“God walks in the shoes of the devil. This thought shaped my work and my life.” This is an excerpt from the prologue to the first volume of Karlheinz Deschner’s The Criminal History of Christianity, published in 1986. Inspired by this image, Deschner had already offered Rowohlt publishing house the first volume in 1970, encompassing 320 pages and due to be published in 1973. This was, however, merely the first volume of a more expansive project altogether, a monumental work spanning ten volumes. Now, more than a quarter of a century after the first volume was published, the series is complete.
Deschner‘s magnum opus showcases a unique research project. It traces Christianity all the way from its earliest beginnings, through the crusades and witch hunts of the Middle Ages, detailing along the way the genocide in Latin America before examining the separation of church and state. Splendidly written, the ten volumes set out historical analysis gleaned from many years of intensive study. Not even Deschner’s most ardent critics fault the thoroughness of his research.
Volume ten addresses the decline of the papacy and the gradual divorce of the church and the state.
