Reviews

Gregory the Great and His World by R. a. Markus

hildegard's review

4.0

I will begin by saying that St. Gregory the Great is one of my heroes. He never wanted the power or position that was thrust upon him in the first place (He had wanted to embrace the contemplative monastic life.), yet he carried out the role bestowed upon him with remarkable grace. This is not to say that he never made calls that were misguided (The last chapter of the book details the cultural misunderstanding and even clash between the African and Roman churches). Nevertheless, as a man who had to often feel the awesome pressure of trying to hold society together (He lived and upheld Roman society and Catholicity after the fall of the Empire in the West. Therefore, he was responsible for using inherited wealth to meet social needs that the political government count not. . .plus all of the responsibility of trying to work with a fairly unhelpful and certainly out of touch Byzantium.), he lived a life of service that would inspire anyone.

As for the book, it is an academic text with all of the detail and also the occasional dryness that implies. However, given the breadth of the topic Markus is writing about (Gregory AND his world), I have to admit, I am impressed with the readability of the text. The four (and a half) stars reflects the overall excellence of the text while also accounting for the occasional academic tone. I have learned a great deal from this text both about Gregory and about the dynamics within early Christianity. Time well spent. Thank you, Dr. Markus.