Church, Book, And Bishop: Conflict And Authority In Early Latin Christianity Paperback - 1996

From the rear cover

Beginning with the organizational difficulties that faced the postresurrection communities of Jesus' followers and concluding nearly six centuries later as many regional representatives of the universal church came increasingly under the influence of Roman bishops, "Church, Book, and Bishop" is the story of leadership-- its successes and frustations. It is a book about the managerial elites largely responsible for overcoming the theological, political, and social obstacles to organization.

Through a series of scenes drawn from clerical life, Peter Iver Kaufman identifies and illustrates these executive strategies for conflict management and consensus-building. Whereas many accounts of this period emphasize nonconformity and conflict, Kaufman studies the distribution and exercise of authority that made if possible to articulate the conformists' positions effectively and to achieve an appreciable measure of institutional coherence.

This story is told in a way that will appeal not only to scholars of the early church and their students but also to generalists interested in the development of Latin Christianity. It will be especially useful as a supplement to courses on the history of Western civilization and on the history of Christian traditions.