Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church
Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church book cover

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church

Paperback – September 23, 2001

Price
$15.32
Format
Paperback
Pages
512
Publisher
Crown Forum
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0761516040
Dimensions
6.06 x 1.05 x 8.98 inches
Weight
1.16 pounds

Description

"Mr.Crocker's book is engaging, provocative, and eminently readable. It should be around for Vatican III."— William F. Buckley Jr. "Harry Crocker propels us through two millennia with wit and insight. While irreverent to man, his reverence to God is never questioned in a must-read for non-Catholics as well as Catholics."— Robert D. Novak, syndicated columnist and commentator"Harry Crocker has written the best short history of the Church in English since the Second Vatican Council. In short, a Triumph. "— Fr. C. J. McCloskey III, director, Catholic Information Center"I used to think that the history of the Catholic Church was the greatest story never told. But it's been told now—in Triumph —with all the verve, aggression, and even humor of John Wayne in The Quiet Man. This is rock-solid history—delivered with a rock-solid punch—and is the most essential Catholic book since the Catechism of the Catholic Church (though it's a lotmore fun to read). Buy it and enjoy."— Sean Hannity, Fox News"H. W. Crocker III has indeed brought about a triumph with his concise and informative history. Here is a book for the general reader that provides a grand view of the Church's progress through time. Triumph is a book that will strengthen the faith of Catholics and give others an exciting and complete account of the two millennia of the Catholic Church. Magnificent!"— Ralph McInerny, Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies, University of Notre Dame, and author of the Father Dowling mysteries"A biting, unaplolgetic romp through Catholic history that debunks some long held myths and celebrates the glory of the Catholic faith. A much needed Triumph ."— Raymond Arroyo, EWTN news director and host of The World Over From the Inside Flap For 2,000 years, Catholicism—the largest religion in the world and in the United States—has shaped global history on a scale unequaled by any other institution. But until now, Catholics interested in their faith have been hard-pressed to find an accessible, affirmative, and exciting history of the Church. Triumph is that history. Inside, you'll discover the spectacular story of the Church from Biblical times and the early days of St. Peter—the first pope—to the twilight years of John Paul II. It is a sweeping drama of Roman legions, great crusades, epic battles, toppled empires, heroic saints, and enduring faith. And, there are stormy controversies: Dark Age skullduggery, the Inquistition, the Renaissance popes, the Reformation, the Church's refusal to accept sexual liberation and contemporary allegations like those made in Hitler's Pope and Papal Sin. A brawling, colorful history full of inspiring pageantry and spirited polemic, Triumph will exhilarate, amuse, and infuriate as it extols the glories of Catholic history and the gripping stories of its greatest men and women. From the Hardcover edition. H. W. Crocker III, a longtime student of Robert E. Lee, is the executive editor of Regnery Publishing, Inc., consulting editor for Eagle Book Clubs, and former speechwriter for the governor of California. He serves on the board of the Southern Military Institute, writes a column on Civil War books for Southern Partisan magazine, and has written on military history for National Review, American Spectator, and other publications. He lives in northern Virginia. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • For 2,000 years, Catholicism—the largest religion in the world and in the United States—has shaped global history on a scale unequaled by any other institution. But until now, Catholics interested in their faith have been hard-pressed to find an accessible, affirmative, and exciting history of the Church.
  • Triumph
  • is that history. Inside, you'll discover the spectacular story of the Church from Biblical times and the early days of St. Peter—the first pope—to the twilight years of John Paul II. It is a sweeping drama of Roman legions, great crusades, epic battles, toppled empires, heroic saints, and enduring faith. And, there are stormy controversies: Dark Age skullduggery, the Inquistition, the Renaissance popes, the Reformation, the Church's refusal to accept sexual liberation and contemporary allegations like those made in
  • Hitler's Pope
  • and
  • Papal Sin.
  • A brawling, colorful history full of inspiring pageantry and spirited polemic,
  • Triumph
  • will exhilarate, amuse, and infuriate as it extols the glories of Catholic history and the gripping stories of its greatest men and women.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(194)
★★★★
25%
(81)
★★★
15%
(49)
★★
7%
(23)
-7%
(-23)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Excellent read

Every Catholic should read this. This book is inspirational and factual. No apologies for the triumph of the Church over past heresies, nor of the crusades, which protected all of Europe from being overrun. Invaders would have set back justice, science and many other aspects of learning. For proof of these things, also read "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" by Thomas E. Woods Jr.
16 people found this helpful
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A little too "popular" a history

I preface this review by admitting that I am a Roman Catholic and thus start out with a bias toward this book. I also, however, haves degrees in history and theology and while I may be delighted by the book as a Catholic, I am a little disappointed as a historian and theologian.

Granted, covering the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church in a single readable volume is no mean feat. Crocker, an Episcople (or is it Anglican?) convert to Catholicism certainly pulls no punches in his criticisms of the various opponents of the Church. However, he glosses over many difficult issues with various flippant remarks and is perhaps too biased in favor of the Church. Certainly, there are stains on the reputation of the Church, as there inevitably will be with any human institution and Crocker skates over these with only, at most, a passing mention.

While I enjoyed the book fr the most part, at times it set my teeth on edge and I found myself wishing for a little more factual and unbiased approach without many of the "zingers."

