Henry T. Hudson
Trade paperback, 223 pages [1981] 2008

The typical American probably views the pope as a harmless old man presiding over an irrelevant institution; the typical Catholic outside the U.S. (and many American Catholics as well) sees him as the representative of God on Earth. The actual claims of the papacy are megalomaniacal: All power on Earth-political, ecclesiastical, and economic–belongs to the alleged successor of Peter. Dr. Hudson, a resident of Italy for many years, explains the origin and growth of papal power.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Origins of Papal Power; Development before the Reformation; Luther's Revolt against Papal Power; Development after the Reformation; Holy Scripture and Papal Claims; Appendices: The First Vatican Council: Papal Infallibility; The Donation of Constantine; Scripture Index; Index; The Crisis of Our Time; Intellectual Ammunition.