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Appendix II: Primitive Papalists

HERE also are appended a few patristic and conciliar quotations, which John finds in the same little controversial work as the Scripture texts on St Peter. He finds it difficult to resist the conclusion that his dawning belief in the validity of the Petrine claims was the belief held also in the early ages of the Church. He notices that the authenticity of the quotations in question rests upon the word of Dom John Chap man, O.S.B.

  1. S/ Clement of Rome, A.D. 96:

" If any should disobey the thing's spoken by Him through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in no light transgression and danger." — Ad Cor. c. lix, i.

(Bishop Lightfoot describes this letter of St Clement to the Corinthians as "the first step towards papal aggression.")

  1. St Irenceus, A.D. 185, writes of Rome:

By " pointing out... that ' faith announced to all men ' (Rom. i, 8), which through the succession of her bishops has come down to us, we confound all those who in any way, whether through caprice, or vain glory, or blindness, or perverse opinion, gather otherwisethanitbehoveth. For with this Church, on account of her more powerful headship, it is necessary that every Church, that is, the faithful everywhere dispersed, should agree (or (come together'); in which Church has always been preserved that tradition which is from the apostles." — Hcer. iii, 3. 157

The RELIGION of the PLAIN MAN

  1. St Cyprian writes, A.D. 251, of certain heretics:

" After all this, and having had a false bishop set up for them by heretics, they dare to set sail, and to carry letters from schismatic and profane persons to the Chair of Peter and the primatial Church, whence sacerdotal unity had its rise; nor do they consider that those are the Romans whose faith was celebrated by the praise of the apostle [cf. Rom. i, 8], to whom unfaith cannot have access." — Ep. lix, 14.

  1. The Council of Aries, A.D. 314, writes to Pope Silvester:

" Since you have been unable to leave those parts, where the apostles also sit daily, and their blood testifies without intermission the glory of God..." — Mansi, ii, 469.

  1. 5V Athanasius, A.D. 339, appeals to Rome and goes there; and Socrates, A.D. 439, thus writes of it:

" Eusebius, having accomplished what he desired, sent an embassy to Julius, Bishop of Rome, calling upon him to be the judge of the charges against Athanasius, and to summon the case to himself." — Hist. Eccl. ii, 2.

Sozomen, A.D. 450, writes thus:

" Eusebius wrote to Julius that he should be judge of what had been decreed at Tyre." — Hist. Eccl. iii, 7.

Theodoret, A.D. 450, thus describes it:

ls He [Pope Julius] following the law of the Church, both ordered them to repair to Rome, and also sum moned the divine Athanasius to judgement. " — Hist. Eccl. ii, 4.

  1. The Council of Sardica, A.D. 346, writes:

" For this will seem to be best, and by far the most proper course, if the bishops of the Lord, from every province, shall refer to the head, that is, the See of Peter." — Letter to Pope Julius. Mansi, iii, 40.

  1. St Gregory of Nazianzum, A.D. 307:

"The faith [of Rome] was of old, and still is now, right, binding the whole West by the saving word: as is just in her who presides over all, reverencing the whole harmonv of God." — Carmen de Vita sua, 568-72.

  1. S/ Jerome, c. A.D. 376, writes to Pope

Damasus-

" I am linked in communion with thy Blessedness, that is, with the Chair of Peter. On that rock I know that the Church is built. Whoso shall eat the Lamb outside this house is profane... Whoso gathereth not with thee scattereth: that is, he who is not of Christ is of Antichrist. "—Ep. xv.

And in another place, c. A.D. 377:

" Meanwhile I cease not to cry out: If anyone is joined to the See of Peter, he is mine... I conjure your Blessedness... that you would signify to me by your letters with which bishop in Syria it is my duty to communicate. " — Ep. xvi.

  1. The Council of Aquileia, A.D. $%i9writes:

" We... beseech your clemency not to allow the Roman Church, the head of the whole Roman world, and that most holy faith of the apostles, to be trou bled; for from thence the rights of venerable communion flow forth to all." — St Ambrose, Ep. xi, 4.

  1. The Council of Rome under Damasus A.D. 382, writes:

"Although all the Catholic Churches in the world

The RELIGION of the PLAIN MAN are one bridal chamber of Christ, yet the holy Roman Catholic Apostolic Church has been preferred to the other Churches by no synodical constitutions, but has obtained the primacy by the voice of our Lord and Saviour in the Gospel, saying, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock.... loosed in heaven.'" — See C. H. Turner m Journal of Theol. Studies, Jan. 1900.

  1. St Optatus, A.D. 385:

"That in that one Chair [established by Peter] unity might be preserved by all.... and that he might at once be condemned as a schismatic and sinner, who against that pre-eminent Chair should place another. Therefore in that one Chair, which is the first of the prerogatives, Peter sat first, to whom succeeded Linus; to Linus, Clement.... Siricius with whom the whole world is in accordance with us in the one bond of communion, by the intercourse of letters of peace." — ii, 2.

  1. Pope Siricius, A.D. 385:

".... You referred to the Roman Church as to the head of your body;.... in me that burden is borne by the blessed Apostle Peter, who, we trust, in all things protects and has regard to us who are the heirs of his government. " — Ep. i, 20.

