The Church and the Middle Ages (1000–1378)

Steve Weidenkopf has firmly placed himself within the tradition of Christopher Dawson, Henri Daniel-Rops and Warren Carroll in his effort to intellectually, honestly and accessibly present the history of the Catholic Church.

This work is chronologically placed as the fourth volume of Ave Maria Press’ “Reclaiming Catholic History” series, which endeavors to provide a series of short, accessible introductions to eras of Church history. What sets this series apart is its approach to history which desires to free itself from the primacy of the present age in order to take seriously the world which the subjects inhabited and moved through, consequently taking religious motives seriously and, for the believer, the Providential acting of God in history. While socio-economic perspectives of history have often dominated, the field of crusade studies (to which Weidenkopf belongs) is among those which over the past several decades have endeavored anew to not write off the real, genuine religious motivations of Christendom. This is balanced by acknowledgement of the scandals, sins and mixed motives of a fallen humanity.

Weidenkopf succeeds in being comprehensive in scope, penetrating in detail and enabling of the reader. The reader will not miss any of the high points of this era, nor will they lack for context to enable them to understand the Medieval world or Church. The body of the text is easy to read and is supplemented with ‘You Be the Judge’ and ‘Up Close and Personal’ features. Additionally, the author provides valuable scholarly resources for those who desire to go deeper.

This is a valuable resource for Catholics at a time when Church history is often misunderstood and misrepresented; but especially when lessons of fidelity and renewal in the face of scandal can be pertinent to the present age. While written from a Catholic perspective, this primer could also be helpful to non-Catholics seeking an understanding of Western history which requires an understanding of the faith which permeated the period.

Wow. I enjoyed this book so much! I know I am one of those people who really likes Church History, so that is not surprising. However, this book is much more than just Church History.

Steven Weidenkopf posits that you cannot understand the Middle Ages without understanding the place of the Catholic Church. And this is exactly what he sets out to do in his writing. This book is brilliant.

If you have ever done any reading on the Middle Ages, you have likely come across some blatantly false things that are simply there to advance anti-Catholic propaganda. That is not something that you need to worry about with this book.

The Crusades were portrayed as they really happened, with all the messy details of shifting alliances and various cultures. They were not simply any one thing but a combination of very distinct historical circumstances working together.

One of the most important things I took away from this book is the premise that you cannot judge and interpret off the past by the standards of today. The past existed in a very concrete set of circumstances that need to be fully understood in order to actually understand how and why things happened the way they did.

This is supremely important as, in modern times, people have taken to interpreting the past through the lens of today which does not work. History exists in such concrete circumstances with political, social, religious, environmental, and interpersonal considerations. These all need to be evaluated in order to see a true picture of history.

Overall, I loved this book and the real presentation of history. Nothing is perfect in history and this book does not try to make the Catholic Church sound perfect. Rather, this book presents the messy details in all their truth and lets the reader see the connections between all the various facts we know about the Middle Ages.

'The Church and the Middle Ages' is easy to read and hard to put down. I found this book an intriguing overview of a time in history I knew little about. As a Protestant, I appreciated the nuanced view of this time, particularly the reflections on the crusades. I felt that the author helped illuminate my somewhat cliched understanding of much of what happened during this period. The book seems to examine the history of this period methodically and with integrity. I enjoyed the "Up Close and Personal" section, looking at particular individuals of the time. This book made me interested to read more in the series.

A Well Written Book.

“The Church & the Middle Ages (1000–1378) by Steve Weidenkopf and Mike Aquilina, is a very informative and easy to read book of about 200 pages

It must be understood before hand that the authors never meant to be in in-depth discussion of this almost 400 year history of our church.

There are a few sections that I thoroughly enjoyed. First, was this discussion of the crusades and the breakdown of each individual crusade’s purposes and results.

In addition there are small sections to break down the individual hero/saints of this timeframe called “Up Close...”These are incredibly well written and wet the appetite of the reader. Finally the small section called “You Be the Judge,” calls for the reader to engage with the topics.

As a Permanent Deacon, I find this a valuable addition to my bookshelf. It will help me understand the real facts of Catholic history, particularly as a quick reference while teaching an RCIA class or even giving the homily.

I highly recommend this book

"a copy of this book was given to me for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review."

This was an amazing time period! So much change and growth. There are consolidations, opportunities, great places of learning being established, magnificent churches and cathedrals being built. Of course there is also the dark underbelly of political maneuvering and other chicanery in the upper echelons of society, but the lower and middle classes were moving up and gaining power! Mostly, the book is concerned with the Catholic church and it's place in the world- it was the only in it's world (or wanted to be) so this book will not only interest arm chair historians, but those interested in the Catholic church. It's well researched and not as dry as some accounts of the time period I've read.

