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Topic: Looking for an unbiased history of the Catholic Church

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twogurusindrag avatar
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Subject: Looking for an unbiased history of the Catholic Church
Date Posted: 3/11/2013 8:42 AM ET
Member Since: 10/11/2010
Posts: 22
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All I can find on Google seems to be polished histories from Catholics. I want the true story, warts and all.

 

Thanks.

eclecticreader10 avatar
Date Posted: 4/26/2013 6:09 PM ET
Member Since: 6/19/2008
Posts: 1,976
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Wow! No one has ever responded.  Does that mean an unbiased history of the Catholic Church doesn't exist?

Wildhog3 avatar
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Date Posted: 10/31/2014 8:02 PM ET
Member Since: 4/4/2009
Posts: 10,084
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There is a scholar named Jaroslav Pelikan. As far as I can tell, he has no peers. The culmination of his work, I suppose you could say, is a five volume series titled Te Christian Tradition,: A History of The Development of Doctrine. I am about halfway through V. I. I hope to complete it before 2020.

With Pelikan, labelling warts as symbols it should last you 200,300 years.

 

garrity avatar
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Date Posted: 12/1/2014 7:04 PM ET
Member Since: 3/9/2009
Posts: 8,982
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Are you looking for a history of the Christian Religion or the Catholic Church as an institution?  If it's the Church as an institution, you might want  A Concise History of the Catholic Church by Thomas Bokenkotter.  It's not perfect but comes closer to a balanced approach than many.  (Though there is still some argument about how unbiased and/or concise it is)