City of echoes A new history of Rome, its popes, and its people

Historian Wärnberg debuts with an insightful study of the papacy and its influence over the city of Rome. Chronicling Christianity's rise in the latter years of the Roman Empire, Wärnberg describes how the Roman church gained eventual supremacy among Christian sects. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, the Roman church lost influence to the new capital of the Eastern Empire at Constantinople, but gained significance as a pilgrimage site. Pagan symbolism was diminished and eventually outlawed as the church exerted control over the city's appearance, while the Bishops of Rome filled the vacuum in municipal secular authority left in the Western Empire's wake, most notably in 590, when Pope Gregory served as de facto head of city government during a period of flooding and plague. As Roman pontiffs gained political influence in Europe, they exercised increasing authority over all aspects of life in Rome, including religion, justice, architecture, and city planning. Over time, the papacy faced challenges to its authority, such as during the Renaissance, when careerism and decadence at the heart of the church eroded its moral authority abroad. Throughout this accessible and scrupulous account, Wärnberg demonstrates how the legacy of the papacy has become inextricably linked with the city of Rome. The result is a valuable contribution to the history of both Rome and Catholicism. (Sept.)

A new history of Rome through the lens of the papacy. Readers searching for a broader history of Rome should turn to Mary Beard, but Wärnberg, a historian of the religious and political history of Europe, provides a worthwhile account examining the many "layers of legend" about this ancient city. The author begins with the mid-first-century arrival of the Apostle Peter. Dismissed as a Jewish cult for more than 200 years, Christianity hit the jackpot under Emperor Constantine, who promoted it to a quasi-state religion. Historians still debate whether this was strictly a political move but agree on its consequences; by the fifth century, Rome was the preeminent Christian city. Constantine's transfer of his government to Constantinople began a 1,000-year decline of the city but left the bishops of Rome as its most powerful figures. During the following centuries, they persuaded other bishops that Peter's heir must rule Christianity and, as God's representative on Earth, guide secular leaders as well. By 1000, emperors and kings acknowledged papal influence but exerted their own, rigging elections, sending armies, and attacking Rome itself, whose citizens considered the pope one of their own even if they often treated him poorly. Wärnberg is at her best during the Renaissance period, when "the papacy and the Church had become a state-like institution: organized, largely self-sufficient, and recognized by political powers." However, she writes, "with authority and wealth came careers, ambition and corruption, as well as lackadaisical clergy and an errant flock." The Reformation delivered a painful blow, but perhaps worse arrived with the Enlightenment, which greatly diminished the role of religion. Most 19th-century popes took a dim view of both the scientific and democratic revolutions but have since accepted them--mostly. Wärnberg's mildly upbeat conclusion affirms that both Rome and the papacy remain inextricably entwined despite their diminished roles and that recent popes have exerted a positive influence. A useful resource for students of Christian history and papal aficionados. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.