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- William Holden Hutton
- The Church and the Barbarians
Chapters
3 totalProduced by Al Haines
W. H. HUTTON - PREFACE
CHAPTER I PAGE THE CHURCH AND ITS PROSPECTS IN THE FIFTH CENTURY.... 1 - CHAPTER II THE EMPIRE AND THE EASTERN CHURCH, 461-628........ 6 - CHAPTER III THE CHURCH IN ITALY, 461-590............... 29 - CHAPTER IV CHRISTIANITY IN GAUL FROM THE SIXTH TO THE EIGHTH CENTURY 41 - CHAPTER V THE PONTIFICATE OF GREGORY THE GREAT........... 60 - CHAPTER VI CONTROVERSY AND THE CATHOLICISM OF SPAIN......... 72 - CHAPTER VII THE CHURCH AND THE MONOTHELITE CONTROVERSY........ 83 - CHAPTER VIII THE CHURCH IN ASIA.................... 93 - CHAPTER IX THE CHURCH IN AFRICA.................. 103 - CHAPTER X THE CHURCH IN THE WESTERN ISLES............. 113 - CHAPTER XI THE CONVERSION OF SLAVS AND NORTHMEN........... 123 - CHAPTER XII PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH IN GERMANY............ 134 - CHAPTER XIII THE POPES AND THE REVIVAL OF THE EMPIRE......... 143 - CHAPTER XIV THE ICONOCLASTIC CONTROVERSY............... 155 - CHAPTER XV LEARNING AND MONASTICISM................. 166 - CHAPTER XVI SACRAMENTS AND LITURGIES................. 176 - CHAPTER XVII THE END OF THE DARK AGE.................. 191 - APPENDIX I LIST OF EMPERORS AND POPES................ 205 - APPENDIX II A SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY................... 209 - INDEX........................... 211
Description
This volume offers a compact yet thorough survey of the Christian Church’s evolution from the mid‑fifth century, a time when the old Roman order was collapsing and new “barbarian” kingdoms were rising across Europe. It traces how the faith moved from being a persecuted minority to becoming a unifying institution amid political upheaval, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that defined its early medieval journey.
The author guides listeners through a series of regional studies—covering the Eastern Church, Italy, Gaul, Spain, Africa, the British Isles, and the conversion of the Slavs and Northmen. Key theological disputes such as the Monothelite controversy, the iconoclastic crisis, and the growth of monastic learning are examined alongside the practical realities of worship, sacraments, and liturgy during this formative era.
Written with scholarly care yet accessible prose, the work balances detailed footnotes and primary‑source excerpts with a clear narrative flow. It serves anyone curious about how the early Church navigated a world in transition, making complex history approachable for the modern listener.
Details
Full title
The Church and the Barbarians Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 461 to A.D. 1003
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (375K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2007-08-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
About the author
William Holden Hutton
1860–1930
A historian-priest with a gift for turning church and medieval history into lively narrative, this English writer produced biographies, travel books, and broad surveys of the Christian past. His work reflects both deep scholarship and the perspective of a Church of England clergyman who later became Dean of Winchester.
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