Roman Catholic Church Authority
The Central Authority of the Roman Catholic Church
"The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself:
but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."
St. Peter's
Basilica in
"So then you
are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow
citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God,
built
upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself
being the
cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together
and grows into a
holy temple in the Lord; in whom you
also are built
into it for a
dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
(Ephesians
2: 19-22 RSV)
Linked Table of Contents:
Part One: Apostles, Disciples and Evangelzation
Part Two: Presbyters, Bishops and Apostolic Succession
Part Three: The
Primacy of the Pope
Apostles,
Disciples and Evangelization
"Tradition is the river of new life that proceeds from the origin, from
Christ to us, and makes us participate in God's history with humility."
(Pope Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, May 3, 2006)
It wasn't until about 55 A.D. that the first Gospels were
put to quill and papyrus. That the original
evangelists wrote their personal accounts of the public life of Jesus within
their own lifetimes has been accepted throughout ancient historical Christian
tradition and confirmed by scientific research.1
(All notations follow in FOOTNOTES at
the end of the article.) Tradition and
science aside, the most compelling reason for this fact is that it is not
within inspired Christian faith and reason from
the Holy Spirit of God to believe
otherwise.
Before a number of written accounts of the Gospel could be
circulated to the faithful, the Christian faith was nurtured by oral
tradition. The account of the life of
Christ was passed-on from the original twelve apostles, whose presence in
When Jesus said: “you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you“ (Acts 1:8 RSV); He meant that the twelve would
receive His Holy Spirit initially and that all of His disciples would eventually
receive the Holy Spirit in the laying on of hands. In Acts 8:14-17 (RSV), the apostles Peter and
John, ministering in
"Now when the apostles at
of God, they sent to them Peter
and John, who came down and prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but
they had only been baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they
laid their
hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit."
A scriptural verse that identifies the original twelve
apostles as having a role in the central authority of the post-Pentecostal
Church is Acts 15:2 (KJV) is the disputation concerning legal circumcision (our
underline):
"When therefore Paul and
Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation
with them, they determined that
Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them,
should go up to
Additional scriptural verses revealing the role of central
authority in the Church are in 1 Peter 5, verses 1-3, 5, 13 (KJV). St. Peter wrote this letter from
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of
the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed: Feed
the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint,
but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
neither as
being lords over God's
heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock.
"Likewise, ye younger,
submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one
to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace
to the humble.
"The church that is at Babylon,
elected together with you, saluteth you; and
so doth
Marcus my son."
In Acts 1: 21, 22 (RSV) the continuity of the original
twelve apostles is preserved when a replacement for Judas Iscariot is
chosen. The account includes a
prerequisite for selection: the replacement must have faith in the Resurrection
of Christ:
"So one of the men who have
accompanied us during all the time that the Lord
Jesus went in and out among us,
beginning from the baptism of John until the day
when he was taken up from us--one
of these men must become with us a witness
to his
resurrection."
To perform the act of selection, the apostles followed an
instruction found in the book of Psalms; they were obedient to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit of God honored their prayer
in choosing Matthias. These two
observations are important to consider when establishing the central position
of the original twelve apostles. It can
be concluded that the will of God was manifested in preserving the role of the
original twelve apostles (there must be twelve, not eleven) in the formation of
the embryonic
"For it
is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate (Ps
69:25)
and let there
be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.' (Ps 109:8)
So one
of the men who have accompanied
us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in
and out among us, beginning from
the baptism of John until the day when he was taken
up from us--one of these men must
become with us a witness to his resurrection." And
they put forward two, Joseph
called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed and said,
"Lord,
who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of
these two
thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which
Judas turned
aside, to go to his own place.
And they cast lots for them, and
the
lot fell
on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the
eleven apostles."
It was also the will of God that the importance of the
original twelve apostles and their central authority should be firmly
established. They are mentioned
prominently in Chapter
"And the wall of the city
had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
The Central Authority of the embryonic Church was centered in the 12 Apostles, but even these had those among their own whom they went to for answers. This is revealed in St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 9:
"And when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship,
that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised."
The "pillars" from the above verse:
Peter: Undoubtedly the designated head of the Church in Matthew 16:18:
“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."
James: Supported by the Early Church Fathers as the first Bishop of Jerusalem:
(St. Augustine, The City of God, Book XVIII, Chapter II)
“...when James the brother of John was slaughtered with the sword..."
(St. John Crysostom, Homilies on The Gospel of John, Homily XLI, Jn5:39-40)
"....one became first Bishop of Jerusalem, the blessed James, of whom Paul saith, "Other of the Apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19)..."
John: Of all the apostles, he was indisputably the 'theologian'. His Gospel and his Book of Revelation attests to this.
It is obvious that in St. John's vision of the New
Jerusalem that the mystical representation of Christ's Church demands that it
be founded upon the twelve apostles; those twelve who Jesus directed with His
Holy Spirit, Who had come at Pentecost to take His place on earth. Without doubt, the growth of the Church
radiated outward from these twelve chosen men---albeit they also evangelized until
they could send others out.
In establishing the role of the twelve apostles, Jesus
transmitted to them His method of evangelization. Staying behind as the Central Figure in
Lk9:1-5 (RSV), He sends the twelve apostles out on a mission (our underline):
"And he called the twelve
together and gave them power and authority over all demons
and to cure diseases, and he sent
them out to preach the
And he said to them, "Take nothing
for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor
money; and do not have two
tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from
there depart. And wherever they
do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off
the dust from your feet as a
testimony against them."
