As a historian I welcome Pope Francis’ latest letter. His concerns about church history – notably its tendency towards ‘flat’ synchronicity, sweeping triumphalistic narratives, sometimes invented pasts – are justified. My sense is that church history as taught in theology faculties is that it is all too often marginalized, focused on the ‘elites’, and an exercise in cramming facts into students – many of whom find it irrelevant and boring. My takeaway from Pope Francis is that this is a call to a ‘new church history’ that looks at a broader picture: a ‘long history’ (Annaliste) – possibly even a ‘Big History’ approach setting the church into a broader social, cultural and even evolutionary setting. It also seems to call us to take seriously a ‘church history from below’, from the marginal majority as opposed to conventional views that focus on Popes, Bishops, Councils, etc. It needs to look at ‘material Christianity’ (popular devotions, architecture etc.) and indeed areas such as political economy and theory. Above all, I believe that the study of doctrine and ethics needs to be explored through the historical lens, to give us a sense of a living, evolving tradition. I have said too much. I could say much, much more.
Fr. Anthony Egan, SJ
Hekima University College
Historian
