The Pope and the Professor

With the sesquicentennial of Vatican I fast approaching, we are bound to see a spate of new volumes treating the history and theology of that council. However, not many of them are likely to match the erudition and depth of research manifest in Thomas Albert Howard's Magisterial Study. * Ryan J. Marr, Newman Studies Journal *
Mr Howard's book does not pretend to be the complete story of how Roman Catholicism evolved from Pius IX to Francis, but it does reveal-with impressive scholarship and lively prose-the fascinating drama of how that transformation began. * Wall Street Journal *
I strongly recommend this book for anybody interested in Catholicism's struggle with the modern world and in the process by which in the 19th century the church became more pope-centred than ever before. * John W. O'Malley, The Jesuit Review *
This is a tale of the clash of two titans: one the shepherd of all Catholics, the other the undisputed leader of academic theologians. It is set against the background of the First Vatican Council, the ousting of liberal thought in the Church and a number of political crises that pushed the papacy to an astounding level of bellicosity. Masterfully narrated, even-handed in its judgments and analyses, and based on a vast amount of archival sources, it is without doubt the new standard work on nineteenth-century Catholicism. * Ulrich L. Lehner, Professor of Religious History and Historical Theology, Marquette University *
All those interested in understanding the Catholic Church should read this book about the defining 'cause célèbre' between Pius IX and Ignaz von Döllinger, in a century much closer to us than we may possibly believe. Howard masterly frames this famous theological case in a situation ... that speaks directly to our situation today. Ignaz von Döllinger's Catholicism is in many respects the Catholicism of Vatican II. This deeply researched book on Döllinger helps us understand why this 19th-century tragedy is necessary to understand Catholicism between Vatican II and post-Vatican II. * Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Villanova University *
A well-researched and excellently narrated account of an important period in Catholic history and on two people in particular: Ignaz Döllinger and Pope Pius IX. Howard brilliantly explores crucial dynamics of the period through the lens of these two protagonists. * Johannes Zachhuber, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, University of Oxford *
In this compelling and beautifully-written book, Howard traces the life and work of the great church historian Ignaz von Döllinger against the backdrop of European history. It is far more than a simple biography of one of the leading opponents of the First Vatican Council: it is also a brilliant account of the interaction of politics, church, and theology in a period of unprecedented change. Howard has drawn on a wide range of sources to produce a masterly introduction to nineteenth-century Catholicism. * Mark Chapman, Vice-Principal and Professor of the History of Modern Theology, Ripon College, Oxford *