The History of the Church through 100 Masterpieces

Translator’s Introduction

Translator’s Introduction “And I say to thee that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This seminal statement of Christ says two things: one, that he established his church on the very human—Peter, whom he knew would waver and even deny him before being confirmed in the Holy Spirit; two, that hell, or, as St. Paul put it, “the principalities and powers . . . the rulers of the world of this darkness” (Eph. 6:12) shall not triumph over it. They may rock it, they may cause havoc, but ultimately, the work of the church continues, individual by individual, soul by soul. The foundation is God’s, despite the human instruments; and what else would the “principalities and powers” use against it but human weakness? This is only too apparent as one examines the annals of the 2,000 year history of Christianity, something that the following pages aptly capture. But the present book—not meant as a scholarly treatment so much as an ongoing story—is not only a pictorial description of events that succeeded each other throughout the 20 centuries of church history. It examines certain points of doctrine and the life of Christians. “The Celebration of Baptism,” “The Polemic on Purgatory,” “The Emergence of the Virtues,” and other such topics are visited, demonstrating the work of the church itself apart from human affairs. Originally written and published in French, it is natural that, here and there, the book offer subjects more reflective of French history. But the long and rich history of the church in France is both informative and relevant to any audience, Anglophone included. vii ...