The Vatican Decrees by W. E. Gladstone and Rev. Philip Schaff
Full title: The Vatican Decrees with a History of the Vatican Council, etc.
Authors: W. E. Gladstone, M.D. and Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D.
Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York, 1875/1874
Hardcover
Page Count: 168
This pamphlet and associated readings were issued in reaction to the Catholic Pope’s/ Council’s announced doctrine of papal infallibility issued a few years prior. Gladstone thought it put ordinary Catholic citizens in an intolerable bind should the Church and the civil government disagree. His argument is straightforward: do not accept the doctrine if you are Catholic and make no concessions as a government. His pamphlet had a huge influence in the public debate. It was one of the pressures that led the Church to issue an encyclical a decade later, Immortale Dei, on exactly Gladstone’s topic of civil allegiance.
Let’s take note of one fun element. Gladstone was a terrific orator and a savage in verbal jousting. Our friends at Wikipedia offer these examples: He described the Catholic Church as "an Asian monarchy: nothing but one giddy height of despotism, and one dead level of religious subservience". He further claimed that the Pope wanted to destroy the rule of law and replace it with arbitrary tyranny and then to hide these "crimes against liberty beneath a suffocating cloud of incense”.
Condition: Fair. Initially issued as a pamphlet, this is the book version and thus somewhat sturdier. However, the paper quality is not very good, and the pages have darkened sections. The spine is frayed at the top, and a liquid spill caused a large discolored swirl to form on the front cover.
Full title: The Vatican Decrees with a History of the Vatican Council, etc.
Authors: W. E. Gladstone, M.D. and Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D.
Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York, 1875/1874
Hardcover
Page Count: 168
This pamphlet and associated readings were issued in reaction to the Catholic Pope’s/ Council’s announced doctrine of papal infallibility issued a few years prior. Gladstone thought it put ordinary Catholic citizens in an intolerable bind should the Church and the civil government disagree. His argument is straightforward: do not accept the doctrine if you are Catholic and make no concessions as a government. His pamphlet had a huge influence in the public debate. It was one of the pressures that led the Church to issue an encyclical a decade later, Immortale Dei, on exactly Gladstone’s topic of civil allegiance.
Let’s take note of one fun element. Gladstone was a terrific orator and a savage in verbal jousting. Our friends at Wikipedia offer these examples: He described the Catholic Church as "an Asian monarchy: nothing but one giddy height of despotism, and one dead level of religious subservience". He further claimed that the Pope wanted to destroy the rule of law and replace it with arbitrary tyranny and then to hide these "crimes against liberty beneath a suffocating cloud of incense”.
Condition: Fair. Initially issued as a pamphlet, this is the book version and thus somewhat sturdier. However, the paper quality is not very good, and the pages have darkened sections. The spine is frayed at the top, and a liquid spill caused a large discolored swirl to form on the front cover.
Full title: The Vatican Decrees with a History of the Vatican Council, etc.
Authors: W. E. Gladstone, M.D. and Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D.
Publisher: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York, 1875/1874
Hardcover
Page Count: 168
This pamphlet and associated readings were issued in reaction to the Catholic Pope’s/ Council’s announced doctrine of papal infallibility issued a few years prior. Gladstone thought it put ordinary Catholic citizens in an intolerable bind should the Church and the civil government disagree. His argument is straightforward: do not accept the doctrine if you are Catholic and make no concessions as a government. His pamphlet had a huge influence in the public debate. It was one of the pressures that led the Church to issue an encyclical a decade later, Immortale Dei, on exactly Gladstone’s topic of civil allegiance.
Let’s take note of one fun element. Gladstone was a terrific orator and a savage in verbal jousting. Our friends at Wikipedia offer these examples: He described the Catholic Church as "an Asian monarchy: nothing but one giddy height of despotism, and one dead level of religious subservience". He further claimed that the Pope wanted to destroy the rule of law and replace it with arbitrary tyranny and then to hide these "crimes against liberty beneath a suffocating cloud of incense”.
Condition: Fair. Initially issued as a pamphlet, this is the book version and thus somewhat sturdier. However, the paper quality is not very good, and the pages have darkened sections. The spine is frayed at the top, and a liquid spill caused a large discolored swirl to form on the front cover.