The first of two volumes on the archbishops and cathedral chapters of seventeenth-century Manila, this book fills a historiographical gap by examining the diocesan clergy of the Philippinesâ political maneuverings. In particular, this volume studies the archbishopsâ unstable authority and ecclesiastical chaptersâ preeminence at this time. First, it emphasizes the need for a new paradigm of conflict-ridden Catholic evangelizationâius predicandiâthat explores the interactions and engagements of the Churchâs legal agents, mainly priests, canons, and bishops, and brings their rivalries to the fore. Second, it draws attention to one of the most neglected topics in Philippine ecclesiastical history, namely the metropolitan cathedral chapters, which, far from being monolithic units at the service of their archbishops, were too highly fragmented to constitute a single power holder. This volumeâs examination of these power dynamics makes it clear that history of the colonial Catholic Church cannot be separated from political history of the Philippines.