Repeating His instructions to a group of seventy other
disciples in Lk10:1-7 (RSV), Jesus sent them out (our underline):
"After this, the Lord
appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by
two, into every town and place
where he himself was about to come. And he said to
them, "The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers into
his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as
lambs in the midst of wolves.
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one
on the road. Whatever house you
enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!'
And if a son
of peace is there, your peace
shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And
remain in the same house, eating
and drinking what they provide, for the laborer
deserves his wages; do not go
from house to house."
The final command of Jesus to evangelize came after His
Resurrection. He specifically mentioned
"Then he opened their minds
to understand the scriptures, and said to them,
"Thus it is written, that
the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from
the dead, and that repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning
from
Further evidence of central organization in the ministry
of Jesus is the definition of the word 'apostle'. From Ewell's Evangelical Dictionary (our
underline):
"The biblical use of "apostle" is
almost entirely confined to the NT, where it occurs seventy-nine times: ten in the
Gospels, twenty-eight in Acts, thirty-eight in the epistles, and three in the
Apocalypse. Our English word is a transliteration of the Greek apostolos, which
is derived from apostellein, to send. Whereas several words for send are used
in the NT, expressing such ideas as dispatch, release, or dismiss, apostellein
emphasizes the elements of commission, authority of and responsibility to the
sender. So an apostle is properly one sent on a definite mission, in which he acts
with full authority on behalf of the sender and is accountable to him."
Note in the last sentence where an apostle "acts with
full authority on behalf of the sender and is accountable to him". To assign someone a task and to maintain
their accountability requires central organization and management.
Ewell's says this about
‘disciple’; as different from ‘apostle’ (our underline):
"Disciple. The characteristic name
for those who gathered around Jesus during his ministry was
"disciple." He was the teacher or master; they were his disciples
(mathetai), a term involving too much personal attachment and commitment to be
rendered adequately by "pupil."
The name was carried over into Acts, where it frequently has the general
sense of Christian (cf. Acts
We may now conclude that of the two groups of men that
surrounded Jesus (apostles and disciples), it was His apostles and not His
disciples that were the most intimately associated with Him, forming core of
His new Church. It is also conclusive
that Christ centered Church around the twelve apostles. There is a verse from
the Acts of the Apostles that seems to contradict this idea, but future events
support the centrist theory. From Acts
1:8 (RSV):
"But you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and
you shall be my witnesses in
the end of
the earth."
Notice that Jesus says "
"It is possible that there may have been some
question of
"
Whatever Philip's contribution, Paul and/or Barnabas and
Paul and/or Silas fulfilled the Lord's desire to evangelize the rest of the
known gentile world. It must be noted that these men were not original
apostles. Besides
The idea that most of the twelve maintained their stay in
Jerusalem in order to nurture the central organization of the Church is supported
by what happened in the persecution that resulted because of conditions leading
to the martyrdom of St. Stephen in Acts 8:1-8 (RSV):
"And Saul was consenting to
his death. And on that day a great persecution
arose against the church in
the region of
Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Devout men buried
Stephen, and made great
lamentation over him. But Saul was
ravaging the church,
and entering house after house,
he dragged off men and women and committed
them to prison. Now those who were scattered went
about preaching the word.
Philip went
down to a city of
the multitudes with one accord
gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they
heard him and saw the signs which
he did. For unclean spirits came out of
many
who were possessed, crying with a
loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or
lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.”
Acts 8:14-17 says of the conversions in Samaria, that the
apostles at the See of Jerusalem sent senior apostles---bishops---to Samaria,
to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation:
“Now
when the apostles at
of
God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them
that
they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of
them, but
they
had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their
hands
on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
In
"Now in these days when the
disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists
murmured against the Hebrews
because their widows were neglected in the daily
distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the
disciples and said,
"It is
not right
that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
Therefore,
brethren, pick out from among
you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and
of wisdom, whom we may appoint
to this duty. But
we will devote
ourselves to
prayer and to
the ministry of the
word.”
In Acts 15: 1-12 (RSV), St. Peter exercises his authority as
the head of the apostles and delivers the words that solve the problem of
including or excluding the Jewish rite of circumcision:
"But some men came down from
circumcised according to the
custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
And when Paul
and Barnabas had no small
dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some
of the others were appointed to
go up to
question. So, being sent on their way by the church,
they passed through both
and
brethren. When they came to
and the elders, and they declared
all that God had done with them. But
some believers who
belonged to the party of the
Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them,
and to charge them to keep the
law of Moses.
The apostles and the elders were gathered
together to
consider this matter. And after there had been much
debate, Peter rose and said
to them, "Brethren, you know
that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my
mouth the Gentiles should hear
the word of the gospel and believe.
And
God who knows the
heart bore
witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no
distinction
between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do
you make
trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our
fathers nor
we have been able to bear? But we
believe that we shall be saved through the
grace of the
Lord Jesus, just as they will. And all the assembly kept
silence."
In Galatians 1:18-19 (RSV), after three years in
"Then after three years I
went up to
him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles
except James the Lord's brother3."
St. Peter, chosen as chief apostle, is concerned with the
over-all evangelization of the Church as in Acts 15:7 (RSV):
"Peter rose and said to them,
"Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice
among you,
that by my mouth
the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe."
