In Matthew 16 (18-19) Jesus says to his first disciple, Simon Peter, “….you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
After Jesus's death it must have become apparent to Peter that it was absolutely necessary for him to transfer his ministry to Rome
– the Imperial capital of the world. And once in Rome he would take up
the position of head of the Christian church.
Well, we don’t know
exactly how or when (or even if) Peter arrived in Rome but we assume
that he did and after having been given some office similar to the
Bishop of Rome, he was killed in about 64AD. Peter was never actually a
“Pope,” as the title did not exist until adopted by Siricius (584-399),
but for almost 2,000 years he has been considered the first Pope.
Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy
is the story of the Popes – by whatever title – as they have supposedly
passed from Peter in an unbroken line of Apostolic Succession.
It is
the story of all the Popes which poses a problem for the reader, as it
must have been for the author, because so many of the Popes,
particularly the earlier ones, were downright dull, stupid, and
uninteresting or else we simply know nothing about them.
The
author of "Absolute Monarchs" is John Julius Norwich, a productive and
respected British author whose specialty is the history of the
Mediterranean world during the first millennium AD.
Norwich was the son of a titled Conservative British politician and diplomat, Duff Cooper.
Consequently, his heir Norwich is also a lord – the Second Viscount Norwich.
An Old Etonian, Norwich served in the Royal Navy, studied languages at Oxford,
joined the British Foreign Service and then left it to become a writer.
Norwich has done it all – he's been the host of a radio game show, the
writer and narrator of 30 television documentaries on historical
subjects, and the author of travel books (a genre the British seem to
own) as well as a half-dozen quite distinguished histories set in
medieval times. Norwich is an old – and skillful – hand at historical
story-telling.
The Popes, as "Absolute Monarchs" tells us, were at
one time simply nominated and pushed into office by a powerful ruler or
a wealthy family. Not until 1059 did a Pope propound a decree which
placed the selection of the Papal office squarely in the hands of the
cardinals – who were, of course, themselves selected by the Pope.
When
the naming of the Pope had been largely the prerogative of wealthy
Italian families such as the Medicis, the Borgias, and the Tusculums,
the latter family was able to name three successive Popes starting in
1012. A problem arose for the Tusculums. None of the men the family
backed as Pope was even a member of the clergy. They were all laymen.
This did not prove a problem for the well-connected Tusculums. Each
time that the situation arose the family spent a (presumably) busy day
having their man tonsured (head hair close-cropped), ordained a priest,
consecrated as Bishop of Rome, and then enthroned as the Pope.
The
Tusculums were clearly experts at job advancement.
This is not a book which will contribute much to anyone’s
theological knowledge. There’s very little theology in it, which is
probably justified by the fact that the earlier Popes had few
theological interests.
When they held convocations of their clergy it
was usually to discuss matters such as priestly celibacy – a sticky
question at a time when Papal grandchildren were playing in the gardens
of the Vatican.
Norwich
tells a tale of how the power of the Papacy waxed and waned according
to circumstances and the abilities of successive Papal figures, some of
whom were dedicated masters at their job and performed towering
achievements – such as defending Rome from barbarians, suppressing
heresies, providing the administration for a growing church, and
fighting off charlatan “anti-popes” claiming the office.
They had to rule
over a frequently rebellious clergy.
Generally the Pope’s
authority has increased over the ages although the book’s title
"Absolute Monarchy" is absolutely wrong.
Never in the history of the
Papacy has any Pope been able to regard himself as the “absolute
monarch” of the world. When they have been at their best, they acted as a
major spiritual force in the world and contented themselves to claim
only as being “Christ’s Vicar on Earth.” That was enough.
To refer to
themselves as “God’s Representative on Earth” , as did Nicholas I
(858-867), was clearly over the top.
Until fairly recently, the
Papal incumbents came predominantly from the Italian aristocracy.
As
recently as Pius XII (1939-1958) Norwich describes that Pope as being
“icily autocratic” and “odiously anti-Semitic” to boot.
Their views were
reactionary and rarely liberal.
In more recent years, however,
the Popes have been highly educated men with no temporal ambitions.
While surely not “absolute monarchs” they occupy the dominant position
of spiritual leadership among Roman Catholics and, indeed, substantial
numbers of other Christian denominations.
This is a valuable book
but so densely crowded with historical events and historical figures –
most of whom will be unknown to readers – that it poses a challenge.
Reading two thousand years of history with this enormous cast of
characters is hard work.
But for those sincerely interested in religious
history, Lord Norwich is worth the effort.