The Rise of the Papacy

Transcription

1 Liberty University From the SelectedWorks of Wes Green Summer June 12, 2009 The Rise of the Papacy Wes Green, Liberty University Available at:

2 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE THE RISE OF THE PAPACY SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR MICHAEL MITCHELL CHHI 301 BY WESLEY GREEN DATE SUBMITTED JUNE 12, 2009

3 2 The Rise of the Papacy What does the word papacy mean? When we hear the word, we immediately think of the Pope, which means papa. The word Pope means Father, and this term applied to all Western Bishops at first. 1 The papacy denotes the office of the pope, or bishop of Rome, and the system of central ecclesiastical government of the Roman Catholic Church over which he presides. 2 For Catholics the papacy represents an office divinely instituted by Christ in his charge to Peter (Matt. 16:18-19; Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-17), and therefore something to be revered and obeyed as a part of Christian faith and duty. But the papal role has in fact varied from age to age, and a historical survey is required first to put papal claims into perspective. 3 The papacy is both a secular and a spiritual role and is the office that presides over the central government of the Roman Catholic Church. The word pope pertains to the bishops of the West and to describe the patriarch of Alexandra during this time. 4 The office of the pope, according to the Catholic church, has existed in some form for the over-2000 year history of the church. Catholicism has maintained this tradition to this day. However, the rise of the Papacy was undeniably influenced by human corruption. The Christian church tried to keep imperfect beings pure, but the age was flawed. The world was becoming corrupt and full of materialistic ideas. 5 With this corruption, there was a need to create a political 1. Henry H. Halley, Halley s Bible Handbook (Michigan: Zondervan, 1959), Papacy, Mb-soft.com, (accessed June 8, 2009). 3. Ibid. 4. John Bain. The Rise of the Papacy, Thebainjournal.com, (accessed June 9, 2009). 5. Rev. J.A. Wylie, LL.D. History of the Papacy, Fbinstitute.com, (accessed June 9, 2009).

4 3 and religious system that would help end and control this corruption the Papacy. It took several centuries for the position of the bishop of Rome to develop the modern papacy, a process that began with Peter. Because Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome, Christian tradition has always identified Rome as a place of significance for the Christian community. 6 After Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal, the office of the Pope grew immensely. Christianity spread throughout the lands, but looked for direction from Rome and its Bishop. In addition, the monks were becoming popular because Christianity was now legal and people were able to worship freely. The monks were men who separated themselves from society so they can focus and follow God. We, as Christians, should strive to be like the monks in the focus of following God. By the end of the Western Empire (A.D. 476), Simplicius was the Roman Pope. With the fall of Rome, the Popes were left free of Civil Authority authority over civilian affairs. There were numerous small Barbarian kingdoms in the west, which gave the Popes an occasion to build valuable agreements and alliances. Slowly, the Pope became the most commanding figure in the West 7 because they were the ones who began building those agreements and alliances. Peter visited Rome throughout his lifetime and he was martyred there. This connection of Peter with Rome is the main theological reason for the papacy s Roman center. 8 According to the Catholic tradition, Peter, whose name means rock in Greek, 9 was the First Pope. There are several supporting arguments for this theory, but according to Halley, this is false because there is no New Testament hint, and no historical evidence whatsoever, that Peter was at anytime the 6. Jonathan Hill, Handbook to the History of Christianity (Michigan: Lion Publishing Place, 2006), Halley, Halley s Bible Handbook, History and Development of the Papacy, Religionfacts.com, (accessed June 8, 2009). 9. Hill, History of Christianity, 168.