Even though St. Paul considers himself an apostle, he
looks to the position and authority of the original twelve in Gal 2: 7-9
(RSV). These verses also delineate the
missions of the
"....when they saw that I
had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just
as Peter had been entrusted
with the gospel to the circumcised
(for he who worked
through Peter for the mission to
the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles),
and when they perceived the grace
that was given to me, James and Cephas and John,
who were
reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship,
that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised...."
The Central Authority of the embryonic Church was centered in the 12 Apostles, but even these had those among their own whom they went to for answers. This is revealed in the above quotation from Gal 2:9 (RSV):
...."and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that
we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised....."
The "pillars" from the above verse:
Peter: Undoubtedly the designated head of the Church in Matthew 18:18:
“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."
James: As the brother of John of Zebedee, James is supported by the Early Church Fathers as the first Bishop of Jerusalem:
(St. John Crysostom, Homilies on The Gospel of John, Homily XLI, Jn5:39-40)
"....one became first Bishop of Jerusalem, the blessed James, of whom Paul saith, "Other of the Apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19)..."
(St. Augustine, The City of God, Book XVIII, Chapter II)
“...when James the brother of John was slaughtered with the sword..."
John: Of all the apostles, he was indisputably the 'theologian'. His Gospel and his Book of Revelation attests to this.
Other examples of Peter’s authority in the seminal Church
follow. Notice the singular benchmark
that Peter is the only apostle referred-to by name:
In Luke 22: 31-32 (RSV), Jesus reveals that Satan has
targeted Peter; but that Peter’s faith would hold fast. Although his denial of Jesus is unbeknownst
to Peter at the time, Jesus orders him to reassure the rest of the apostles
after he recovers:
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but
I have prayed for you that your faith may
not fail; and when you have turned again,
strengthen your
brethren."
In John
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I
love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of
John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord;
you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to
him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved
because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him,
‘Lord, you know everything; you know that
I love you.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my
sheep.’”
In Mark 16: 6-7 (RSV), the angel at the tomb of the
Resurrected Christ tells Mary Magdalene, Mary Clopas and Salome to notify the
apostles of the Resurrection. Peter is the only one referred-to by name:
"Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter
that he is going before you to
After His Resurrection, of all the apostles gathered in
the upper room, Jesus chooses to appear to Peter (Simon) in Luke 24: 33-34
(RSV):
“And
they rose that same hour and returned to
In Acts 1: 13-26 (RSV), Peter headed the meeting of the
apostles and disciples, in the presence of Mary the Mother of Jesus, to choose
a replacement for Judas Iscariot. These verses underscore the importance of the
consensus, in the minds of the apostles, of restoring the number of apostles to
twelve. The replacement was taken from
the ranks of the disciples; those men of lesser rank than the apostles:
“And when they had entered, they went up to the
upper room, where they were staying, Peter and
John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and
Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of
James. All these with one accord devoted
themselves to prayer, together with the
women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the
brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and
said, ‘Brethren, the scripture had to be
fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David,
concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us, and was
allotted his share in this ministry.
(Now this man bought a field with the reward of his
wickedness; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels
gushed out. And it became known to all
the inhabitants of
For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his
habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to
live in it'; and 'His office let another take.' So one of the men who have accompanied us
during all the time that the Lord Jesus
went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when
he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his
resurrection.’
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men,
show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry
and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own
place." And they cast lots for
them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven
apostles.”
In Acts
“But Peter, standing with the
eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in
In Acts 2: 38-41 (RSV), Peter, the first to preach,
produces the first converts of the new Church on the first Pentecost:
“And Peter said to them,
‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to
your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God
calls to him.’ And he testified with many other words and
exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who
received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about
three
thousand souls.”
In Acts 3: 6-8 (RSV), Peter performs the first miracle after Pentecost:
“Seeing Peter
and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, ‘Look at
us.’ And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and
gold, but I give you what I have; in the
name of
Jesus Christ of
In Acts 8: 9-21 (RSV), Peter
excommunicates Simon the Magician of
“But there was a man named Simon
(Simon Magnus) who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of
In Acts 9:
32-35 (RSV), Peter, as the leading figure in the new Church, is making his
rounds in his episcopacy. He is granted
signal graces by God so that his role might become clearly distinguishable:
“Now as Peter went here and there
among them all, he came down also to the saints that lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had
been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus
Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.’ And mmediately he rose.
And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to
the Lord.”
And in Acts
“Now
there was at Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was full
of good works and acts of
charity. In those days she fell sick and
died; and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him entreating
him, ‘Please come to us without delay.’
So Peter rose and went with them. And when he had come, they took him to the upper room. All
the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing
tunics and other garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and
prayed; then turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, rise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw
Peter she sat up. And he gave her his
hand and lifted her up. Then calling the saints and
widows he presented her alive. And
it became known throughout all Joppa,
and many believed in the Lord.”
In Acts 15: 7; 19-20 (RSV), Peter, using his direct authority
received from Christ, pronounces the first binding directive regarding the
conversion process for gentiles:
“Peter
rose and said to them, ‘Brethren, you know that in the early days God made
choice among you, that by my
mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.’”
“Therefore
my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to
God, but should write to them
to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood.”
In the New Testament, Peter’s name heads the list
of the apostles and speaks for them in the following RSV quotations:
Matthew 10: 2:
“The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon,
who is called Peter.”
Matthew 18: 21: “Then Peter came up and said to him..”
Mark 8: 29:
“But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him,
"You are the Christ.”
