A PAPAL MONSTER Horrendous episodes of Roman Catholic History.
Straight John Bull
A PAPAL MONSTER.
In a spiritual sense, all Popes are monsters, since they lay claim to an
authority that outrages the honour of God and the liberty of man.
But in the personal sense there are Popes who are what may be called
"Gentlemen" and Popes who are very much not so.
The worst specimen of a Pope who ever presided over the European nightmare
was the father of the atrociously-renowned Caesar Borgia. He was known as
Alexander VI.
He left behind him a more detestable memory than Nero or Caligula.
His first official infamy was the unblushing purchase of the votes of fellow
Cardinals that made him Pope.
To one he offered four mule loads of silver, to another he gave a palace, to
another an Abby, to others, money in various large amounts.
He was enabled to do this by reason of the official position he held under
his uncle (Pope Calixtus III.) as the Papal Vice-Chancellor.
When he was elected, he showed indecent haste to proclaim the fact, and held
a coronation festival with a pomp exceeding all proceeding ceremonies of
that kind.
In the course of time, France invaded Italy and the French King, who had
been opposed by Alexander in certain claims, overran Italy and captured
Rome.
Alexander took refuge in the Castle of St. Angelo. He sent for the French
King's minister, and offered to make him a Cardinal for the benefit of his
services.
Their minister was caught by the bait, and bought about the reconciliation
with the king who afterwards repented of his lenity.
The Pope privately sent to the Turkish Sultan, Bajazet II. imploring his
help to drive the French King out of Italy, by offering to bring about the
murder of Bajazet's rival (his own brother) who had made an unsuccessful
attempt on the Sultan's throne, and had afterwards taken refuge at the
French Court.
The unhappy man soon afterwards perished in the hands of the King of France
in a way that left little doubt as to the author of his death.
Pope Alexander, who by the laws of the Church was 'celibate', had several
sons, whom he promoted to high positions.
At the same time, he disgraced human nature by extraordinary excesses. He
was publicly accused of a criminal correspondence with his own sister, whom
he took away from three husbands successively.
He caused the last husband to be assassinated that he might bestow his
sister in marriage upon a favourite. The nuptials were celebrated in the
Vatican by the most shameless diversions that debauch had ever invented for
the confusion of modesty. Fifty courtesans danced naked before the
incestuous family, and prizes were given to those who exhibited the most
lascivious motions. [Ejaculated the furthest]
The Popes two sons are said to have publicly disputed the favours of their
sister, Lucretia, and one being worsted by the other, was assassinated by
the other brothers connivance.
Caesar Borgia, who also in a rage, pursued his father's favourite
secretary to his fathers very arms, and there butchered him, the Popes robe
being saturated with the victims blood.
Pope Alexander excused his son's murderous violence as "the error of youth"
saying, "He really is a good fellow, it is only a pity he cannot endure to
be offended".
Pope Alexander's ostentatious ways required money, of which he often ran
short. To replenish his coffers he hesitated at no crime, but warily covered
up his tracks.
By the law of the church, the estate of any Cardinal dying became the
property of the Pope. When everything else failed him, he would contrive the
murder of a Cardinal, but took care to have it done by some zealous
subordinate, who's act he disclaimed by his execution, while getting the
benefit of the murder.
He also contrived occasions for seizure and spoliation of the Roman
aristocracy, who did not live long after they passed through the doors of
the Popes prison.
Opulent persons died of poisoning with alarming frequency during this evil
Pope's reign, and invariably the Pope pounced on their estates before their
was opportunity for appropriation among the heirs
At last in (in 1503) the Pope himself died in a way that gave rise to the
suspicion that he himself had been poisoned.
Ere the corpse was cold, the satellites of Caesar Borgia thronged and
pillaged the Pontifical apartments. At the funeral, there was a brawl
between priests and soldiers, in the fighting the body was exposed, and
shocked the spectators by it's horrid decomposition.
It was pulled about, stripped of it's gaudy cerements, wrapped in an old
carpet, and forced with blows and jeers into a narrow coffin and flung into
an obscure vault.
