ON THE PRIMACY OF THE ROMAN CHURCH by Theodore Shoebat Marie Reedy, you said Can you please provide one primary source document proving that Peter went to Rome, or any primary source documents showing the second and third popes during the time of their papacy? Of course. We have several sources that evidence the founding of the Roman Church by the Apostles. For one, we have Pauls Epistle to the Romans. The fact that he sent an epistle to the Romans means that there was a church in Rome in the time of the Apostles. This fact alone indicates that there was a Roman Church, and it was founded by the Apostles. Secondly, we have an epistle written by Pope Clement I of Rome, sent to the church of the Corinthians, the same church to whom Paul sent 1 and 2 Corinthians. Pope Clement had to have been of the same Roman church to which Paul sent Romans, for Clement was mentioned by St. Paul himself in his letter to the Philippians: And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3) Clement was appointed by the Apostles to be the bishop of the Roman Church, and this same Church was the Roman Catholic Church, because Clement was a pope and is counted as part of the succession of popes from the Apostles onward. Both Pauls witness of him, and his title of Bishop of Rome, evinces the Roman Catholic identity of the Roman Church Paul wrote to. Clements predecessor was Linus, and he too is mentioned and acknowledged by St. Paul, when he wrote: Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. (2 Titus 4:21) Linus is mentioned by St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who was a student of Polycarp, who was a student of St. John the Revelator, and affirms Linus, and his successors, as both appointed by the Apostles and as bishops of Rome: The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric. This man, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes. (Against Heresies, Book 3, chapter 3.3) Also, we have the witness of early Christian fathers. St. Irenaeus of Lyon affirmed the Roman Church as founded by Peter and Paul, and as the supreme church: Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere. (Against Heresies, book 3, chapter 3.2) And if you think that Irenaeus is speaking not of the Roman Catholic Church and does not give credence to the office of the Pope, in his book Against Heresies, he speaks of, in his own words, Rome under Pope Anicetus (Book 1, ch. 25) Tertullian, one of the oldest and most ancient authorities of Christianity, declared the primacy of the Roman Church. I will let his words speak for themselves: Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the authority (of apostles themselves). How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood! where Peter endures a passion like his Lord’s! where Paul wins his crown in a death like John’s! where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile! See what she has learned, what taught, what fellowship has had even (our) churches in Africa! One Lord God does she acknowledge, the Creator of the universe, and Christ Jesus (born) of the Virgin Mary, the Son of God the Creator; and the Resurrection of the flesh; the law and the prophets she unites in one volume with the writings of evangelists and apostles, from which she drinks her faith. This she seals with the water (of baptism), arrays with the Holy Ghost, feeds with the Eucharist, cheers with martyrdom, and against such a discipline thus (maintained) she admits no gainsayer. This is the discipline which I no longer say foretold that heresies should come, but from which they proceeded. However, they were not from her, because they were opposed to her.(Tertullian, On the Prescription Against Heretics, ch. xxxvi, trans. Rev. Peter Holmes) Let this discourse be an edification to you all. God bless!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 02:47:44 +0000
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