Mark
Luke 6: 14-16:
“Simon, whom he named Peter.”
Luke 12: 41: “Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us
or for all?”
Luke 8: 45: “Peter said, "Master, the multitudes surround you and
press upon you!"
Luke 9: 32:
”Now Peter and those who were with him….”
John 6: 68:
“Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we
go?”
Acts 1: 13:
“They went up to the upper room, where they were staying,
Peter…”
* * *
Daily life among the twelve apostles did not always go
smoothly. At
"And when Cephas came to
was
wrong. For, until some people came from
James, he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they
came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid
of the circumcised. And the rest of the Jews [also] acted
hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even
Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw
that they were not on the right
road in line with the truth of the gospel,
I said to Cephas
in front of
all,
"If you,
though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can
you compel the Gentiles to live
like Jews?"
These questions remain:
1. Was Peter eating with the gentiles in order to preach
to them, or did he relax his standards too much?
2. In knowing that he was given the mission to the
gentiles, did Paul become a little too possessive?
Speaking for himself, this author would attempt to convert
the gentiles by eating with them. Paul,
himself says in 1 Corinthians 9: 20-22 (RSV):
"To the Jews I became as a
Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became
as one under the law--though not
being myself under the law--that I might win those
under the law. To those outside the law I became as one
outside the law--not being
without law toward God but under
the law of Christ--that I might win those outside
the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win
the weak. I have become all
things to all men, that I might
by all means save some."
Did not Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners? I'm sticking-up for St. Peter----how about
you? If not, how am I wrong?
mail@holyhillcross.com
* * *
Presbyters, Bishops and Apostolic Succession
"The Church is wholly of the Spirit but has a structure, the apostolic succession,
which is responsible for guaranteeing that the Church endures in the truth given
by Christ, from whom the capacity to love also comes."
(Pope Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, April 5, 2006)
The "laying on of hands" is mentioned many times
in the New Testament. This custom became a rite and was done as a blessing to
invoke the power of the Holy Spirit of God, in the Sacrament of
Confirmation. In Acts13: 3-4 (KJV):
"And when they had fasted
and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent
them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy
Ghost, departed unto
and from thence they sailed to
In the ministering of the Church, the "imposition of hands" corresponded to an action of the Holy Spirit of God in regards to blessing, healing, raising-up ministers and conferring authority. In various translations of the New Testament, the terms "minister" and "presbyter" are interchangeable. The term "priest" means the same, as usually does the term "elder". The term "priest" is not used interchangeably in the New Testament as it refers more specifically to Jewish religious hierarchy. The term "bishop" occurs seven times* in the New Testament. The term "overseer" appears twenty-four times ONLY in the Old Testament. The term "bishop" in the New Testament indicates a senior Church presbyter having the same authority as modern bishops . The terms used in describing the exercise of his authority are "rule", "admonish" and "teach"; the latter term "teach" being used a far greater number of times.
*(Acts 1:20; Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1Titus 3:1; 1Titus 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1Peter 2:25)
We will try to show the various circumstances that the
laying-on of hands was used. In 2
Timothy 1:6 (RSV), the presence of faith is joined with the imposition of
hands:
"I am reminded of your
sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother
Lois and your mother Eunice and
now, I am sure, dwells in you. Hence I
remind
you to rekindle the gift of God that
is within you through the laying on of my hands;
for God did not give us a spirit of
timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control."
Eventually, in the laying on of hands, one sees the term "elder" (presbyter,
minister) enter the picture in 1Timothy
"Do not neglect the gift you
have, which was given you by prophetic utterance
when the council of elders
laid their hands upon you. Practice these
duties,
devote yourself to them, so that
all may see your progress."
In Luke 22:19 (RSV) and 1 Corinthians 11:24 (RSV), the Sacrament
of Holy Orders was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper when He commanded a
priestly duty---in memory of His Sacrifice on Calvary:
"Do this in remembrance of
me."
In
"And when they had appointed
elders for them in every church, with prayer and
fasting, they committed them to
the Lord in whom they believed."
Also, we find
"And from
.....making them overseers; literally consecrating them as
Bishops of the Church as in Acts
"Take heed to yourselves and
to all the flock, in which
the Holy Spirit has made
you
overseers, to care for the
of his own
Son."
Running into problems in
"This is why I left you in
elders in
every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the
husband of one wife,
and his children are believers
and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate.
For a bishop,
as God's steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered
or a drunkard
or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable,
a lover of goodness, master of
himself,
upright, holy, and self-controlled; he must hold firm to the sure word as
taught, so
that he may
be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who
contradict
it. For there are many insubordinate men, empty
talkers and deceivers, especially
the circumcision party; they must be silenced, since they are
upsetting whole families by
teaching for base gain what they
have no right to teach."
In 1 Thessalonians 5: 11-13 (RSV),
"Therefore encourage one
another and build one another up, just as you are doing. But we
beseech you, brethren, to
respect
those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord
and admonish
you,
and to esteem
them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace
among yourselves."
Although the laying-on of hands in the Sacrament of
Penance (Reconciliation) is not implied by Jesus, the authority is granted by
Him from God the Father in John 20:21-23 (RSV):
“Jesus said to them again,
"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.
And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they
are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
An important conclusion to remember when studying the
growth of the
In the early Church, the practice of the imposition of hands under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit produced an unbroken succession of presbyters and bishops which resulted in the manifestation of Apostolic Succession; a mark of the Roman Catholic Church.
