298book reviews was not "one of the seven ecumenical councils" (p. 124); that "after many centuries of dormancy" theology woke up in the eleventh century (p. 133) is hardly accurate; and that Dante "wrote the ultimate statement of the Christian worldview" (p. 305) is highly questionable. There is a long bibliography, and a very incomplete index. George H.Tavard Assumption Center Brighton, Massachusetts Encyclopedia ofthe Vatican and Papacy. Edited by FrankJ. Coppa. (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. 1999. Pp. viii, 483. $99-50.) This volume is the work of a number of renowned scholars who cover some two millennia of the "historical, political, diplomatic, social, cultural and religious role of the Vatican and the papacy in the modern world," with a "major emphasis ... on the Vatican since the time of the Renaissance . . . within the broader context of European and world history" (Preface, pp. vii-viii). Such a mammoth task would be impossible if it were not for the medium chosen, that is, an encyclopedic work which allows each specialist room to present material consonant with his or her own field of specialization. Herein lies the predominant weakness of such a work, which requires by its very nature a broad paintbrush to cover various topics. While it would at first seem that the Vatican and the papacy, as the title of the work itself suggests, are the thread which unites all the topics, in reality the reader does not come away with a clear understanding of what the "Vatican and the papacy" mean specifically in the context of the volume. There is an overlapping of terms and their usage. The Vatican and papacy are seen, at times, as the conglomeration of offices and territory, declared, in 1929, free and independent of the Italian State. At times, they are seen as the sum of their civil and ecclesiastical diplomatic activity . Oftentimes, they are seen in their theological reality, which is the Pope as Vicar of Christ and head of the College of Bishops. The Vatican and papacy are, finally, presented in their social and political dimensions. Perhaps the reality of the Vatican and the papacy is to be found in all of the above. Yet one cannot help but notice an unfortunately glaring deficiency whereby very little space is given to the various Congregations, Councils, Tribunals, and Offices which make up the Vatican and are the executive, administrative, and legislative arms of the papacy. Because of the volume's encyclopedic character, the reader must digest topics which range from theology to canon law, from history and diplomacy to sociology without ever knowing the specific competence or background of the author who is writing about such complicated and interesting topics ranging from Arianism to Americanism, from the Didache to the Dominicans, from Nuncios to Canon Law. The reader is required to take note of the prejudices of some BOOK REVIEWS299 authors: e.g., the entries, "Opus Dei" and the "Society of Jesus"; and to wonder about others, e.g., the incompleteness of the entry on "Freemasonry," which completely ignores the fairly recent declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the issue. Once again while such divergence of topics reflects the richness of the book, there is a lack of balance in the choice of entries. Some moral issues are covered and others not, e.g., abortion and birth control are, while homosexuality and bio-ethical questions are ignored. There is a glaring lack of American topics , apart from those on Americanism and the United States, seen one-sidedly in its political and diplomatic relation to the Vatican. While there is no entry for the many American churchmen and typically American ecclesial movements, such as the Charismatic movement, which have had great influence on the Vatican and the papacy, more than ample space is given to such Italian topics as Alcide De Gasperi, Christian Democracy in Italy, and the Popular Party of Italy. In conclusion, it may be said that our encyclopedia achieves to a great degree what that medium can achieve: a clear and concise summary of the various topics which are diverse parts of the whole. Apart from some clearly evident holes mentioned above, the editor and authors are...