The Church was the central institution of the European Middle Ages, and the foundation of medieval life. Professor Lynch's admirable survey (concentrating on the western church, and emphasising ideas and trends over personalities) meets a long-felt need for a single-volume comprehensive history, designed for students and non-specialists.
'This is a judicious, entirely manageable account of the first fifteen hundred years of the Church's existence, written with admirable clarity and brevity for those with little previous knowledge of its history.'
The Innes Review (Journal of the Scottish Catholic Historical Association)
'Has no modern rival as an introduction to the subject and will inform and stimulate those who are beginning the study of medieval church history'.
English Historical Review