Here is the paperback edition of the book described by "The Sunday Telegraph" as the most intellectually bracing short history of the Roman Catholic Church to have appeared for decades. The history of the Roman Catholic Church is the gateway to understanding 2,000 years of Western and often world civilization. Written by the distinguished ecclesiastical scholar Edward Norman, this lavishly illustrated account begins with how Roman Catholics understand their faith, before telling the story of the multifarious ways in which their Church has shaped the lives and beliefs of Christians and non- Christians alike. Anyone with an interest in the Roman Catholic church should read this book; and everyone with the least interest in what shaped our world today will learn from it.