From Ephesians 2: 19-22 (RSV) comes the authentication of apostolic succession that has taken place in the Catholic Church:
"So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus
himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy
temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
The prayer of St. Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21 (NJB) reveals the Most Holy Trinity being invoked to make certain, the promulgation of the Truth throughout the ages, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, given at Pentecost: (our underline, our italics)
"This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every fatherhood, in heaven or on earth, takes its name. In the abundance of his glory may he, through his Spirit, enable you to grow firm in power with regard to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, with all God's holy people you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God. Glory be to him (Father) whose power , working in us (Holy Spirit), can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus (the Head of the Church) for ever and ever. Amen."
The Primacy of St. Peter
"Wherever the Church is, God's Spirit is too; and wherever God's Spirit is,
there is the Church and every grace; for the Spirit is truth"
(
We have briefly referenced the New Testament and have so
far:
1. Defined the two terms: disciples and apostles
2, Established the centrality and the authority of the
original twelve apostles
4. Differentiated between the roles of the centralized apostles
and the diffuse missionary disciples (St. Paul claims to
be an apostle in 1Titus 1:1)
5. Reviewed the laying-on of hands for the Sacraments of
Confirmation, Holy Orders and the consecration of bishops (not
a sacrament, but an extension of Holy Orders).
6. Identified the manifestation of the mark of Apostolic
Succession.
There is only one task left to this brief dissertation: the role of the successor of St. Peter. As a biblical background, we discover that Peter is singled-out in Sacred Scripture in being the sole Apostle to have had the honor to be first-called the following:
Peter is placed first in the lists of Apostles in Matt 10:2, Mark 3:13 and Luke 6:14.
Peter is first to enter to the tomb in Luke 24:12.
John allows Peter to go first into the tomb in John 20:5-6.
Peter is the first to preach in the Church after Pentecost Acts 2:14-36
Peter works the first miracle by healing a cripple in Acts 3:6-12
Peter is the first person after Christ to raise somebody from the dead Acts 9:40
Peter is the first to receive the Gentiles Acts 10:9-48.
Considering the qualifications and titles of the successor of St. Peter, we find
that he must be a duly ordained Roman
Catholic priest and a duly consecrated Roman Catholic bishop. (Technically, one
does not have to be a Cardinal to be eligible for the office of the
Papacy.) The successor of St. Peter has many titles, some of
which are:
The Servant of the Servants of God
The Bishop of
The Holy Father
The See of Peter
The Pope
For scriptural confirmation, it is revealed in John 21:
15-17 (DRV), that one of the twelve chosen men, Peter, has received a pastoral
commission from Jesus:
“When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to
Simon Peter: ‘Simon, son of John,
lovest
thou me more than these?’ He saith to him: ‘Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I
love
thee.’ He saith to him: ‘Feed my
lambs.’ He saith to him again: ‘Simon, son of
John,
lovest thou me?’ He saith to him: ‘Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.’
He
saith to him: ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him the third time: Simon, son of
John,
lovest
thou me? Peter was grieved because he had said to him the third time: ‘Lovest
thou
me?’ And he said to him: ‘Lord, thou
knowest all things: thou knowest that I
love
thee.’ He said to him: ‘Feed my sheep.’”
Earlier, in Matthew
“When
Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
saying,
Whom
do men say that I the Son of man am? And
they said, Some say that thou art
John
the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto
them,
But whom say ye that I am? And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ,
the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art
thou,
Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father
which
is in heaven.”
How did Peter know this about Jesus.? In John
“No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him.”
In Matthew 16: 18-19 (KJV), Jesus fulfills the choosing of Peter
by the Father in revealing Peter’s place in the central authority of the
Church. Jesus commissions Himself as the
“rock”; the Head of the Church Who will reign from Heaven. As the “keeper of
the keys”, Peter retains the authority to lead the Church as given by Christ,
the Founder; the True Rock.
We also see Peter (petrus – ‘rock’) designated by Christ as the human ‘Rock’, an ‘alter Christus’ (another Christ), to act "in persona Christi" (in the person of Christ). The term ‘Vicar of Christ on Earth’ is an extremely appropriate title for Peter, one which accurately describes the divine dynamics of Christ’s action in regards to Peter’s newly-assigned authority. Along with Peter's designation as head of Christ's new Church goes the "in persona Christi" powers of the Roman Catholic Priesthood. There are three critical elements in the Matthew 16: 18-19 (KJV) quotation: "Rock" (the designation) "Keys" (the access to Christ's power) and "Binding and Loosing" (the exercise of Christ's power):
“And I say also unto thee, that
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom
of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:
and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In Matthew 26: 30-32 (RSV), Jesus plainly reveals that the
“sheep” of His new Church will always need a “shepherd”; but even if the
shepherd is “struck”---he will return.
The two verses describe a prefigured tribulation in Christ’s future
Church, founded at Pentecost; but with the Resurrection of Christ the gates of
hell will not prevail against it:
“Then Jesus said to them,
"You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written,
'I
will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised
up,
I will go before you to
Then, in John 10: 7-16 (RSV), Jesus reveals the authentic
nature of a true shepherd of the Church, and how the faithful of the Church
know how to follow him in times of apostasy:
"Truly,
truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves
and
robbers; but the sheep did not heed them.
I am the door; if any one enters by me, he
will
be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill
and
destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd.
The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
He who is a hireling and not a shepherd,
whose
own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and
the
wolf
snatches them and scatters them. He
flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for
the
sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my
own and my own know me, as the Father knows
me
and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other
sheep, that
are
not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice.
