J.N.D. Kelly and Michael Walsh
Second edition
This fascinating dictionary gives concise accounts of every officially recognized pope in history, from St Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, as well as all of their irregularly elected rivals, the so-called antipopes. Each pope and antipope's entry covers his family and social background and pre-papal career as well as his activities in office. Also, an appendix provides a detailed discussion and analysis of the tradition that there has been a female pope. This new edition reflects the very latest in papal research and contains additional information in the further reading sections of each entry, making the book an even more useful starting place for research into specific pontiffs.
This is a continuous history of the papacy over almost 2,000 years. It reveals how, for much of that history, spiritual and temporal power have been inextricably mingled in the person of the pope. A fascinating read for students of theology and history, as well as the general reader with an interest in Christian history.
J. N. D. Kelly was a distinguished Church historian and former Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He was a Canon of Chichester Cathedral and a fellow of the British Academy; in 1966 he became a member of the Academic Council of the Ecumenical Theological Institute, Jerusalem.
Michael Walsh was for many years Librarian at Heythrop College, University of London, of which he remains a fellow. He has produced a number of books on the history of early Christianity and contemporary Catholicism, as well as several biographical studies of popes and others. He is a regular broadcaster, especially on the papacy.
Pring edition ISBN: 9780198614333
Publishing history: First published in 1986; first issued in paperback 1988; reissued in new covers 1996; updated 2005
Copyright: © J. N. D. Kelly 1986, 2006; entries for John Paul II and Benedict XVI Oxford University Press 2006