A critical biographer noted "He was too destitute of morality to have the
least insight into the tendencies of his times"
He cannot be accused of preparing the misfortunes of Italy, but he did not
disdain to profit by them. His licentiousness and contempt of ecclesiastical
decorum are partly palliated by the circumstances of his initiation into the
Romanish Church.
He was an untrained to the ecclesiastical profession, never felt himself a
priest, and was wholly regardless of the Churches interest as such.
Yet are we are not asked to believe The Apostle Peter, with God's blessing,
sanctioned such a disgusting monster, coupled with all the other corrupted
and immoral Popes their have been throughout the ages?
How many times do the cohorts of this debauched denomination plead the
following:
"18 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.19 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." Matt 16:18-19 (KJV)
Well, such wicked and the boundless evil deeds of the Romanish Church as
unearthed above are
certainly now "Bound in heaven" but not to their salvation, but to it's
inevitable annihilation coupled with
the beguiled fools who worship at it's feet.
The Great Whore is about to meet her end on the Return of Jesus Christ.
"12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev 14:12 (KJV)
TDP
<StraightJohnBull@.com> wrote:
>Clear Day Horrendous episodes of Roman Catholic History.
>A PAPAL MONSTER.
>
>In a spiritual sense, all Popes are monsters, since they lay claim to an
>authority that outrages the honour of God and the liberty of man.
>
Ignorant, of course they honour God!
>But in the personal sense there are Popes who are what may be called
>"Gentlemen" and Popes who are very much not so.
We've Evolved....Just like anyone else.
Why do you hate the Church that your denonmination is a off shoot
of......Shame Shame on you. You're mean and you had better take a
look at yourself. You come in here spittin' your crap out. Why? why
do you do that....my personal feeling is that it's jealousy, other
wise you wouldn't give a rats arse about the 1 billion plus and what
we do.
ChucklesPF
\
> Clear Day Horrendous episodes of Roman Catholic History.
> A PAPAL MONSTER.
>
> In a spiritual sense, all Popes are monsters, since they lay claim to an
> authority that outrages the honour of God and the liberty of man.
Well, we have Evil Editor routinely posting evil bible verses. Why don't
you provide us with a similar regular service by posting stories and information
about the evil done by various popes? You've got a very long list of
popes to go through, and many of them left behind historical records
of the evil they did. Call it "Monster Potpourri!"
Cunneen
>do you do that....my personal feeling is that it's jealousy, other
>wise you wouldn't give a rats arse about the 1 billion plus and what
>we do.
>
The itty bitty sects need to whistle loudly because it's lonely and scary being
tiny and faced with the darkness. They can't bear to think that they might be
wrong, that their forebears were wrong, and that the real party's going on
somewhere else.
Other churches, if they had the kind of sinners and monsters that we
occasionally have, even at the highest levels, would have disappeared long ago.
The fact that we survive and even flourish in spite of these horrible black
marks indicates that something special is going on in the Catholic Church.
How did Jesus answer John's disciples? "The blind see, the lame walk, and the
poor have the good news preached to them." Miracles and missionaries have
always been with us; they are very Catholic things.
Cunneen
>you provide us with a similar regular service by posting stories and
>information
>about the evil done by various popes? You've got a very long list of
>popes to go through, and many of them left behind historical records
>of the evil they did. Call it "Monster Potpourri!"
>
It would be a short series. The list of real papal monsters is short. There
aren't many like Alexander VI. I expect that if there is any justification for
the Reformation, Alexander and his family and the stench he left behind are a
big part of it.
C.S.
The Papacy
"I, Boniface, bishop by the grace of God, promise to you, the blessed,
Peter, chief of the apostles, and to thy vicar, the blessed Pope Gregory,
and to his successors, by the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, the
indivisible Trinity, and by this thy most holy body, that, God helping me, I
will maintain all the belief and the purity of the holy Catholic faith, and
I will remain steadfast in the unity of this faith in which the whole
salvation of Christians lies, as is established without doubt. I will in no
wise oppose the unity of the one universal Church, no matter who may seek to
persuade me. But as I have said, I will maintain my faith and purity and
union with thee and the benefits of thy Church, to whom God has given the
power to loose and to bind, and with thy vicar and his successors, in all
things. And if it comes to my knowledge that priests have turned from the
ancient practices of the holy fathers, I will have no intercourse nor
connection with them; but rather, if I can restrain them, I will. If I
cannot, I will at once faithfully make known the whole matter to my
apostolic lord." - St. Boniface (Apostle to Germany, 8th century)
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"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen." - Matthew 28:18-20
"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 l
iving 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. 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. Then charged he his
disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." -
Matthew 16:13-20
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
[that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify
me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you." - John
16:13-14
"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, [son] of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again
the second time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?