5 4 Bishop of Rome. Nor did he ever claim for himself such Authority as the Popes have claimed for themselves. 10 The following verses (Matthew 16:18-19) explains it very clearly, Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means rock ), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Halley s view is not a strong supporting Biblical argument, and does not counter the argument that the papacy was established in scripture when Jesus declared Peter the rock upon which He would build His church (Matthew 16:18-19). The rock, in this case, meant the Truth that Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of God. 11 There are other reasons, including simple politics, that increased the pope s authority. The historical capital of the vast Roman Empire was Rome, so the bishop of that city would be consequential. In 330, the capital of the empire was Constantinople because Constantine had moved it there. Once this happened, the pope was the most dominant political figure that stayed in Rome. The fifth century began many barbarian invasions into Rome as well. Pope Leo I convinced many of these barbarians not to attack or burn the city and with these events the bishop of Rome s reputation grew. 12 The peak of the Western Church was between the fourth and fifth centuries. Damasus I ( ) played an important role in the rise of papacy during this time. He argued that Jesus had established the bishop of Rome in Matthew. 13 He was the first to call himself the Apostolic See. In Rome (A.D. 495), an ecclesiastical council, called a synod, was the first who hailed the 10. Halley, Halley s Bible Handbook, Ibid., History and Development of the Papacy, Religionfacts.com, (accessed June 8, 2009). 13. Ibid.

6 5 pope as the Vicar of Christ. 14 The papacy was the only stable political institution in the area 15 during this unsettled time. Pope Gregory I, who held the position from A.D. 590 until 604, was a scholar and a reformer and emerged during a time of Political Anarchy and great Public Distress throughout Europe. 16 Stories tell us that Pope Gregory the First did not want to be elected pope and that he was an influential politician, but had given everything up to become a monk. With barbarian kings moving on Rome, Gregory wanted to restore peace; he became the bookkeeper for Rome, used monks to guard the city, and he even headed up the food and water supply and policing efforts. 17 Who was the first to be called the pope? The predecessor of Damasus I was Siricius. who was the first to apply the term "pope" to himself. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Apostolic See is a metaphorical term used to express the abstract notion of authority by the concrete name of the place in which it is exercised. An Apostolic see is any see founded by an Apostle and having the authority of its founder; the Apostolic See is the seat of authority in the Roman Church, continuing the Apostolic functions of Peter, the chief of the Apostles. 18 The papacy continued to grow throughout the Middle Ages, but it had flaws. One major flaw, during this time of growth, was when Formosus came into the papal seat. Clergy and people democratically elected Formosus as pope. Important ecclesiastical questions claimed the pope's attention immediately after his elevation. In Constantinople, the patriarch Photius had 14. Ibid. 15. Hill, History of Christianity, Ibid., Ibid., ). 18. The Apostolic See, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 9,

7 6 been ejected and Stephen, the son of Emperor Basilius, elevated to the patriarchate. 19 Stephen VI did not like this and held a council for his former (he said) rival; it was his forerunner, Formosus. Unknowing that Formosus had been dead for nine months, Stephen declared that he should be at the council to accept his charges. The worse part of this was that Stephen put his body in a chair and supported it at this council. Of course, he was found guilty and the poor man s papal robes were ripped from his body. And if that was not enough, Formosus three fingers from his right hand were cut off so he could not bless people. Stephen VI was strangled not long after Formosus body was dragged to a grave. Some people began to question the pope s authority, but there are those few individuals that make it harder for those to believe in Christianity. The papacy took years to develop into what it is now. With much turmoil in the early years and the reigns of both great popes and not-so-great popes, Christianity is where it is today, in a large part based on the writings and traditions of the early Church. Christians (non- Roman Catholics) tend to forget where and how their religion was formed and what traditions and teachings it adhered to in its early years and centuries. Several theological foundations support the office of the Pope, though it is debatable whether it is truly Biblical. The impact of the papacy on the development and spread of Christianity is, however, undeniable. 19. Formosus, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 9, 2009).

8 7 Bibliography Bain, John. The Rise of the Papacy, Thebainjournal.com, (accessed June 9, 2009). Formosus, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 9, 2009). Halley, Henry H. Halley s Bible Handbook. Michigan: Zondervan, Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Michigan: Lion Publishing Place, History and Development of the Papacy, Religionfacts.com, (accessed June 8, 2009). Papacy, Mb-soft.com, (accessed June 8, 2009). The Apostolic See, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 9, 2009). Wylie, J. A. Rev. LL.D. History of the Papacy, Fbinstitute.com, (accessed June 9, 2009).