The bishops of Rome have claimed and
exercised what is a divinely established authority over the whole church. Papal
authority over the Eastern Church has often asserted itself, especially in
times of great crisis. Here I provide
examples of how the bishop of Rome enjoyed an ecclesiastical authority over the
Universal Church which is divine in origin and thus renders
obedience/disobedience to its decrees as being obedience/disobedience to
Christ.
Pope Silvester
The Coptic and Greek Churches celebrate
his feast on January 2. The Menaion
which contains liturgical prayers says of St. Silvester:
God-bearing Father Silvester, you appeared as a pillar of
fire, in sacred fashion leading the
sacred college, and as an
overshadowing cloud, delivering the faithful from the Egyptian [Arian]
error and on every occasion leading them with unerring teachings to divine
land... Enriched with the chair of the
coryphaeus of the apostles... as a most marvelous minister of God...
beautifying, strengthening and magnifying the Church with divine teachings, as
a light-bearing star, illumining with the light of virtues... You appeared as the coryphaeus, and
hieromystes of the sacred college, and adorned the... throne of the coryphaeus
of the disciples... As the divine
coryphaeus you established the most holy dogma, destroying the impious dogmas
of heretics... [Menaion, Athens 1979, January, 17, 22, 24]
Pope
Julius
The Eusebians believed that since Rome reserved the right to depose
Novation without the East the East should have the freedom to depose Athanasius
without interference from the West. Julius responded to them in a letter which
was preserved by Athanasius:
It behooved you, beloved, to come hither [to Rome], and not
to refuse, in order that this business may be terminated, for reason requires this... O beloved!...For even if any offenses
had been committed by these men, as you say, the judgment ought to have been in accordance with the rule of the
church, and not thus...And why were we not written to especially with
regard to the church of Alexandria? Or
are you ignorant that this has been the custom, first to write to us, and that
thus what is just be decreed from here? If therefore any such suspicion
fell upon the bishop there [at Alexandria], it was befitting to write to this
church. Not thus were the ordinances of Paul, not thus have the Fathers handed
it down to us. This is a new decree, and a new institution. Bear with me, I
exhort you, for what I write is for the common good. For what we have received from the blessed apostle Peter, the same do I
manifest to you. [Apol., 35. PG
25: 305-8]
The historian Sozomen wrote of Pope
Julius:
The bishop of Rome, having examined the case of each one,
and finding them all of one mind about the dogma of the Council of Nicea, received
them into communion as being of the same faith [as himself]. And because he had the care of all, owing
to the dignity of his see, he restored each one to his church... [HE III, 8]
Sozomen records that Julius criticized the Eusebians for failing to
convoke him to the council at Antioch:
...because it is a law that actions taken without the consent of the bishop of Rome are invalid. [HE III, 10]
The historian Socrates said something
along the same line as Sozomen:
Each one explained his case to Julius, bishop of Rome, and
he, by virtue of the prerogative of the
church of Rome, strengthened them with very firm letters and sent them back
into the East, restoring to them their sees and reprimanding those who had
temerariously deposed them. [HE II, 15]
Socrates wrote that Julius rebuked the
Eusebians on the grounds that:
...it is unlawful to
legislate for the churches without the consent of the bishop of Rome [HE II, 17 ]
Sardica
Canons 3-5 of
Sardica deal with appeals made to the Bishop or Rome.
The canons of Sardica were included in
collections of the Latin, Syriac, Armenian and Greek churches.
The council wrote to Pope Julius:
... most beloved brother, although you were separated in the
body, you were present by a like mind and will...For this will seem best and most exceedingly fitting if the bishops of
the Lord, from each of the different provinces, refer to the head [caput], that
is, the see of Peter the apostle...[Mansi 3: 40]
Eastern subscriptions to the Council of
Sardica include Phrygia, Isauria, Ancyra, Gaza, Thrace, Larissa, Thessalonica,
Nicopolis, Dardania, Macedonia, Achaia, Thessalia, Cyprus, Asia, Dacia,
Pannonia, Gaul, and Athanasius himself. [Athanasius, Apol. 37-50. PG 25: 311 sq. Cf. Mansi 3: 38-9]
The
Byzantine Council of Trullo, in 692, also accepted the canons of Sardica. [Mansi 11: 940]
The Vicariate at Thessalonica
From the late fourth century to the
time of Pope Leo the Great the bishop of Thessalonica acted as vicar of the
Bishop of Rome.