And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I
love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." - John 21:15-17
"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." -
Matthew 18:18
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What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on the "Papacy:"
869. "The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: 'the
twelve apostles of the Lamb' [Rev 21:14.]. She is indestructible (cf. Mt
16:18). She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her through
Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope
and the college of bishops."
881. "The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the 'rock' of his
Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of
the whole flock. [Cf. Mt 16:18-19; Jn 21:15-17 .] 'The office of binding and
loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of
apostles united to its head.' [LG 22 # 2.] This pastoral office of Peter and
the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued
by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope."
882. "The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, 'is the perpetual and
visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the
whole company of the faithful.' [LG 23.] 'For the Roman Pontiff, by reason
of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has
full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he
can always exercise unhindered.' [LG 22; cf. CD 2,9.]"
895. "'The power which they exercise personally in the name of Christ, is
proper, ordinary, and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately
controlled by the supreme authority of the Church.' [LG 27.] But the bishops
should not be thought of as vicars of the Pope. His ordinary and immediate
authority over the whole Church does not annul, but on the contrary confirms
and defends that of the bishops. Their authority must be exercised in
communion with the whole Church under the guidance of the Pope."
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"This, most blessed Pope, is the faith that we have been taught in the
Catholic Church. If anything therein has been incorrectly or carelessly
expressed, we beg that it may be set aright by you who hold the faith and
see of Peter. If however this, our profession, be approved by the judgment
of your apostleship, whoever may blame me, will prove that he himself is
ignorant, or malicious, or even not a Catholic but a heretic." - St. Jerome
(4th century A.D.)
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"Hence He said to Peter before His Ascension, 'Feed my sheep' (John xxi, 1)
and before His Passion, 'Thou in thy turn confirm thy brethren' (Luke xxii,
32); and to him alone He made the promise, 'To thee I will give the keys of
the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. xvi, 19). Nor can it be said that although He
gave this dignity to Peter, it does not pass from Peter to others. For
Christ instituted His Church to last to the end of the world, according to
the text: 'He shall sit upon the throne of David and in his kingdom, to
confirm and strengthen it in justice and judgement from henceforth, now, and
for ever' (Isai. ix, 7). Therefore, in constituting His ministers for the
time, He intended their power to pass to posterity for the benefit of His
Church to the end of the world, as He Himself says: 'Lo, I am with you to
the end of the world' (Matt. xxviii, 20). Hereby is cast out the
presumptuous error of some, who endeavour to withdraw themselves from
obedience and subjection to Peter, not recognising his successor, the Roman
Pontiff, for the pastor of the Universal Church." - St. Thomas Aquinas
("Summa Contra Gentiles" 13th century A.D.)
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COMMENTS
Throughout the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter is clearly the leader of the
Christian community (Acts 1:15, 5:1-10). And again, he is listed first
among the Apostles in the New Testament (Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:16-19; Luke
6:13-14). Before St. Peter was crucified, he appointed St. Linus as his
successor. Why should this practice not be carried on to the present day?
There is an unbroken line of Popes from St. Peter down to the present-day
Pope. The Papacy is the oldest institution in the Western World. How could
it have survived 2000 years without the grace of God and the guidance of the
Holy Spirit?
St. Hegessipus in the 2nd century of the Church had already compiled a list
of the popes, listing the current one at the time (Pope Anacletus) as the
eleventh successor to St. Peter.
--- Chris
From the above site.
Papal Infallibility
"Rome has spoken. The case is closed." - St. Augustine of Hippo ("Sermon
131," 4th century A.D.)
