Medieval Christianity: A New History

Madigan, a professor of ecclesiastical history at Harvard Divinity School, has produced a model of what an introductory text should be. The volume, divided into sections covering the early, high, and late Middle Ages, brings nuance to its overview of the traditional topics, such as the Crusades, the creation and consolidation of papal power, suppression vs. tolerance of heresy, and religious art and architecture; it also delves into less understood topics such as the status of women and their spiritual experiences in the church, changing views of Jews and Muslims, or the relationship between the institutional church and the average parishioner. In his neat synthesis of new and older research, Madigan also explores some relevant scholarly debates and probes the mechanisms of the cultural and religious changes he covers, whether through influential individuals or migrations of populations. His prose style is accessible and clear, making for an engaging narrative history that should please experts while whetting the appetites of beginners, providing background on and insight into a foreign society while charting development of a religious culture that still has relevance for the Western world today. (Jan.)