So there shall be one
flock,
one shepherd.”
In 2Timothy4: 1-6 (RSV), St. Paul is a reflection of the
Good Shepherd, but he also confirms times of apostasy within the future Church:
“I
charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the
living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season,
convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience
and in teaching. For the time is coming
when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for
themselves teachers
to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth
and
wander
into myths. As for you, always be
steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist,
fulfill
your ministry. For I am already on the
point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure
has
come.”
There is a rank and file under the leader of the Church,
who himself is “parochial vicar” to Christ, the Head of His Universal or
Catholic Church7. The bishops, who are the direct descendants
of the apostles, lead the various members of the Church as revealed in 1
Corinthians 12: 28 (RSV):
“And
God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then
workers
of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds
of tongues.”
Sacred Scripture gives us a dramatic confirmation of the
power of the man who is chosen to lead the Church; and to those who are of “one
heart and soul” with him: It is from Acts 4: 31-37 (RSV), continuing to Acts 5:
1-11 (RSV):
“Now
the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said
that
any
of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in
common. And
with
great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus, and
great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were
possessors
of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and
laid it
at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. Thus Joseph who was
surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of
encouragement), a Levite, a native
of
Cyprus, sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it
at the apostles' feet. “
“But a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property, and with his wife's
knowledge he kept
back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles'
feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan
filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep
back
part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain
your own? And
after
it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived
this deed in your
heart?
You have not lied to men but to God.’
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and
died. And great fear came upon all who heard of
it. The young men rose and wrapped him
up
and
carried him out and buried him. After an
interval of about three hours his wife came in, not
knowing
what had happened. And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land
for so
much.’
And she said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ But
Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed
together
to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Hark, the feet of those that have buried your
husband
are
at the door, and they will carry you out.’
Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When
the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her
husband. And great fear came upon the whole church,
and upon all who heard of these things.”
The Pope holds a terrifying
office. He is responsible to God for
trying, with every drop of his life-energy, to keep the entire Church teaching
the Truth of Christ. He thus shares part
of the responsibility for the state of every Christian soul. An impossible job---it would seem. From a human standpoint---it is. That is why Jesus Christ is the true Head of
the
Obviously being a human being---the Pope is personally
fallible. His power of Papal
Infallibility can only be exercised under the power of the Holy Spirit in settling
matters of faith and morals. This
power is almost exclusively performed in conjunction with the hierarchy of the
Church, or in collegio. It is possible, but rare,
that the Pope singularly proclaims an infallible doctrine or dogma. The last time this was done was in the case of
the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Pope Pius XII in the
Jubilee Year of 1950. He did this only
after much prayer, study and consultation.
He also acquired a sense of the faithful, or sensus
fidelium: 800,000 signatures on petitions were collected from the
Catholic faithful of the world. In 1965, the Dogma of the Assumption was
ratified into the Magisterium by
In the present day, an encyclical (papal letter) has
contained within it the dimensions of infallible doctrine: It is the Gospel of Life, Evangelium Vitae, by Pope John Paul II, released on
"In communion with all the
Bishops of the world.”
“5.
The Extraordinary
Consistory
of
Cardinals held in
“57...."Therefore,
by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in
communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human
being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that
unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred
Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the
ordinary and universal Magisterium.[51]
“The deliberate decision to
deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can
never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end. It is in
fact a grave act of disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself,
the author and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of
justice and charity. "Nothing and no one
can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus
or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an
incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted
to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another
person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either
explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or
permit such an action. [52]"
There is an imperceptible divine dimension to the office
of the Bishop of Rome. It can be
expressed in this way:
If the Holy Spirit of Christ did not intervene for
the Pope and the Church over the last twenty centuries, the Papacy and the
Roman Catholic Church would not have survived.
The office of the See of Peter is somewhat possible---but
also somewhat impossible---to describe.
One thing we know; there have been great Popes, bad Popes, persecutions
and wars; but the "gates of Hell" (Mt16:18) will not overcome the
Universal Church of Christ.
The prerogatives of the Chair of Peter---and arguments for
its existence---are best expressed by the early Church fathers and doctors of
the Church. But, before this, let us
read from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on
the subject of the See of Peter:
“424. Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the
Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.'[Mt 16:16] On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ
built his Church.
(Cf. Mt 16:18; St. Leo the Great, Sermo 4 3: PL 54,150 -
152; 51,1: PL 54, 309B; 62, 2: PL 54, 350-351; 83, 3: PL 54, 431-432.] 'To
preach. . . the unsearchable riches of Christ'. (Eph 3:8.)
“552. Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the
Twelve; [Cf Mk 3:16 ; Mk 9:2; Lk 24:34 ; John 21: 15-17 ; 1 Cor 15:5.] Jesus entrusted a unique
mission to him. Through a revelation from the Father, Peter had confessed: 'You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Our Lord then declared to him: 'You
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will
not prevail against it.' [Mt
And now from the
early fathers and doctors of the Church on the subject of the Papacy4:
1. ST. THOMAS
AQUINAS (c.1225-74)
"Christ
is the head of the entire gathering, closer to God than the angels and acting
on them also. God the Father seated Christ at his right side in the heavenly
world, above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords. God put all
things under his feet. Because Christ received grace in himself in such
abundance he was able to bestow it on others, and that is what his headship
means. So his own personal grace, by which his own soul is right, is the very
grace which makes him head of the church and the source of rightness for
others; any difference lies only in the way we consider it.
