2,000 Years of Papal History: The History of the Popes, the Papacy, and the Catholic Church

Podcast-style audio course -
Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
Professor, Georgetown University
(8 customer reviews)
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Includes Free Study Guide
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00

Internationally best-selling author, renowned professor, and the “dean of American Catholic Historians,” Fr. John O’Malley presents his monumental course on the papacy.

This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western world.

Now you can trace the amazing history of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world, in 36 erudite lectures. By focusing on popes that shaped vital moments in global history, you will gain a deep understanding of the people, issues, and ideas that gave us the Catholic church and our world. The story features both trouble and triumph—and Fr. O’Malley deftly tackles both aspects—but above all, it tells of resilience. You will be enthralled as you listen to Fr. O’Malley explains how pope after pope responded to challenges from barbarians, “Christian” monarchs, disgruntled bishops, and, above all, the faults and failures of human nature in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.

Your Free Electronic Study Guide! When you order this course, we will send you a free electronic study guide that you can access in 3 convenient ways:<

Internationally best-selling author, renowned professor, and the “dean of American Catholic Historians,” Fr. John O’Malley presents his monumental course on the papacy.

This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western world.

Now you can trace the amazing history of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world, in 36 erudite lectures. By focusing on popes that shaped vital moments in global history, you will gain a deep understanding of the people, issues, and ideas that gave us the Catholic church and our world. The story features both trouble and triumph—and Fr. O’Malley deftly tackles both aspects—but above all, it tells of resilience. You will be enthralled as you listen to Fr. O’Malley explains how pope after pope responded to challenges from barbarians, “Christian” monarchs, disgruntled bishops, and, above all, the faults and failures of human nature in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.

Your Free Electronic Study Guide! When you order this course, we will send you a free electronic study guide that you can access in 3 convenient ways:

1) You can check your order confirmation email. It will include a link that enables you to download your guide.
2) The back of your program package also contains a copy of this link. You can access your guide by simply entering this URL into your browser.
3) Your case of CDs or DVDs will contain a copy of your electronic guide on CD. Simply insert this disc into your computer’s CD/DVD drive to access your guide.

$27.99

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John W. O’Malley, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus, is currently University Professor in the Theology Department of Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. His specialty is the religious culture of early modern Europe. Father O’Malley has written and edited a number of books, several of which have won best-book awards. For instance, The First Jesuits, perhaps his best known work, received both the Jacques Barzun Prize for Cultural History from the American Philosophical Society and the Philip Schaff Prize from the American Society for Church History. It has been translated into ten languages. In 2008, he published with Harvard University Press What Happened at Vatican II, which is a companion to his book from the same press, Trent: What Happened at the Council (2012).
Father O’Malley has lectured widely in Europe and North America to both professional and general audiences. He is past-president of the Renaissance Society of America and the American Catholic Historical Association. He holds the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished service in religious studies. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan. He holds lifetime achievement awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, the Renaissance Society of America, and the American Catholic Historical Association.
“John W. O’Malley, S.J., is not only the dean of American Catholic historians, he is also one of the church’s greatest and most accomplished teachers.”– James Martin S.J., author of My Life with the Saints

  • Introduction
  • Peter, Bishop of Rome?
  • After Peter and Paul, What?
  • Constantine, 'The Thirteenth Apostle'
  • Prosperity to Crisis: Damasus and Leo
  • Gregory the Great. (590-604)
  • Greeks, Lombards, Franks
  • Charlemagne: Savior or Master?
  • Their Darkest Hour
  • Saving the Papacy
  • Pope Gregory VII: Who's in Charge Here?
  • Compromises, Councils, and Crusades
  • Pope Innocent III, 'Born to Rule' and Vicar of Christ
  • Pope Boniface VIII: Big Claims, Big Humiliation
  • "The Babylonian Captivity"
  • The Great Western Schism, 1378-1417
  • The Restored Papacy
  • Two Councils and Two Popes
  • Some Renaissance Popes
  • Alexander VI and Julius II
  • Leo and Luther
  • Medici, Tudors, Habsburgs, Valois
  • Pope Paul III: A Turning Point
  • Reforming the Church: Popes and the Council of Trent
  • New Bureaucracy, New Rome
  • Jesuits, Jansenists, Gallicans, and Philosophers
  • Trauma: Revolution....then Napoleon!
  • The Papacy: Restored (again!) and Beleaguered
  • Pius IX and the Insolence of the Risorgimento
  • Leo XIII: Searching for Solutions
  • Pius X and Benedict XV: Fear and Sadness
  • Pius XI: Dealing with Mussolini and Hitler
  • Pius XII: Saint or Sinner?
  • Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council
  • Pope Paul VI: In a Tight Spot
  • Pope John Paul II and Conclusion

8 reviews for 2,000 Years of Papal History: The History of the Popes, the Papacy, and the Catholic Church

  1. Donald

    practically like a conversation

    2,000 years of Papal History with Fr john O’Malley, SJ, has a style of presentation that makes it practically like a conversation, and insights step-by-step in a complex history. The course made me wish he could have gone on into Benedict, and even Francis = realizing of course that the lessons were completed during Benedict’s time, and now Francis.

  2. Pat

    I learned so much. I found it inspirational

    I learned so much. I found it inspirational

  3. Terry

    Made each Pope very real to me.

    Hearing about each of the popes in turn and the interesting details about their lives and interactions with the Church, with others, and their internal struggles made them very real to me.

  4. Timothy

    An engaging and informative course!

    John O’Malley’s encyclopedic mastery of church history, combined with his creative and humorous command of English, synergize to create an engaging and informative course!

  5. Raymond

    This is an excellent adjunct to any course on the history of the Catholic Church.

    This is an excellent adjunct to any course on the history of the Catholic Church.

  6. Marie

    So necessary

    I particularly liked the overview of the History of the Popes as it set the Papacy in perspective – so necessary in this time of change and transformation of the role by Pope Frances. Blessings on John O’Malley!

  7. J.v. T., NY

    Fall Survey: October 2016

    We Catholics know so little about our history and our faith. The course on the Popes was an eye opener. We can’t go forward without knowing what you are built on.

  8. Patrick T., IN

    Summer 2018 Survey

    Presentation of the ups and downs of Church history through the story of the bishops of Rome

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