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"All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
"For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to
say." - Luke 12:12
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What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on "Papal Infallibility:"
889. "In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on
by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in
his own infallibility. By a 'supernatural sense of faith' the People of
God, under the guidance of the Church's living Magisterium, 'unfailingly
adheres to this faith.' [LG 12; cf. DV 10.]"
890. "The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of
the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this
Magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections
and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith
without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing
to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill
this service, Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of
infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism
takes several forms."
891. "'The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this
infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher
of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by
a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.... The
infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops
when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme
Magisterium,' above all in an Ecumenical Council. [LG 25; cf. Vatican
Council I: DS 3074.] When the Church through its supreme Magisterium
proposes a doctrine 'for belief as being divinely revealed,' [DV 10 # 2.]
and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions 'must be adhered to with the
obedience of faith.' [LG 25 # 2.] This infallibility extends as far as the
deposit of divine Revelation itself. [Cf. LG 25.]"
2035. "The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is
ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far
as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those
elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of
the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed. [Cf. LG 25; CDF,
declaration, Mysterium Ecclesiae 3.]"
2051. "The infallibility of the Magisterium of the Pastors extends to all
the elements of doctrine, including moral doctrine, without which the saving
truths of the faith cannot be preserved, expounded, or observed."
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COMMENTS
What is wrong with papal infallibilty? It says right in Scripture that the
Holy Spirit guides the Church Christ founded. By not having faith in the
Pope to correct, reprove and instruct, you may as well be saying you don't
have faith in the Holy Spirit.
--- Chris
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PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH
We pray You, O almighty and eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ have
revealed Your glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Your mercy,
that Your Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with
unchanging faith in the confession of Your name. Amen.
From the above website
THE PAPACY
"The blessed Apostles, then, founded and built up the church in Rome. They
committed the office of bishop into the hands of Linus. Of this, Linus,
Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus.
After him, in the third place from the Apostles, Clement was allotted the
office of bishop." St. Irenaeus ("Against All Heresies," c. 180 A.D.)
"But since it would take too long to set out here the successions of all the
churches, we shall turn to that great, ancient and universally known church
founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles Peter and
Paul, and we shall show that the tradition it has received of the apostles
and the faith that it preaches to men has come down to our time through the
regular succession of its bishops; and thus we shall confute all those who,
in whatever way, whether by self-complacency, vainglory, blindness or error,
enter into unauthorized assemblies. For it is with this Roman church, by
reason of its more powerful pre-eminence that every other church, that is to
say all the faithful everywhere, ought to agree, inasmuch as in this church
the apostolic tradition has been preserved continuously by those who come
from everywhere." St. Irenaeus ("Against All Heresies," c. 180 A.D.)
"Cornelius was made bishop by the judgment of God and of His Christ. This
was by the testimony of almost all the clergy, by the election of the people
who were then present, and by the assembly of ancient priests and good
men.... This occurred when the place of Fabian, that is, when the place of
Peter and the degree of the priestly chair, was vacant." St. Cyprian Of
Carthage ("Epistle 53 to Antonius," c. 250 A.D.)
"On him (Peter) He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to
feed the sheep, 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.... 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?" St.
Cyprian Of Carthage ("On the Unity of the Catholic Church," 251 A.D.)
"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
9:32-34)." St. Cyril of Jerusalem ("Catechetical Lectures" c. 350 A.D.)
"[Jesus said:] Simon, my follower, I have made you the foundation of the
holy Church. I betimes called you Peter, because you will support all its
buildings. You are the inspector of those who will build on Earth a Church
for me. If they should wish to build what is false, you, the foundation,
will condemn them. You are the head of the fountain from which my teaching
flows; you are the chief of my disciples. Through you I will give drink to
all peoples. Yours is that life-giving sweetness which I dispense. I have
chosen you to be, as it were, the first-born in my institution so that, as
the heir, you may be executor of my treasures. I have given you the keys of
my kingdom. Behold, I have given you authority over all my treasures." St.
Ephraim of Syria ("Homily 4," c. 351 A.D.)
"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 ['Rock']--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." St. Optatus ("The Schism of the
Donatists," c. 367 A.D.)
"[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]?"
St. Ambrose of Milan ("The Faith," c. 379 A.D.)