In
Adam the sin of his nature, which we inherit, derived from his own personally
sinful action: his person corrupted his nature, and because of the corruption
Adam's sin was inherited, the nature corrupting the persons
descended
from him. Christ's grace is not passed on by human nature in this way, but by
the personal action of Christ. So we do not distinguish two graces in Christ,
one personal and one natural, as we distinguish personal sin and sin of nature
in Adam. Christ's personal grace which makes him holy is also the grace which
makes others right, and as such is called the grace of headship. The grace of
union, on the other hand, produces not activity but Christ's personal
existence. So Christ's personal grace and the grace of headship are one and the
same disposition, but the grace of union is different.
The
interior flow of grace into us comes from Christ alone, for his human nature
alone has the power to make us right, because of its union with the Godhead.
But as head he guides other members of the body in external ways also, and this
headship he has shared with others. They too are heads, though not like Christ:
for he is head of the whole church at all times in all places and at all
stages, whereas others are local heads (like bishops) or temporary (like popes)
or heads only over those at a certain stage (like those still living their
earthly life).
Christ
is head in his own right and strength, others only stand in for him. But through Christ alone have we
access to the grace in which we stand."
(Summa Theologiae,
St. Thomas Aquinas, A Concise Translation,
p.389-90, Timothy McDermott, Christian Classics, Box 30, Westminster, Maryland
21157)
2. ST. AUGUSTINE
(354-430)
"[In] the Catholic Church, there are many other
things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and
nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles,
nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of
priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom
the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep, down to
the present episcopate. And so, lastly, does the name itself of Catholic,
which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained;
so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger
asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his
own chapel or house. Such then in number and importance are the precious ties
belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church,
as it is right they should.... With you, where there is none of these things to
attract or keep me.... No one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind
with ties so many and so strong to the Christian religion.... For my part, I
should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic
Church." (Against the Epistle of
Manichaeus [Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti.)
3. ST.
AMBROSE (340-397)
"We recognize in the letter of your holiness the
vigilance of the good shepherd. You faithfully watch over the gate entrusted to
you, and you with pious solicitude you guard Christ's sheepfold (Jn 10:7ff.),
you are worthy to have the Lord's sheep hear follow you. Since you know the
sheep of Christ you will easily catch the wolves and confront them like a wary
shepherd, lest they disperse the Lord's flock by their constant lack of faith
and their bestial howling." (Synodal
Letter of Ambrose, Sabinus, Bassian, and Others to Pope Siricius 42,1).
"It is Peter himself that He says, "You are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.' Where Peter is, there is the
Church. And where the Church, no death is there, but life eternal."
(Commentaries on Twelve of David's Psalms 40,30)
"Christ is the Rock, 'For they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ,' and He did not refuse
to bestow the favor of this title even upon His disciple, so that he, too,
might be Peter [or, Rock], in that he has from the Rock a solid constancy, a
firm faith." (Expos. in Luc.)
4. ST.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (347-407)
"For what purpose did He shed His blood? It was that
He might win these sheep which he entrusted to Peter and his successors."
(De Sacerdotio, 53)
"Peter himself the chief of the Apostles, the first
in the Church, the friend of Christ, who received a revelation not from man,
but from the Father, as the Lord bears witness to him, saying, 'Blessed are
thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and bone hath not revealed it to thee, but
my Father who is in heaven'; this very Peter, - and when I name Peter, the
great Apostles, I name that unbroken rock, that firm foundation, the great
Apostle, the first of the disciples, the first called and the first who
obeyed." (Homily 3 de Poenit. 4)
5. ST.
THEODORET OF CYR (393-457)
"This most holy See has preserved the supremacy over
all Churches on the earth, for one especial reason among many others; to wit,
that it has remained intact from the defilement of heresy. No one has ever sat
on that Chair, who has taught heretical doctrine; rather that See has ever
preserved unstained the Apostolic grace." (Epistle 116 to Renatus).
6.
ST. HILARY OF POTIERS (c. 300-368)
"Blessed Simon, who after his confession of the
mystery was set to be the foundation-stone of the Church, and received the keys
to the kingdom of heaven." (On the Trinity, 20, NPNF2, 9:105)
7. ST.
EPIPHANIUS (c. 458)
"At Rome. the first Apostles and bishops were Peter
and Paul; then Linus, then Cletus, then Clement, the contemporary of Peter and
Paul, whom Paul remembers in his Epistle to the Romans .... The succession of
the bishops of Rome is as follows: Peter and Paul, Linus and Cletus, Clement,
Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telephorus, Hyginus, Pius, Anicetus, whom I have
already mentioned above in my enumerating of the bishops. (The Panacea against All Heresies 27,6)
8.
