Church history, Catholic perspective

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Leslie

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I have read a lot of church history, all from a protestant perspective. Now I'd like to read a history of the Reformation from a Roman Catholic perspective. Does anyone have a suggestion? It should be well-written and not too long. The long detailed histories (such as d'Aubigne) from a protestant perspective are interesting, but it would be difficult to read RC detail.
 
Here are two recommendations; one from a Roman Catholic perspective and one from an Eastern Orthodox perspective:

1. The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism - Louis Bouyer (RCC)
2. Rock and Sand - Josiah Trenham (EO)
 
From a conservative RC view, William H. Carroll’s books are good though not too short.
 
B.L. said:
Here are two recommendations; one from a Roman Catholic perspective and one from an Eastern Orthodox perspective:

1. The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism - Louis Bouyer (RCC)
2. Rock and Sand - Josiah Trenham (EO)
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, have you read Rock and Sand?

When I was eastern orthodox, that was considered the go-to book for converts coming from Protestant backgrounds, and Josiah Trenham and his fellow EO's believe it to be solid refutation of Protestantism.

Once upon a time, I believed that.

Now, when rereading it....it's weak sauce. For someone who supposedly studied under R.C. Sproul as he claims (which I highly doubt, and I am not aware that Sproul taught at WTS Escondido where Trenham went) he gets a lot of basic things wrong.

Actually, if one were interested in seeing how the Reformation was viewed from the eastern church, I'd check out George Mastrantonis' Augsburg and Constantinople, which contains the correspondence between Lutheran theologians at Tubingen and Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople in the 1570s:

Augsburg and Constantinople: The Correspondence between the Tubingen Theologians and Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople on the Augsburg Confession​

 
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Not necessarily a history of the time but the Catechism of the Council of Trent is a theological and systematic answer to the Reformers.
 

The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II: Bellitto, Christopher M.: 9780809140190: Amazon.com: Books

The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II [Bellitto, Christopher M.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II
www.amazon.com

I had forgotten that I used this as a text for a class I taught when I was RC.

Also the following book is highly favorable to the RC. It’s a quick, breezy read.

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church: Crocker III, H.W.: 9780761516040: Amazon.com: Books

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church [Crocker III, H.W.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church
www.amazon.com
 
The following meets neither of your requirements, but I still want to plug it:

John Anthony McGuckin's "The Path of Christianity" is one of the finest (or best) books written on the Early Church. It is so much more than a history book.

Don't let the dust jacket hinder you from picking it up. I can't recommend it enough.
 
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