"They (the Novatian heretics) have not the succession of Peter, who hold not
the chair of Peter, which they rend by wicked schism; and this, too, they
do, wickedly denying that sins can be forgiven (by the sacrament of
confession) even in the Church, whereas it was said to Peter: '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 shall loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.'" St. Ambrose of Milan ("On Penance," 388 A.D.)
"It is to Peter that He says: 'You are Peter, and upon this rock I will
build My Church' (Matthew 16:18). Where Peter is, there is the Church. And
where the Church, no death is there, but life eternal." St. Ambrose of Milan
("Commentary on Twelve Psalms of David" c. 389 A.D.)
"(Pope) Stephen . . . was the blessed Peter's twenty-second successor in the
See of Rome." St. Jerome ("Against the Luciferians" c. 383 A.D.)
"'But,' you [Jovinian] will say, 'it was on Peter that the Church was
founded' [Matt. 16:18]. Well . . . one among the twelve is chosen to be
their head in order to remove any occasion for division." St. Jerome
("Against Jovinian," c. 393 A.D.)
"I think it is my duty to consult the chair of Peter, and to turn to a
church (Rome) whose faith has been praised by Paul. I appeal for spiritual
food to the church whence I have received the garb of Christ." St. Jerome
("Letter 15," 396 A.D.)
"I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none, but the
chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been
built. Whoever eats the Lamb outside this house is profane. Anyone who is
not in the ark of Noah will perish when the flood prevails." St. Jerome
("Letter 15," 396 A.D.)
"Simon Peter, the son of John, from the village of Bethsaida in the province
of Galilee, brother of Andrew the apostle, and himself chief of the
apostles, after having been bishop of the church of Antioch and having
preached to the Dispersion . . . pushed on to Rome in the second year of
Claudius to over-throw Simon Magus, and held the sacerdotal chair there for
twenty-five years until the last, that is the fourteenth, year of Nero. At
his hands he received the crown of martyrdom being nailed to the cross with
his head towards the ground and his feet raised on high, asserting that he
was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord." St. Jerome
("Lives of Illustrious Men," c. 396 A.D.)
"If all men throughout the world were such as you most vainly accuse them of
having been, what has the chair of the Roman church done to you, in which
Peter sat, and in which Anastasius sits today?" St. Augustine of Hippo
("Against the Letters of Petilani" c. 402 A.D.)
"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.'" St. Augustine of Hippo ("Sermon 295," c. 411 A.D.)
"If the very order of episcopal succession is to be considered, how much
more surely, truly and safely do we number them from Peter himself, to whom,
as to one representing the whole Church, the Lord said, 'Upon this rock I
will build my Church...' Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement,
Clement by Anacletus, Anacletus by Evaristus...." St. Augustine of Hippo
("Letter 53," 412 A.D.)
"Who is ignorant that the first of the apostles is the most blessed Peter?"
St. Augustine of Hippo ("Commentary on John," c. 416 A.D.)
"Steadfast in the fear of God, and in faith immovable, upon [St. Patrick] as
upon Peter the [Irish] church is built; and he has been allotted his
apostleship by God; against him the gates of hell prevail not." St.
Sechnall of Ireland ("Hymn in Praise of St. Patrick," c. 444 A.D.)
From the above site
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
"Wherever the bishop appears, let the congregation be there also. Just as,
wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is manifest,
therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would look upon
the Lord Himself, standing, as he does, before the Lord. As therefore the
Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to Him, neither by Himself
nor by the apostles, so neither do ye anything without the bishop and
presbyters. Be ye subject to the bishop as to the Lord, for 'he watches for
your souls, as one that shall give account to God.' In like manner, let all
reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as
Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as the
sanhedrin of God, and assembly of the apostles. Apart from these, there is
no Church. See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the
Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the
deacons, as being the institution of God. He who honours the bishop has been
honoured by God; he who does anything without the knowledge of the bishop,
does [in reality] serve the devil. Give ye heed to the bishop, that God also
may give heed to you. Be ye subject to the bishop, to the presbyters, and to
the deacons." St. Ignatius of Antioch ("Epistle to the Smyrnaeans," c. 105
A.D.)
