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Lecturer: Thomas FX Noble

More than a billion Roman Catholics throughout the world today look to the pope for guidance and leadership. Despite the papacy's enormous influence, how much do you really know about this ancient and powerful institution? Catholics and non-Catholics alike will enjoy these 24 illuminating lectures about this remarkable institution. Professor Noble gives you priceless insights into the dramatic history of the papal office and the lives of the men who represented it. You'll follow four critical strands of papal history over 2,000 years: the history of the "Petrine" idea; the history of an institution; the history of popes and antipopes; the history of Western civilization; and you'll look inside the Vatican's doors and discover fresh views on the institution's people, ideas, traditions, and routines, as well as the important roles played by organizations like the Curia and the Secretariat of State. You'll investigate the mechanisms by which the church not only ministers to its worldwide flock but also deals with the practical realities of its administration. Filled with interesting stories and remarkable insights, this course promises to educate, enlighten, and entertain you. All Lectures: 1. What Is Papal History? When Did It Begin? 2. The Rise of the Petrine Idea 3. Popes, Byzantines, and Barbarians 4. The Popes in the Age of Charlemagne 5. Rome, the Popes, and the Papal Government 6. The "Age of Iron" 7. The Investiture Controversy 8. The Papal Monarchy - Institutions 9. The Papal Monarchy - Politics 10. The Popes at Avignon 11. The Great Schism 12. The Renaissance Papacy - Politics 13. The Renaissance Papacy - Culture 14. The Challenge of Reform - Protestantism 15. Catholic Reform and Counter Reform 16. Absolutism, Enlightenment, and Revolution 17. Pius IX - Prisoner of the Vatican 18. The Challenge of Modernism 19. The Troubled Pontificate of Pius XII 20. The Age of Vatican II 21. The Transitional Pontificate of Paul VI 22. The Vatican and What It Does 23. John Paul II - "The Great"? 24. Benedict XVI, the Future, and the Past

Mode of access: World Wide Web