The Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Please allow a few minutes for me to post the Scriptural Source for this thread. Thank you!
Posted on 02/03/2007 1:58:47 PM PST by NYer
The Early Church Fathers understood from the beginning that Peter and his successors held a place of primacy in the Church. Clement of Rome Accept our counsel and you will have nothing to regret. . . . If anyone disobeys the things which have been said by him [Jesus] through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in no small danger. We, however, shall be innocent of this sin and will pray with entreaty and supplication that the Creator of all may keep unharmed the number of his elect (Letter to the Corinthians 58:2, 59:1[A.D. 95]). Ignatius of Antioch You [the See of Rome] have envied no one, but others have you taught. I desire only that what you have enjoined in your instructions may remain in force (Epistle to the Romans 3:1 [A.D. 110]). Irenaeus But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the succession of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles. Peter and Paul, that church which has the tradition and the faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. With that church, because of its superior origin, all the churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world, and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition (Against Heresies 3:3:2 [inter A.D. 180-190]). Clement of Alexandria [T]he blessed Peter, the chosen, the preeminent, the first among the disciples, for whom alone with himself the Savior paid the tribute [Matt. 17:27], quickly grasped and understood their meaning. And what does he say? "Behold, we have left all and have followed you" [Matt. 19:2 7, Mark 10:28] (Who is the Rich Man That is Saved? 21:3-5 [A.D. 200]). Tertullian
[T]he Lord said to Peter, "On this rock I will build my Church, I have given you the keys of the kingdom of heaven [and] whatever you shall have bound or loosed on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven" [Matt. 16:18-19]. ... Upon you, he says, I will build my Church; and I will give to you the keys, not to the Church; and whatever you shall have bound or you shall have loosed, not what they shall have bound or they shall have loosed (Modesty 21:9-10 [A.D. 220]). Letter of Clement to James
Be it known to you, my lord, that Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter, the first-fruits of our Lord, the first of the apostles; to whom first the Father revealed the Son; whom the Christ, with good reason, blessed; the called, and elect (Letter of Clement to James 2 [A.D, 221]). Cyprian With a false bishop appointed for themselves by heretics, they dare even to set sail and carry letters from schismatics and blasphemers to the Chair of Peter and to the principal church [at Rome], in which sacerdotal unity has its source" (Epistle to Cornelius [Bishop of Rome] 59:14 [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" . . . On him he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church? (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4 [A.D. 251]). Cyril of Jerusalem
In the power of the same Holy Spirit, Peter, both the chief of the apostles and the keeper of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, in the name of Christ healed Aeneas the paralytic at Lydda, which is now called Diospolis [Acts 9 ;3 2-3 4] (Catechetical Lectures 17;27 [A.D. 350]). Optatus In the city of Rome the Episcopal chair was given first to Peter, the chair in which Peter sat, the same who was head — that is why he is also called Cephas — of all the apostles, the one chair in which unity is maintained by all. Neither do the apostles proceed individually on their own, and anyone who would [presume to] set up another chair in opposition to that single chair would, by that very fact, be a schismatic and a sinner. . . . Recall, then, the origins of your chair, those of you who wish to claim for yourselves the title of holy Church" (The Schism of the Donatists 2:2 [circa A.D. 367]). Ambrose of Milan
[Christ] made answer: "You are Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church . . ." Could he not, then, strengthen the faith of the man to whom, acting on his own authority, he gave the kingdom, whom he called the rock, thereby declaring him to be the foundation of the Church [Matt. 16:18]? (The Faith 4:5 [A.D. 379]). Augustine Among these [apostles] Peter alone almost everywhere deserved to represent the whole Church. Because of that representation of the Church, which only he bore, he deserved to hear "I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Sermons 295:2 [A.D. 411]). Who is ignorant that the first of the apostles is the most blessed Peter? (Commentary on John 56:1 [A.D. 416]).
Please allow a few minutes for me to post the Scriptural Source for this thread. Thank you!
In keeping with guidelines posted by the Religion Moderator, we are posting this thread (and future ones) a series on the Early Church Fathers, as a Catholic/Orthodox Caucus. Protestants are welcome to post comments but restraint from attacks, would be appreciated. This thread is posted to inform, support and defend the historic orgins of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches
When the names of all the Apostles are listed, Peter is always first. Judas Iscariot, the Lord’s traitor, is always listed last (cf. Matt. 10:2-5; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-17; and Acts 1:13). Sometimes Scripture speaks simply of “Simon Peter and the rest of the Apostles” or “Peter and his companions” (cf. Luke 9:32; Mark 16:7; Acts 2:37), showing that he had a special role that represented the entire apostolic college. Often, Scripture shows Simon Peter as spokesman for the entire apostolic college, as if he were the voice of the Church (cf. Mat. 18:21; Mark 8:29; Luke 8:45; Luke 12:41; John 6:68-69).