"The church of God that sojourns at Smyrna, to the church of God sojourning
in Philomelium - and to all of the congregations of the holy and Catholic
Church in every place." St. Polycarp ("The Martyrdom Of St. Polycarp," c.
135 A.D.)
"Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of our souls, the Governor of our
bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world." St.
Polycarp ("The Martyrdom Of St. Polycarp," c. 135 A.D.)
"The house of God is one, and there can be no salvation to anyone except in
the church." St. Cyprian of Carthage ("Letter 61," c. 250 A.D.)
"There is no salvation outside of the church." St. Cyprian of Carthage
("Letter 72," c. 250 A.D.)
"The Catholic church is one." St. Victorinus ("Against Arius," c. 280 A.D.)
"It is called Catholic then because it extends over all the world, from one
end of the Earth to the other; and because it teaches universally and
completely one end and all the doctrines which ought to come to men's
knowledge, concerning things both visible and invisible, heavenly and
earthly; and because it brings into subjection to godliness and the whole
race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because
it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed
by soul and body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is
named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gifts." St.
Cyril of Jerusalem ("Catechetical Lectures," c. 350 A.D.)
"Let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic
Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the
Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded;
and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be
called a Christian." St. Athanasius ("Four Letters to Serapion of Thmuisc,"
c. 360 A.D.)
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From http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_and_the_Papacy.asp
Peter and the Papacy
There is ample evidence in the New Testament that Peter was first in
authority among the apostles. Whenever they were named, Peter headed the
list (Matt. 10:1-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, Acts 1:13); sometimes the
apostles were referred to as "Peter and those who were with him" (Luke
9:32). Peter was the one who generally spoke for the apostles (Matt. 18:21,
Mark 8:29, Luke 12:41, John 6:68-69), and he figured in many of the most
dramatic scenes (Matt. 14:28-32, Matt. 17:24-27, Mark 10:23-28). On
Pentecost it was Peter who first preached to the crowds (Acts 2:14-40), and
he worked the first healing in the Church age (Acts 3:6-7). It is Peter's
faith that will strengthen his brethren (Luke 22:32) and Peter is given
Christ's flock to shepherd (John 21:17). An angel was sent to announce the
resurrection to Peter (Mark 16:7), and the risen Christ first appeared to
Peter (Luke 24:34). He headed the meeting that elected Matthias to replace
Judas (Acts 1:13-26), and he received the first converts (Acts 2:41). He
inflicted the first punishment (Acts 5:1-11), and excommunicated the first
heretic (Acts 8:18-23). He led the first council in Jerusalem (Acts 15), and
announced the first dogmatic decision (Acts 15:7-11). It was to Peter that
the revelation came that Gentiles were to be baptized and accepted as
Christians (Acts 10:46-48).
Peter the Rock
Peter's preeminent position among the apostles was symbolized at the
very beginning of his relationship with Christ. At their first meeting,
Christ told Simon that his name would thereafter be Peter, which translates
as "Rock" (John 1:42). The startling thing was that-aside from the single
time that Abraham is called a "rock" (Hebrew: Tsur; Aramaic: Kepha) in
Isaiah 51:1-2-in the Old Testament only God was called a rock. The word rock
was not used as a proper name in the ancient world. If you were to turn to a
companion and say, "From now on your name is Asparagus," people would
wonder: Why Asparagus? What is the meaning of it? What does it signify?
Indeed, why call Simon the fisherman "Rock"? Christ was not given to
meaningless gestures, and neither were the Jews as a whole when it came to
names. Giving a new name meant that the status of the person was changed, as
when Abram's name was changed to Abraham (Gen.17:5), Jacob's to Israel (Gen.
32:28), Eliakim's to Joakim (2 Kgs. 23:34), or the names of the four Hebrew
youths-Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to Belteshazzar, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 1:6-7). But no Jew had ever been called "Rock."
The Jews would give other names taken from nature, such as Barak
"lightning," (Judg. 4:6), Deborah ("bee," Gen. 35:8), and Rachel ("ewe,"
Gen. 29:16), but never "Rock." In the New Testament James and John were
nicknamed Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder," by Christ, but that was
never regularly used in place of their original names, and it certainly was
not given as a new name. But in the case of Simon-bar-Jonah, his new name
Kephas (Greek: Petros) definitely replaced the old.
