II in great detail.He observes that since the Council, people in key leadership positions too often hold views that are a distortion, if not an outright falsification of, the true aims of the Council.Essentially, these views boil down to a denial to one extent or another of papal authority and Church Tradition, and the acceptance of relativism in faith and morals.This change of view, so precisely opposite the strong orthodoxy that characterized the American Church before Vatican II, can be seen in Catholic colleges, seminaries, religious orders (especially the Jesuits), and (amazingly) among many bishops.The results have been dire: a weakening of faith and optimism among the laity, fewer conversions and more "cafeteria Catholics", and great confusion as to the true direction and purpose of the Church.Msgr. Kelly believes this battle between defenders of the Faith and those seeking a new faith has gone on far too long.He looks to the Bishops and to Rome for leadership:if they take a strong stand, rejecting half-measures, appeasement and laxity, they can do much to reclaim and reenergize the hearts and minds of the flock.And, as Msgr. Kelly frequently reminds us, it is not merely a question of hearts and minds, but of souls.Those who are taken in by the secular norms of our day, who attempt to reduce this battle to a political disagreement between "liberal" and "conservative" or between "freedom" and "obedience" make a grave error.This is not a political dispute with merely material ramifications, it is a spiritual war upon which our eternal salvation rides.This point of Msgr. Kelly seems much in need of making, since it seems that so many, even Church leaders themselves, seem so eager to miss it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (2nd :    2. 1962-1965)    3. 20th century    4. Catholic Church    5. Christianity - Catholicism    6. Doctrines    7. History    8. Religion    9. Religion - Classic Works    10. Religion - Roman Catholic    11. Roman Catholic Church    12. Roman Catholic Doctrinal Theology (General)    13. United States    14. Vatican Council    15. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Reviews (3)

AGAIN THE ST. ANTHONY PRESS GETS IT RIGHT
One of the most midstream and popular Catholic Presses once again makes accessible to the public the deepest theological truths, here those opened by the Second Vatican Council in a well-planned and implemented lay-out which in a way shadows the full Documents of the Second Vatican Council.
Wrongheaded and agenda-driven
A professor once defined the use of the term "the Spirit of Vatican II" as "What Vatican II would have said if I were Vatican II." That spirit permeates this book from start to finish.Far from being a faithful explanation of "Vatican II Today," it is instead a vain attempt to freeze into place the wrongheaded and increasingly-abandoned point of view that held sway in many corners of the Church in the United States during the late 1970s.
Vatican II for Non-Scholars
The eight authors represented here, with the help of their editors, present a unique view of Vatican II in a non-academic format. Each of the 12 chapters contains several reflections by the contributor; brief information on a previous church council; a personal commentary, usually from someone who was present at Vatican II; a "new language" section; and questions for reflection and discussion. For example, the chapter on scripture discusses the Vatican II document focusing not on literal translation of the bible, but on the meaning intended by the original authors and encouraging "easy access to sacred Scripture." Dianne Bergant, who wrote this chapter, highlights the effects of the document, particularly institution of the three-year lectionary cycle. Finally, she looks to continued emphasis on scripture including biblical understanding of the relationship between humankind and the rest of the world. "Liturgy of the Word" and "lectionary" are defined. Reflection questions address (1) the reader's reaction to new bible study methods, (2) attempts of the reader's parish to promote devotion to scripture, and (3) efforts of readers to better understand the bible.
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Subjects:  1. (2nd :    2. 1962-1965)    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Christianity - History - Catholic    5. Christianity - History - Social Issues    6. Christianity - Theology - Catholic    7. Religion    8. Religion - Classic Works    9. Vatican Council