ST. OPTATUS OF MILEVIS (c. 387)
"(F)or the good of unity blessed Peter, for whom it
would have been enough if after his denial he had obtained pardone only,
deserved to be placed before all the apostles, and alone received the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, to be communicated to the rest." (De Schismate Donatistorum,7:3(A.D. 370),in GILES,120)
9. ST. BASIL THE GREAT (329-379)
"When we hear the name of Peter, that name does not
cause our minds to dwell on his substance, but we figure to our minds the
properties that are connected with him. For we at once, on hearing that name,
think of the son of him that came Bethsaida, Andrew's brother; him that was
called from amongst fishermen unto the ministry of the Apostleship; him who on
account of the pre-eminence of his faith received upon himself the building of
the Church." (Adv. Eunom. 4)
"It seemed to me to be desirable to send a letter to
the bishop of Rome, begging him to examine our condition, and since there are
difficulties in the way of representatives being sent from the West by a
general synodial decree, to advise him to exercise his personal authority in
the matter, choosing suitable persons to sustain the labors of a journey, -
suitable, too, by gentleness and firmness of character, to correct the unruly
among us here." (Letter 69 to
Anathasius, NPNF2 8:165)
10. ST. IRENAEUS OF LYON (c.120-195)
"With this Church [of Rome] it is necessary that each
church agree, on account of its superior origin . . . in which has been
preserved the tradition which is from the apostles . . . it is not necessary to
seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since
the apostles, like a rich man depositing his money in a bank, lodged in her
hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever
will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all
others are thieves and robbers. On this account we are bound to avoid them [the
heretics], but to love the things pertaining to the Church with the utmost
care, and to lay hold of truth's tradition. For how stands the case? Suppose
there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we
not have recourse to the most ancient churches with which the apostles held
constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard
to the present question? For how would it be if the apostles themselves had not
left us writings? Would it not be necessary in that case to follow the course
of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the
churches?" (Against Heresies, 3:3-4, A.D.180).
11.
ST.
CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE
(c. 230)
"The heretics dare to sail off and carry letters from
profane schismatics to the chair of Peter, to the first of Churches from which
first came the unity of the priesthood. Don't they know that they are Romans
there, whose faith was praised by the preaching of the apostle, and among whom
faithlessness can have no influence?" (Letter 59 to Pope Cornelius, 14,
A.D. 252).
"The Lord says to Peter: "I say to you,' He
says, 'that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the
gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatever things you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, they shall be loosed in heaven.' On
him He builds the Church, and to him He gives command to feed the sheep; and
although He assigns like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single
chair, and He established by His own authority a source and intrinsic reason
for that unity. Indeed, the others were also which Peter was, but a primacy was
given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one
chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all
the apostles in a single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this
unity of Peter, can he imagine that he holds the faith? If he desert the chair
of Peter upon whom the Church is built, can he still be confident that he is in
the Church? (The Unity of the Catholic
Church 4)
12.
ST. MAXIMUS CONFESSOR
(580-662)
"If the Roman See recognizes Pyrrhus to be . . . a
heretic, it is certainly clear that everyone who condemns those who reject
Pyrrhus condemns the See of Rome, that is he condemns the Catholic Church. I
need hardly add that he excommunicates himself also . . . It is unjust that
anyone who has been condemned and expelled by the Apostolic See of Rome for his
errors should be honored at all, until he has been received by her, returning
to her and to the Lord Himself, by a devout confession of the orthodox faith,
by which alone he can receive holiness . . . Let him hurry to satisfy in
everything the See of Rome, for if Rome is satisfied all will agree that he is
orthodox. For he only speaks foolishly who thinks he can persuade people like
me, without first satisfying and begging the most blessed Pope of the Romans,
the Apostolic See which has received universal and supreme authority and power
of binding and loosing over all the Holy Churches of God in the whole world
from the Incarnate Son of God Himself, and also by the holy synods in their
canons and definitions. With it the Word who is above the powers of heaven
binds and looses in heaven also. Anyone who thinks he can satisfy others
without imploring pardon of the most blessed Pope of Rome, is acting like
someone who is accused of murder or some other crime and does not prove his
innocence to the lawfully appointed judge, but to uselessly demonstrate his
innocence to private persons who have no power to acquit him" (Letter to
the Priest Marinus of Cyprus, A.D. 641).
13.
ST.
GREGORY NAZIANZEN
(325-389)
"Seest thou that of the disciples of Christ, all of
whom were great and deserving of the choice, one is called a rock, and is
entrusted with the foundations of the Church; whilst another is the beloved,
and reposes on the breast of Jesus; and the rest bear with the prior honor
(thus bestowed).
Neither does a man know, though he be the parent of an
evil like unto Judas, whether his offspring shall become godlike Paul, or be
unto Peter, - Peter who became the unbroken rock, and who had the keys
delivered to him." (Oration 26, &
Carm. 2 from Berington & Kirk, Faith of Catholics, 2:21)
* *
*
Regarding the primacy of the Pope (also known as the Petrine Privilege), we have presented the tradition of
centralized authority set by the twelve apostles in Jerusalem. Regarding this and the tradition of beliefs
expressed by the Early Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church; an important
quote from Sacred Scripture is extremely relevant:
"So then, brethren, stand
firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of
mouth or by letter."
(2Thess2:15)
FOOTNOTES
Chief reference: PRIEST AND BISHOP---Biblical
Reflections, Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Paulist Press, 1970.
1Eyewitness
to Jesus, TLC Video, ©
Double Exposure Ltd. Productions, www.thevideocompany.com
;
http://www.tektonics.org/tekton_02_02_02.html
2Jesus is
the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Hosea 5:14)
3For a discussion of the "brothers of
Jesus" , see YOUR FAITH, The Immaculate Conception and other
Truths of Mary, on this
website.
4Taken
from "Peter the Rock" - A discussion on the views of the early Church
Fathers by Martin Beckman
5“The combination "the
Catholic Church" (katholike
ekklesia) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to
the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110. The words run: "Wheresoever
the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be,
there is the universal (katholike) Church." (Catholic
Encyclopedia.)