Look at the scene
Not only was there significance in Simon being given a new and unusual
name, but the place where Jesus solemnly conferred it upon Peter was also
important. It happened when "Jesus came into the district of Caesarea
Philippi" (Matt. 16:13), a city that Philip the Tetrarch built and named in
honor of Caesar Augustus, who had died in A.D. 14. The city lay near
cascades in the Jordan River and near a gigantic wall of rock, a wall about
200 feet high and 500 feet long, which is part of the southern foothills of
Mount Hermon. The city no longer exists, but its ruins are near the small
Arab town of Banias; and at the base of the rock wall may be found what is
left of one of the springs that fed the Jordan. It was here that Jesus
pointed to Simon and said, "You are Peter" (Matt. 16:18).
The significance of the event must have been clear to the other
apostles. As devout Jews they knew at once that the location was meant to
emphasize the importance of what was being done. None complained of Simon
being singled out for this honor; and in the rest of the New Testament he is
called by his new name, while James and John remain just James and John, not
Boanerges.
Promises to Peter
When he first saw Simon, "Jesus looked at him, and said, 'So you are
Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter)'"
(John 1:42). The word Cephas is merely the transliteration of the Aramaic
Kepha into Greek. Later, after Peter and the other disciples had been with
Christ for some time, they went to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter made his
profession of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt.
16:16). Jesus told him that this truth was specially revealed to him, and
then he solemnly reiterated: "And I tell you, you are Peter" (Matt. 16:18).
To this was added the promise that the Church would be founded, in some way,
on Peter (Matt. 16:18).
Then two important things were told the apostle. "Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). Here Peter was singled out for the
authority that provides for the forgiveness of sins and the making of
disciplinary rules. Later the apostles as a whole would be given similar
power [Matt.18:18], but here Peter received it in a special sense.
Peter alone was promised something else also: "I will give you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:19). In ancient times, keys were
the hallmark of authority. A walled city might have one great gate; and that
gate had one great lock, worked by one great key. To be given the key to the
city-an honor that exists even today, though its import is lost-meant to be
given free access to and authority over the city. The city to which Peter
was given the keys was the heavenly city itself. This symbolism for
authority is used elsewhere in the Bible (Is. 22:22, Rev. 1:18).
Finally, after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and
asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" (John 21:15-17). In repentance
for his threefold denial, Peter gave a threefold affirmation of love. Then
Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), gave Peter the authority he
earlier had promised: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:17). This specifically
included the other apostles, since Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me more
than these?" (John 21:15), the word "these" referring to the other apostles
who were present (John 21:2). Thus was completed the prediction made just
before Jesus and his followers went for the last time to the Mount of
Olives.
Immediately before his denials were predicted, Peter was told, "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 [after the denials], strengthen your brethren" (Luke
22:31-32). It was Peter who Christ prayed would have faith that would not
fail and that would be a guide for the others; and his prayer, being
perfectly efficacious, was sure to be fulfilled.
Who is the rock?
Now take a closer look at the key verse: "You are Peter, and on this
rock I will build my Church" (Matt. 16:18). Disputes about this passage have
always been related to the meaning of the term "rock." To whom, or to what,
does it refer? Since Simon's new name of Peter itself means rock, the
sentence could be rewritten as: "You are Rock and upon this rock I will
build my Church." The play on words seems obvious, but commentators wishing
to avoid what follows from this-namely the establishment of the papacy-have
suggested that the word rock could not refer to Peter but must refer to his
profession of faith or to Christ.
From the grammatical point of view, the phrase "this rock" must relate
back to the closest noun. Peter's profession of faith ("You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God") is two verses earlier, while his name, a proper
noun, is in the immediately preceding clause.
As an analogy, consider this artificial sentence: "I have a car and a
truck, and it is blue." Which is blue? The truck, because that is the noun
closest to the pronoun "it." This is all the more clear if the reference to
the car is two sentences earlier, as the reference to Peter's profession is
two sentences earlier than the term rock.
