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[Introduction To] Church, Book, And Bishop: Conflict And Authority In Early Latin Christianity, Peter Iver Kaufman

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Beginning with the organizational difficulties that faced the post-resurrection communities of Jesus' followers and concluding nearly six centuries later as many regional representatives of the universal church came increasingly under the influence of Roman bishops, Church, Book, and Bishop is the story of leadership-- its successes and frustrations. It is a book about the managerial elites largely responsible for overcoming the theological, political, and social obstacles to organization.

Through a series of scenes drawn from clerical life, Peter Iver Kaufman identifies and illustrates these executive strategies for conflict management and consensus-building. Whereas many accounts of this period emphasize nonconformity and …