"The Bishop of Alexandria shall have jurisdiction over Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis. As also the Roman bishop over those subject to Rome. So, too, the Bishop of Antioch and the rest over those who are under them. If any be a bishop contrary to the judgment of the Metropolitan, let him be no bishop. Provided it be in accordance with the canons by the suffrage of the majority, if three object, their objection shall be of no force." Canon VI of the Council of Nicea, 325
The Early Church Fathers on The Church (Catholic Caucus)
Early Church Fathers on (Oral) Tradition - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Apostolic Succession - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Purgatory - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Salvation Outside the Church [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Early Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on The Primacy of Peter/Rome (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Council of Nicaea condemned the teachings of Arius as blasphemy and accepted the word homoousios ("of one substance") as the appropriate term for the relation of God the Father and God the Son. The result of the council, according to Gillquist, was that "the Orthodoxy of Athanasius had prevailed at the Council." The orthodoxy of whom? Where did Athanasius get his "Orthodoxy"? From Pope Victor, who a century and a half earlier had condemned the teaching of Theodotus, a doctrinal ancestor of Arius, and from Pope Dionysius, who sixty years earlier had condemned what was called later the Arian heresy and who fixed the term homoousios as a key to authentic Christology.
Meyendorff ignores the repeated, clearly attested exercise of papal universal jurisdiction which we have seen in the first, second, third, and fourth centuries. He declares that, except for the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the papacy "had no decisive influence upon the trinitarian and christological debates raging in the East" in the early centuries. Instead, the ultimate ecclesial authority was "the conciliar agreement of the episcopate." The facts are otherwise. Only the successor of Peter could and did "strengthen the brethren" and bring about the triumph of orthodox christology.
Thank you for keeping track of these threads and posting the links!
Orthodox ping. Take a look at post #9. It appears that the Catholic/Orthodox Caucus thread on the "Early Church Fathers" will be using post schism Latin polemics and apologetics to advance the claims of the papacy to universal immediate jurisdiction to which we are expected to "submit". Anyone care to have a chat with them about this?
Written by a convert from TEC I see.
The Pope has no "universal" jurisdiction. He is primus inter pares, nothing more.
I'm not submitting, and that is for SURE!
The "gauntlet" has been thrown!
"I'm not submitting, and that is for SURE!"
Nor I nor any Orthodox Christian; for that matter, most of the Eastern Rite Catholics aren't submitting even now. God willing, our hierarchs won't be as foolish as those who represented us at Florence! If they are, they'll meet with the same result their predecessors did.
(Peacemaker/humorist role on)
Sometimes when I'm feeding the birds, several crows will assemble.
They will size each other up by pointing their beaks straight into the sky whilst unfurling their feathers.
The largest of them will then triumphantly announce, "Kwawawaawaaawaaaaa Ki-Ki-Ki!"
Sometimes this annoys the second largest, who then pokes the largest with his beak. Big Bird usually squawks something unprintable here, and trots off.
Moral of the story?
(Cliché time!)
"Can't we all just get along?"
:^D
And your point is???
This is not intended to diminsh the roles of Patriarchs, Cardinals, Metropolitans, bishops, et al. If anything, it supports the need for their input into all discussions of faith. (I now know this intimately by virtue of my choosing to join the Maronite Catholic Church which has a Pariarch as its overseer.) But, ultimately, there needs to be a final voice. And that voice is the Successor of St. Peter.
"And your point is???"
That he had two choices if he wanted to stay in a liturgical church. He chose Rome doubtless because of the control from the top system and the claimed infallibility of the Pope. And like so many converts, he has become something of a polemical partisan of the false claims of the Papacy.
In all honesty, NYer, if I believed for one minute that Rome still claimed what this author asserts, I'd do everything in my power to make sure the next meeting of the dialog is the last. Its just such attitudes in the Roman Church which make us Orthodox recall the warning of +Mark of Ephesus:
"It is impossible to recall peace without dissolving the cause of the schism - the primacy of the Pope exalting himself equal to God."
Christ is our boss.
Friends, you are the two crows fighting over nothing in my joke observation.
Christ is our boss.
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