Still, I would recommend this book for those looking for a general overview of Catholic History as long as they are aware of its shortcomings.
10 people found this helpful
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Great story, well told

I tell every Catholic intellectual I meet to read this book. Crocker is criticized for condensing such an expansive history into under 1,000 pages, but I think by doing so, he has offered the history of the Church (its wonderful traditions, saints and pitfalls) to a wider audience. He lyrically tells the story of most of Catholicism's greatest figures from Jesus Christ to John Paul the Second. His pages on St. Patrick is the best condensed history of his complicated (and little known) life that I've ever read.
His book does editorialize, and if you are a Catholic wanting to hold fast to traditions, you'll really enjoy the book. But, Crocker is always fair, and the book is recommended to any Catholic scholar, or fallen away Catholic, or history buff, or secularist....
9 people found this helpful
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An awesome and inspiring history of the one true church

This is one the best books i've read in a long, long time! I would recommend it to everyone with even a passing interest in the history of the Catholic church. It takes the reader on a journey from the days immediatly after the death and resurection of Christ until the papacy of John Paul II. It is written in a very easy to read style and is thouroghly addictive, once you start you will find it hard to put down. It is totally politically incorrect and unapologetic in tone and has a dim view of protestants and modernism. After reading this i really felt like i belonged to the winning side of history and a glorius, God inspired institution!
6 people found this helpful
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Great history and very entertaining

A very good historical record of the Church that pulls no punches and is a very fun and witty read. Triumph reads more like a novel than a history book. One word of caution however this book is not for "liberal Catholics". Mr. Crocker speaks the truth without worrying about "ecumenical" and other feel good I'm okay your okay gobledeegook
A must read for any serious Catholic who wants to know about the Triumph of Christs church through the ages.
6 people found this helpful
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A very good popular history!

John Henry Cardinal Newman (a convert to Catholicism) said, "to be steeped in history is to cease to be Protestant".

Well, start here...this is a smart, engaging read!
5 people found this helpful
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Best book of the year for me

Out of the nearly 100 books I read in the year 2012, this was certainly by far the best one. This book is a history book. It is a history of the Catholic Church. But because the Catholic Church has been the single most influential organization in world history, it's also a history of western civilization with all it's ups and downs. It's the story of emperor's, and bishops, and wars, and crusades. Not only is it a history, it is a vindication of the Catholic Church's preservation of western civilization. It is a defense of Catholicism against Paganism, Arianism, Pelagianism, Gnosticism, Protestantism, Nationalism, Socialism, And Fascism. This book, through the conquest of kings, plight of despots, and misery of the righteous, tells the story of how the Catholic Church made it. The author somehow manages to tell this amazing story, defend the Church, and make this book very very readable.

This book is literally memorizing. The story of the Catholic Church is a story like no other. This book has gone a very long way towards moving me to the Catholic position. This is a must read.
4 people found this helpful
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Great start

This book is startling. It is not intended to be a full blown academic history, it is designed to grab your attention as you browse through Barnes and Noble (just look at the cover!) and is meant to be an introduction to those who perhaps would never have given the Catholic Church much credence. It does this job admirably well. Condensing two thousand years into fewer than five hundred pages? Yes, you have to take a few shortcuts and I do not blame him for it in the slightest. It is an excellent introduction to history.

There is a better, more academic, history out there, however, and it is William Carroll's "History of Christendom." If this book has whet your appetite for Christendom's history, how the Catholic Church is THE founder of Western Civilization, I HIGHLY recommend it.
4 people found this helpful
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Entertaining but flawed

With a title like Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church, any reader can make a reasonable guess about the attitude of author H. W. Crocker III. He's as pro-Catholic a writer as you may ever come across. He covers the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church and hits all the highlights--the apostles' initial efforts, the age of Constantine, the split with the Eastern Orthodox, the challenges of the Middle Ages, the Crusades, the various forms of the Inquisition, etc. etc. An amazing amount of history is packed into fewer than 500 pages, including plenty of lesser known events. The book is thoroughly written and researched.

The book is also thoroughly biased in favor of the church, which is okay when dealing with issues where history about the church has been unclear or distorted. On the other hand, his bias in dealing with groups like the Orthodox church is too heavy-handed and colorful. Crocker goes on about how eastern Christians are so effeminate and self-absorbed and that's what caused and perpetuates the Great Schism. Protestants receive similar treatment (Elizabeth I's sailors are almost always referred to as "sea dogs," while the Spanish Armada gets plenty of respect). While I understand the importance of arguing the Catholic position, I bristle at cheap, unnecessary pot shots in an otherwise scholarly work. Crocker could easily have written just as entertaining and engaging a book without resorting to "boo-hiss, them!" histrionics. Also, that kind of rhetoric undercuts his authority as a historian.

I found this book entertaining and informative in parts but it also made me wince in many other parts. I'm not sure who I'd recommend it too--probably not people outside of the Catholic Church. Proceed with caution!
3 people found this helpful
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Good, sometimes whitewashed, history

A swift read that is hard to follow at times - a common pitfall of any book that deals with the entire history of Europe (among other things) in 400+ pages. As a conservative Catholic who is not as well versed on Church history as I'd like to be, I found some of this book unsettling. Not that it challenged my core beliefs at all, but Crocker is quick to whitewash over many of the unsavory characters in Church history. While I get that the Renaissance popes were not the monsters that some make them out to be, simply writing off Popes leading armies in wars of conquest as a necessary evil in an ugly world seems a weak argument to me. Perhaps I'm too entrenched in the peaceful, stateless images of John Paul the Great and Benedict XIV.

But the book is entertaining, and does cover some of the more controversial stands of the Church and proves that opposition to things such as abortion is not something that came up in the 1960s. Also, the case that the Church is truly the apostolic Church Christ willed to carry out his mission on Earth is well made.
3 people found this helpful