Throughout history, the church has played an integral part in the everyday life of the people. Throughout the different periods, it would have different impacts, but the Middle Ages brings the church into more of a focus. With the crusades, the church was at the forefront, encouraging and supporting those who took up the cross.

But, it was not without conflicts, and many rulers and church leaders would butt heads, leading to some very interesting turnouts, and bringing many figures a lasting legacy in history.

This was a great book, full of information! I enjoyed it fully, and this is an author that I look forward to seeing more from in the future.

I have read 15 volumes by James B. Stenson going back to 2006 but seem to have only reviewed one of them. They were recommended back in 2006 when I had just become a Father. This is the first of his works that I have picked up from the Catholic Truth Society, all the rest have been from Scepter. I grabbed this volume primarily for even after 14 years of parenting I know that I can keep improving. Second, I grabbed it because I remember well how good other books from Stenson were. And Third I have been on a real Binge read of books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. In fact I have read over 175 of the books and booklets from the CTS in the last few years and show no sign of slowing down. This volume was published originally by Scepter, reprinted by the Catholic Truth Society in 2013 and the eBook edition released in 2017. But back to this volume. This book comes in at a slim 50 pages but is it ever worth the read. The description of the booklet is:

“Packed with all the advice, guidance and common sense you need on your journey as a parent. A guide that sets out the importance of the role of mothers and fathers, underpinned by Christian principles.”

And the longer description of the eBook is:

“A practical eBook, packed with all the advice, guidance and common sense you need on your journey as a parent. While bringing up children is a great responsibility, many problems can be overcome through simple solutions. This text sets out the importance of the role parents have and shows how that role must be expressed through nurturing and encouraging one’s children along a path to responsible caring adulthood.

Giving pointers on such subjects as: the interaction between parents, the setting of rules, the building of a family unit, how to communicate with both small and adolescent children, what the ultimate goal of effective parenting should be, and much more, it will be a great help for even the most experienced mothers and fathers and novices alike.”

That is exactly what you get, a fantastic little guide, and with the size of the book it is one you could return to again and again. Refresh by rereading it from time to time. And that is what I plan on doing, usually I remove the download as soon as I finish an eBook, but I left this on my device so I will see the cover again and give it a reread.

The chapters in this book are:

A Job Description for Parents?
The Vision of Parent Leaders
Rules That Make a Family Work
Discipline in the Family
Parents and their Adolescent Children
Family Health-Check
Effective Parenting in a Nutshell

This book begins with these words:

““I wish I had known all this 25 years ago!” That’s what I’ve sometimes been told after my conferences on successful parent leadership. The words, said in humour but sometimes with wistful regret, came from older parents whose children had already grown and left home.

I have written on parent leadership, the fruit of my 30 years’ experience with families, so that you, a young parent, won’t have to express this same regret in the future. I’ve written this booklet so that you can form a clearer idea of how other parents have lived as great leaders in family life and have succeeded with their sacred mission: to raise their children right. I want to help you form a ‘job description’, so to speak, on how to succeed as a leader to your children.

When I say ‘succeed or fail’, I don’t mean parents’ methods of discipline, or how they keep their children under control, or how they handle the daily challenges in family life. These are short-term achievements, but only part of the whole picture.

Parents really win success with their children only in the long term. Parents succeed with their children when they grow up to become competent, responsible, considerate and generous men and women who are committed to live by principles of integrity - adults who bring honour to their parents all their lives through their conduct, conscience and character. Raising children to become adults like this is what parenthood is all about.”

He goes on to state:

“What I set out for you in this booklet is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. That is, I don’t claim to have all the answers about family life, and I don’t know anyone who does. What I’m doing here is describing the kind of thinking and action - the compass of parenthood - that great parents have lived by and taught me in the course of my professional career. If you find something here of help to you, then this booklet has done its job.”

If you are a parent or expecting I strongly recommend that you pick this book up and read it. Even after reading many books by Stenson years ago I greatly benefited from reading this one. This is a book I wish I can come across earlier. And to be honest I should go back and read or reread many of his other works. But this is an excellent starting place. And I hope the quotes above have raised your interest enough that you give this book a try, I am certain you will not be disappointed!

An excellent resource for all parents from the Catholic Truth Society!

Note: Review will post on my blog February 19th and then GoodReads.

The Church and the Middle Ages (1000–1378): Cathedrals, Crusades, and the Papacy in Exile by Steve Weidenkopf is such an excellent look at this unique time period. The author presents history in an easy to read format. It is easy to read not because it is lacking in information since it is packed with details. Instead, the author's excellent writing shines through, making the Middle Ages come alive in a way that I have never seen in a historical text. The Middle Ages is such a unique time period yet it is foundational for much of what we have today. This book is a wonderful look at this time period and I highly recommend it to history buffs and general readers alike. I loved it! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.