Medieval Christianity: A New History by Kevin Madigan

Abstract

Reviewed by: Medieval Christianity: A New History by Kevin Madigan Tanya Stabler Miller Medieval Christianity: A New History. By Kevin Madigan. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2015. Pp. xxiv, 487. $40.00. ISBN 978-0-300-1587-24. Over the last fifty years or so, the study of medieval Christianity has broadened considerably beyond strictly institutional or theological approaches to include studies of parochial religion, mysticism, and heresy. In recent years scholars have endeavored to uncover the beliefs and religious practices of the ordinary laity and the extent to which clerical elites and laypeople were part of a shared religious culture. Contemporary concerns, too, have raised new questions and inspired interest in religious dissidents, interfaith relationships, and the role of women in medieval Christianity, resulting in a stream of publications on communities and groups that are rarely, if ever, considered in more traditional histories. Given the explosion of scholarly interest in medieval religion and the recognition of its importance for understanding medieval history in general, Kevin Madigan’s book, Medieval Christianity: A New History fulfills an evident need for a new synthesis. Noting that the last major synthesis was Richard Southern’s Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Harmonsworth, UK,1970), Madigan’s stated goal is to provide a new survey for undergraduate students with little to no knowledge of the topic or time period. Defining “medieval Christianity” broadly, the author presents a narrative history of Western Christendom that integrates the research of the last several decades, particularly studies on mysticism, lay religion, and parish life. In all of these objectives, Madigan succeeds admirably. Well written and broadly accessible, this book would indeed serve as a useful textbook in courses on the history of Christianity. The chapters are well organized, highly focused, and provide broad coverage of major historical developments while addressing historiographical debates in a fluid, engaging manner with plenty of clear, illustrative examples. As Madigan suggests in the introduction, these debates—presented throughout the book with a light, engaging touch—could serve as research topics in undergraduate courses. Madigan helpfully provides bibliographical information for each chapter in the notes section at the end of the book as well as a glossary of relevant terms. Following the customary chronological divisions of the Middle Ages (early, high, and late), Madigan begins with a succinct overview of “Pivotal Moments in Early Christianity,” effectively sketching the importance of creeds, councils, and clergy in “the emergence of normative Christianity” (p. 11). Part 2 focuses on cultures of conversion in the early Middle Ages while introducing central themes in the history of medieval Christianity such as the relationship between imperial power and the papacy. Two chapters on Jews and Muslims, respectively, round out part 2, laying out the context for increasingly tense and often tragic interfaith relations in the later Middle Ages. [End Page 588] Part 3 on the High Middle Ages begins with the reform movement of the eleventh-century church, presenting a comprehensive narrative covering monastic culture, heresy, the rise of the mendicant orders, scholasticism, religious education, popular religion, papal monarchy, and Jewish/Christian relations. Throughout, Madigan engages with the influential and much-critiqued “two-tiered model” of medieval religious history, using vivid examples to show that medieval society was hardly composed of “two distinct cultures” (p. 91)—that is, educated, Christianized clerics on the one hand and superstitious, folkloric laypeople on the other. Rather, medieval culture was characterized by “dynamic interaction” (p. 94) between clergy and laity. Part 4, “Later Medieval Christianity,” addresses the calamities of the fourteenth century, the decline of papal power, and the rise of religious reformers. Here, Madigan’s efforts to integrate new research on women and mysticism is perhaps most evident. In a sweeping discussion of influential mystical writers from Hildegard of Bingen to Catherine of Siena, Madigan illustrates the important role played by women in shaping late-medieval spirituality as visionaries and writers. Overall, this is an excellent textbook that is wholeheartedly recommended for undergraduate courses on medieval Christianity. Tanya Stabler Miller Loyola University Chicago Copyright © 2016 The Catholic University of America Press