Author: Charles River Editors
Narrator: Colin Fluxman
Unabridged: 1 hr 23 min
Format: Digital Audiobook
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Published: 03/21/2022
It has been famously pointed out that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, but it was also not an empire in the sense people expect when hearing the term. In theory, the emperor was the highest prince in Christendom, and his dominion extended the length and breadth of Western Europe. The empire had been created by the papacy in 801 when Pope Leo III famously crowned the supposedly unwitting Charlemagne in Saint Peter’s Basilica, intending to recreate the Western Roman Empire. In truth, the imperial power did not extend beyond central Europe, which by the beginning of the 16th century included Germany, northern Italy, and the Netherlands. Even in these lands, however, the emperor struggled to command obedience. His dominion over northern Italy was theoretical only, the cities of the Netherlands were deeply conscious of their ancient rights and privileges, and Germany had long ceased to be compliant. The latter had become a collection of principalities, dukedoms and bishoprics which vied with each other and pursued their own agendas. They were, however, united in only one sense: denying the emperor power and resisting attempts to centralize the government.
At the same time, the secular sovereigns frequently butted heads with religious authorities back in Rome, and arguably none of the conflicts were as crucial as the Investiture Controversy in the 11th century. The tensions between the Holy Roman Empire and Church over the power to invest bishops with authority led to decades of civil war in Germany on the way to establishing the relationship between Church and state, elevating the status of the papacy and weakening the Holy Roman Empire.
You are invited to hear some of Thomas Merton’s most impassioned lectures.In 1962 at Gethsemani Abbey, Thomas Merton taught an extraordinary course on the heart of Benedictine spirituality. Through 16 digitally remastered recordings, you will ...
Join one of the most influential spiritual writers of the 20th century on the search for meaning.What does it really mean to live your life in the spirit of Jesus Christ? Tackle this question with Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), the author of such classic...
From the best-selling author of The Return of the Prodigal Son, essential listening for Catholics, other Christians, and all spiritual seekers.In the final year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen wrote an account of the death of his friend Adam,...
You are invited to sit at the feet of a contemplative master.In the words of renowned theologian Fr. Lawrence Cunningham, Thomas Merton was perhaps "the greatest spiritual writer and spiritual master of the 20th century." With a poet's sensibility, ...
Psalms is a bible book of the Christian Old Testament,and are compositions to thank God and pledging for his help.Many of the psalms are linked to the name of King David.They help us to overcome difficult times and keep trust in God.
What does it mean to be an imitator of Christ?Find out by exploring the life and legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi and the movements he inspired with one of the world's leading Franciscan experts as your guide.From the humble backyard birdbath to th...
Psalms is a bible book of the Christian Old Testament,and are compositions to thank God and pledging for his help.Many of the psalms are linked to the name of King David.They help us to overcome difficult times and keep trust in God.
Psalms is a bible book of the Christian Old Testament,and are compositions to thank God and pledging for his help.Many of the psalms are linked to the name of King David.They help us to overcome difficult times and keep trust in God.
The long-simmering crisis that grips our culture has exploded in recent years, leaving us divided and intransigent. Discourse seems futile when we are no longer a people with shared principles or even a shared understanding of reality. What seems ob...