Inventing the Church - (Religion, Culture, and Public Life) by Bénédicte Sère

About the Book

Bénédicte Sère explores how the Catholic Church has repeatedly invented and reinvented itself through a constant back-and-forth between narratives of the Middle Ages and modernity, excavating and traces this history through seven pivotal concepts.

Book Synopsis

Why is the official narrative of the history of the Catholic Church so discordant with the archival sources of the Middle Ages? From the fifteenth century down to the present day, the Church has constructed an identity and a past at odds with what the records show--expanding the authority and power of the papacy in ways that have striking broader political implications.

This audacious and nuanced book explores how the Church has repeatedly invented and reinvented itself through a constant back-and-forth between narratives of the Middle Ages and modernity. Bénédicte Sère excavates and traces this history through seven pivotal concepts in long-standing debates over papal power and the nature of the Church. Providing critical readings of the medieval sources on which later positions have been based, she chronicles how the Church has officially interpreted--and misinterpreted--its own past in order to serve the needs of the present and to create a narrative for posterity.

Drawing on a wide range of classic and recent works published in French, German, Italian, and English, this book offers a bold reinterpretation of Church history and historiography. Inventing the Church also speaks more broadly to questions concerning the interpretation of foundational documents, the uses of history, and the ways institutions interact with their own pasts.

Review Quotes

Inventing the Church illuminates the crucial role of the past in debates over ecclesial politics. Bénédicte Sère explores conflicts between writings on Church politics and the collisions of those writings with the sources, revealing the recent roots of seven key streams of thought. In so doing, she casts light on recent Church history as it is molded by ecclesial politics.--Thomas Izbicki, Librarian Emeritus, Global Medieval Studies, Rutgers University

Inventing the Church is a sophisticated and eye-opening exercise in historiographical analysis. Bénédicte Sère begins with a deceptively simple question: why do histories of the medieval Church--including those by academics as well as those of the Church itself--deviate significantly from readily available archival and printed documents? Sère's answers are revelatory with respect to both the use of documentary evidence and the construction of historical narratives: that "strategies for constructing a memory" should not be disengaged from "knowledge itself." This is an invaluable lesson for our time.--Alan Cooper, Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies emeritus, The Jewish Theological Seminary

Was there a medieval Church? Is the modern Church based on it? Bénédicte Sère convincingly answers "no" to both questions. Both Churches instead are imaginative constructions. How they came to be so is the story of this book. In the process, it probes our assumptions about the very nature of knowledge, tradition, and interpretation.--Barbara H. Rosenwein, Professor Emerita, Loyola University Chicago

About the Author

Bénédicte Sère is a member of the Institut Universitaire de France and an associate professor in medieval history at the University of Paris Nanterre. She is a visiting professor at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Caroline Wazer is a translator and writer who holds a PhD in ancient Roman history from Columbia University.

Caroline Walker Bynum is University Professor Emerita at Columbia University and professor emerita of medieval European history at the Institute for Advanced Study.