  1. St Augustine, A.D. 391:

"I am held by the succession of bishops from the very'Chair of Peter the Apostle, to whom the Lord commended His sheep to be fed, up to the present episcopate; lastly, I am held by the very name of Catholic, which, not without cause amid so many heresies, this Church alone has retained, in such sort that whereas all heretics wish to be called Catholics, nevertheless to any stranger who asked, ' Where is the meeting of the Catholic Church held?' no heretic would dare to point out his own basilica or house.' — C. Ep. Munich, Fundam. iv, 5. 1 60

Again he writes, after quoting a letter of Pope Innocent, A.D. 419:

" Do you see what the Catholic faith holds by her minister?" — Op. Imperf. vi, n.

Again at Carthage he said, A.D. 417:

"Already two councils have been sent to the Apostolic See concerning this matter, and rescripts have come from thence. The case is concluded: would that the error would soon cease also." — Serm. 131, 10.

  1. Pope St Anastasius, A.D. 401:

" I will certainly not be wanting.... to call upon the parts of my body throughout the various regions of the world." — Ep. i. ad Joan. Hieros.

  1. Paulinus of Milan A.D. 417, writes to Pope Zosimus:

" Let that which... has been publicly brought to light be now cut off by your Holiness with the spiritual sword, that the flock of the Lord [the whole Church] which you govern as a good shepherd.... may no longer be torn by this wild beast's teeth." — Op. S. Augustim, vol. x, Appendix, p. 1725 (Migne).

1 6. Pope St Innocent, A.D. 417:

"You decided that it was proper to refer to our judgement, knowing what is due to the Apostolic See. ".... "You have.... preserved the customs of the Fathers, and have not spurned that which they de creed by a divine and not human sentence, that what soever is done, even though it be done in distant pro vinces, should not be ended without being brought to the knowledge of this See; that by its authority the whole just pronouncement should be strengthened; and that from it all other Churches (like waters, flowing from their natal source and flowing through the different regions of the world, the pure streams of one 161 ii

The RELIGION of the PLAIN MAN uncorrupted head), should receive what they ought to enjoin." — S. Aug. Ep. 181.

  1. Pope St Zpsimus, A.D. 417 writes:

"We must pray incessantly that, by the continual grace and unceasing assistance of God, from this fountain [the Apostolic See] the peace of the faith and of Catholic brotherhood may be sent into the whole world." — Ep. ii.

  1. Pope St Boniface, A.D. 419, writes:

" Never was it lawful to discuss again any matter which had once been decided by the Apostolic See." — Ep. xiii.

  1. Pope St Celestine, A.D. 422:

" We, on whom Christ has, in the person of holy Peter the Apostle, when He gave him the keys to open and shut, imposed as a necessity to be engaged about all men...." — Ep. iii.

  1. Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431, writes in sentence of deposition against Nestorius:

"Whereas [etc.].... we being necessarily com pelled by the sacred canons and by the letter of our most holy Father and colleague, Bishop Celestine, Bishop of the Roman Church, with many tears, have arrived at this sad sentence against him." — Mansi, iv, p. 1212.

  1. Pope St Sixtus III, A.D. 434:

"The blessed Peter, in his successors, has delivered that which he received." — Ep. vi.

  1. St Vincent of Lerins, A.D. 434, writes:

"Pope Stephen, of blessed memory, Prelate of the Apostolic See, together with the rest of his colleagues indeed, yet above the rest, resisted; thinking, I ween, that it was right that he should conquer them all by the devotion of his faith as much as he surpassed them by the authority of his place." — Common, vi. 162

  1. Pope St Leo, A.D. 450:

" By the see of blessed Peter, made the head of the universe, thou (O Rome) mightest rule more widely by divine religion than by earthly empire " (Sertn. 82). "... The first of all the Sees... the Head... that See which the Lord appointed to preside over the rest..." (Ep. cxx). "The care of the universal Church should converge to the one See of Peter, and no part anywhere be at variance with its Head." — Ep. xiv.

  1. Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, writes in the sentence of deposition^ read by the papal legates and signed by all the bishops, against Dioscorus:

" Wherefore the most holy and blessed archbishop of great and elder Rome, Leo, by us and by the present holy synod, together with the thrice blessed and glorious Peter the Apostle, who is the rock and base of the Catholic Church and the foundation of the orthodox faith, has stripped Dioscorus of the episcopal... dignity." — Mansi, vi, p. 1,048.

And the Council writes to Pope Leo:

4 'The bishops... over whom you presided as a head over the members..." — Op. S. Leonis, Ep. 98.

And of Dioscorus:

"He [Dioscorus] stretched forth his madness against him who was entrusted by the Saviour with the guardianship of the Vine — we mean your Holiness..." [and further with regard to the twenty-eighth canon] "... We beg you honour the judge ment with your approbation also; as we have added our consent to the Head in all good things, so let the Head fulfil what is befitting towards the children..." [and further] "... We have made known to you the whole tenor of the business, for our own defence and

The RELIGION of the PLAIN MAN for the confirmation and approval of what has been done by us." — Ibid.

Chapter 11 of 11