Another alternative
The previous argument also settles the question of whether the word
refers to Christ himself, since he is mentioned within the profession of
faith. The fact that he is elsewhere, by a different metaphor, called the
cornerstone (Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:4-8) does not disprove that here Peter is
the foundation. Christ is naturally the principal and, since he will be
returning to heaven, the invisible foundation of the Church that he will
establish; but Peter is named by him as the secondary and, because he and
his successors will remain on earth, the visible foundation. Peter can be a
foundation only because Christ is the first one.
In fact, the New Testament contains five different metaphors for the
foundation of the Church (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:5-6,
Rev. 21:14). One cannot take a single metaphor from a single passage and use
it to twist the plain meaning of other passages. Rather, one must respect
and harmonize the different passages, for the Church can be described as
having different foundations since the word foundation can be used in
different senses.
Look at the Aramaic
Opponents of the Catholic interpretation of Matthew 16:18 sometimes
argue that in the Greek text the name of the apostle is Petros, while "rock"
is rendered as petra. They claim that the former refers to a small stone,
while the latter refers to a massive rock; so, if Peter was meant to be the
massive rock, why isn't his name Petra?
Note that Christ did not speak to the disciples in Greek. He spoke
Aramaic, the common language of Palestine at that time. In that language the
word for rock is kepha, which is what Jesus called him in everyday speech
(note that in John 1:42 he was told, "You will be called Cephas"). What
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 was: "You are Kepha, and upon this kepha I will
build my Church."
When Matthew's Gospel was translated from the original Aramaic to
Greek, there arose a problem which did not confront the evangelist when he
first composed his account of Christ's life. In Aramaic the word kepha has
the same ending whether it refers to a rock or is used as a man's name. In
Greek, though, the word for rock, petra, is feminine in gender. The
translator could use it for the second appearance of kepha in the sentence,
but not for the first because it would be inappropriate to give a man a
feminine name. So he put a masculine ending on it, and hence Peter became
Petros.
Furthermore, the premise of the argument against Peter being the rock
is simply false. In first century Greek the words petros and petra were
synonyms. They had previously possessed the meanings of "small stone" and
"large rock" in some early Greek poetry, but by the first century this
distinction was gone, as Protestant Bible scholars admit (see D. A. Carson's
remarks on this passage in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, [Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Books]).
Some of the effect of Christ's play on words was lost when his
statement was translated from the Aramaic into Greek, but that was the best
that could be done in Greek. In English, like Aramaic, there is no problem
with endings; so an English rendition could read: "You are Rock, and upon
this rock I will build my church."
Consider another point: If the rock really did refer to Christ (as
some claim, based on 1 Cor. 10:4, "and the Rock was Christ" though the rock
there was a literal, physical rock), why did Matthew leave the passage as it
was? In the original Aramaic, and in the English which is a closer parallel
to it than is the Greek, the passage is clear enough. Matthew must have
realized that his readers would conclude the obvious from "Rock . . . rock."
If he meant Christ to be understood as the rock, why didn't he say so?
Why did he take a chance and leave it up to Paul to write a clarifying text?
This presumes, of course, that 1 Corinthians was written after Matthew's
Gospel; if it came first, it could not have been written to clarify it.
The reason, of course, is that Matthew knew full well that what the
sentence seemed to say was just what it really was saying. It was Simon,
weak as he was, who was chosen to become the rock and thus the first link in
the chain of the papacy.
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Interested in reading more about Peter and the Papacy? Check out these
wonderful titles from the Church History and Church Fathers section of our
online Catalogue (links open in a new window):
Peter and the Papacy
Pope Fiction, Patrick Madrid
One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, Kenneth D. Whitehead
The Fathers Of The Church, Mike Aquilina
Early Christian Writings, Maxwell Staniforth
Peter: Keeper Of The Keys, Stephen Ray
Jesus, Peter & the Keys, Butler, Dahlgren, and Hess
Faith of the Early Fathers, William A. Jurgens
Papacy Learning Guide, Stephen Ray, Dennis Walters
Papacy Evangelization Guide, Stephen Ray, Dennis Walters
Tract Pak A, Catholic Answers
***Any questions?
"Straight John Bull" <StraightJohnBull@.com> wrote in message
news:yCzMc.277$mn4...@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
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