There is too much that is questionable in this major undertaking. Perhaps too many cooks spoilt the broth.

The Cambridge History of the Papacy
EDITED BY JOËLLE ROLLO-KOSTER, ROBERT A. VENTRESCA, MELODIE H. EICHBAUER, MILES PATTENDEN

(VOLUME I: THE TWO SWORDS, 828 PP, £130; VOLUME II: THE GOVERNANCE OF THE CHURCH, 800 PP, £130; VOLUME III: CIVIL SOCIETY, 802 PP, £130. FULL SET £310)

Nothing is symbolic of the Catholic Church than the papacy. No other version of Christianity has anything remotely similar – not that they would necessarily regard that as a misfortune. Still, the papacy is practically synonymous with Catholicism so, when a leading academic press produces a major study of the institution, it has to be taken seriously and, at well over 2,000 pages, this Cambridge publication is undoubtedly major. But is it worth the asking price? That is difficult to say. Only the first volume purports to be straightforward history and, even then, it is not in a narrative form but simply a series of essays in roughly chronological order. It must have been a complicated operation to bring it all together – hence the four editors, presumably on the principle that many hands make light work. But as I worked my way through the text, another adage came to mind: too many cooks spoil the broth.

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