All quotes from the book, A Sketch on the Romish Controversy:
POPE GREGORY THE FIRST
Peter, although the first of the Apostles, a Member and not the Head of the Church.
“Certainly, Peter the first of the apostles, was a member of the holy and universal church : Paul, Andrew and John, what were they but the heads of particular people ? And yet all were members under one head. And that I may comprise all things in a short sentence, the saints before the law, the saints under the law, and the saints under grace, all forming the body of the Lord, are constituted among the members of the church, and no one ever desired to call himself universal.” — Register of Letters, index 13, book 5, torn. 2, p. 743. (printed at Paris, 1705.)
“But I confidently say, that whosoever calls himself universal bishop, or desires to be called so, in his pride is the forerunner of antichrist, because in his pride he prefers himself to the rest. And he is conducted to error with a similar pride; for as that wicked one wishes to appear a God above all men, so whosoever he is who alone desires to be called a bishop, extols himself above all other bishops.” — Book 7,indictioa 15, epist. S3. To Mauritius Augustus. (Edit, at above.)
St. Peter’s Primacy descended to three Bishopricks, Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome.
“Whereas there were many apostles, yet for the principality itself, one only see of the apostles prevailed, in authority, which is of one, but in three places. For he elevated the see in which he condescended to rest, and to finish his present life. He decorated the see, to which he sent his disciple the evangelist, and he established the see, in which, although he intended to leave it, he sat for seven years. Since there fore the see is of one and is one, over which three bishops preside by divine authority, whatsoever good I hear of you, I ascribe to myself. And if you hear any good of me, number it among your merits, be- cause we are all one in him who says, that all should be one, as thou, O Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us. — In the Eulogy’ to the Bishop of Alexandria (Paris, 1705.)
Against the Judicial Power of the Priests in forgiving Sins.
“Thou, who alone sparest, who alone forgivest sins. For who can forgive sins, but God only?” — Exposition £, on the seven Penitential Psalms.
The Maccabees not in the Canon
“Concerning which thing we do nothing irregularly, if we adduce a testimony from the books, which although not canonical are published for the edification of the people. For Eleazar wounding an elephant in battle, slew him, but fell under him whom he had destroyed.” — Morals, book 19, on 39th chap, of Job.
JEROME
Against the judicial Power of the Priests in forgiving Sins.
“The bishops and priests not understanding that passage, assume to themselves somewhat of the arrogance of the Pharisees, so far as to imagine that they may condemn the innocent or absolve the guilty, whereas with God, it is not the sentence of the priests, but the life* of the guilty that is looked into. We read in Leviticus concerning the lepers, where they were commanded to show themselves to the priests, in order that if they had a leprosy, they might be made unclean by the priests : not that the priests made them lepers and unclean, but be cause they knew who were lepers and who were not, and could dis cover who were clean and who were unclean. In the same manner therefore as the priest there made a man clean or unclean, so here the bishop or priest either binds or loosens, not those who are innocent or guilty, but officially, when he has heard the nature of their sins, he knows who is to be bound and who is to be loosened.” — On the 16th chap, of Mat. vol. 6.
Canon of Scripture.
“But you must know that there are other books, which are not canonical, but were called by the ancients ecclesiastical, that is to say, the book of Wisdom, which is said to be Solomon’s, and the other Wisdom, which is said to be the son of Sirach’s, which book is called by the Latins by the general name of Ecclesiasticus, by which name not the author of the book, but the nature of the writing is declared. Of the same class is the book of Tobit, and Judith, and the books of Maccabees. And in the New Testament the book of the Shepherd, or Hermes, which is called the two roads, or the judgment of Peter, all of which they have thought fit to be read in the churches, but not to be brought forward for the confirmation of the faith. — Symbol of Ruffinus, vol. 9, p. 186.
“Whatsoever is without these, is to be placed among the Apocrypha. Therefore, Wisdom, which is commonly called the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Book of Jesus the son of Sirach, and Judith, and Tobit, and the Shepherd are not in the canon.” — Preface to the Book of Kings, vol. 3, book 24.
ATHANASIUS
Canon of the Old Testament.
“All the Scriptures of us Christians are inspired. And there are riot innumerable books, but on the contrary the books are defined and in cluded in a canon, and these are the books of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judge*, Ruth, the first and second of Kings, the third and fourth of Kings, the first and second of Chronicles, the first and second of Ezra, the Psalter of David, the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Twelve Prophets, Amos, Micaiah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habukkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zacha- riah, Malachi. These twelve are in one book. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. There are other books of the Old Testament be sides these, which are not canonical. The Wisdom of Solomon, the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, Esther, Judith, Tobias. These are not canonical.” — Synopsis of the Holy Scriptures. (Paris, 1627.)
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
The Confession, and not the Person of Peter, the rock on which the Church was founded.
“When Christ said, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father, which is in heaven ; and verily I say 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. He called, I think, denominatively, nothing but the immovable and firm faith of the disciple the rock, upon which the church of Christ was founded without the possibility of falling.” — Dialog. 4, on the Holy Trinity. vol. 5
I could go on, but this is what I was referring to.