Charles Guignebert (1867–1939)

This was probably dense reading in the original French (published in two volumes in 1921-1922), and the translation certainly didn't help. The focus is entirely on the Catholic Church, but the author (who was Professor of Christian History at the Sorbonne) is very critical of the Church. His main argument is that Christianity thrived because it evolved constantly, beginning as "a special form of Israelitish Messianism" of interest only to Jews, absorbing ideas of salvation from Eastern mystery cults along with a philosophic background from the Hellenistic culture of the Eastern Mediterranean, and continuing to change as various scholars and mystics modified its basic shape. But the church government steadily increased its own power, with the Council of Trent (1545-1563) freezing the doctrine of the Church as divinely given and unchangeable. Since then, particularly with the Pope and Roman curia seizing monarchical power, the Catholic Church has been unable to evolve to suit modern times. Stuck with a theology and doctrines suited to the Middle Ages, "it does not seem as if it will find any other fate than that which remains for us all when we have used up our strength and filled out the number of our days - to break up and die, to return to Nature the elements lent by her, that she may use them again according to her good pleasure."… (mere)