The life and times of Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VII

By Arnold Harris Mathew

Book Overview

Power, prayer, and politics collide at the heart of medieval Christendom. A pope changed Europe forever. In Arnold Harris Mathew's The life and times of Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VII, the monk-statesman emerges in full, set against 11th century Europe and the charged streets of medieval Italy and Rome. This historical religious biography follows Gregory's rise from reforming adviser to commanding pontiff, tracing the gregorian reform movement and the hard questions it raised: who may appoint bishops, who may judge kings, and where does spiritual authority end. Mathew maps the investiture controversy history with a clear eye for holy roman empire politics, bringing the struggle of papacy versus empire into sharp relief through the fraught drama of Henry IV and papacy. Written as a church history reference as much as a narrative life, it offers a complete gregory vii biography for readers who want the human temperament behind the decrees as well as the wider sweep of catholic church history. Serious without being forbidding, it sits comfortably beside a medieval history textbook yet reads with the urgency of a turning point when the West's idea of law, conscience, and power was remade. Collectors of classic ecclesiastical writing will value its period voice and careful argument for anyone drawn to the origins of modern governance and religious identity. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9389247381
• ISBN13: 9789389247381
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"