The Vicariate under Pope Boniface(418-422)
was headed up by Rufus. Boniface had written to the bishops of Thessaly:
The institution of the universal Church at its birth took
its beginning from the office of Blessed Peter, in whose person its government
and summit consists. For from his
fountain the stream of ecclesiastical discipline flowed forth into all the
Churches, as the culture of religion progressively advanced. The precepts of the Council of Nicea bear
witness to nothing else: so that it did not dare to appoint anything over him, seeing
that nothing could possibly be conferred above his office: moreover, it knew
that everything had been granted to him by the word of the Lord...certain
bishops... are striving to separate themselves from the Apostolic See’s
communion, or if I may speak more
accurately, her authority, asking for help from those to whom ecclesiastical rules have not sanctioned
any greater authority... [PL 20: 777-79]
With the Vicariate under Celestine he
had written to several bishops of Illyricum over a certain incident involving a
bishop and said:
We especially
are bound to have care for all, to whom Christ imposed the necessity of dealing
with all, in the holy apostle Peter, when He gave him the keys for opening and
shutting... [PL 50: 427-8]
The Vicariate under Pope St. Leo saw an
incident of the abuse of this authority and in a reprimand to vicar Anastatius
Leo wrote:
... I have delegated
the place of my authority so that, in imitation of my meekness, you might
assist in the care we owe to all the churches principally and by divine
institution, and in a sense extend the presence of our visitation to provinces
far distant from us... For we have
entrusted our place to Your Charity in such a way that you are called to a
share in our solicitude, not the fullness of authority. [PL 54:
668-671]
Cyril and
Celestine
Celestine
instructs St. Cyril that Nestorius has to retract in ten days or face
excommunication:
Wherefore, having assumed unto yourself the authority of
our See, and using our stead and our place
with authority, you shall execute this sentence with the utmost strictness...We have written the same things to our
brethren and fellow bishops John, Rufus, Juvenal and Flavian, so that our sentence, or rather the divine
sentence of Christ our God concerning him, may be made known. [PL 50: 463]
This same
command had been given to John of Antioch, Papal vicar Rufus of Thessalonica,
Juvenal of Jerusalem and Flavian of Philippi(metropolitan of Macedonia) all
major Eastern Sees.
To the
Eastern Bishops Celestine also said:
Sentence has
been passed against Nestorius by us, or
rather by Christ our God... [PL 50:
467-9]
Council of Ephesus(431)
Pope Celestine was represented by three
legates to whom he gave the instructions:
We also order
the authority of the Apostolic See to be preserved... Indeed the instructions given to you say that if it
comes to disputing [among bishops], you
are to judge their teachings, not enter the fray... [Mansi 4: 556]
The Papal legates were late. The acts
record that Cyril was:
... holding the place
of the most holy and most sacred Celestine, archbishop of the Roman Church.”
[Mansi
4: 1123]
With Nestorius condemned the third
session reread his sentence. Philip, a Papal legate, responded:
... Peter, prince and head of the apostles, pillar of the
faith and foundation of the Catholic Church... to him was given the power of
binding and loosing sins, who up to this
very age ever lives and judges in his successors. [Mansi 4: 1295-8; ACO I: 1: 3: 60-61]
Papal legate Projectus later added:
Wherefore I, by
authority of the delegation of the Apostolic See, as executor of the sentence
together with the brethren define that Nestorius... has been removed from the
rank of episcopal office and, further, from the communion of all orthodox
bishops. [Mansi 4: 1299. ACO I: Vol. 1: Pt. 3:
62]
Arcadius agreed, “in accordance with
the acts of this holy synod, we cannot but confirm their doctrine with our
subscriptions.” The council itself spoke:
Since the most reverend and most religious bishops and
legates Arcadius and Projectus, and Philip, priest and legate of the Apostolic
See, have spoken in order, let them
consequently fulfill their promise, confirming the acts by their signature.
[Mansi
4: 1299. ACO I: 1: 3: 63]
The “Robber
Council”
Eutyches
wanted an ecumenical council convened on his behalf because of his being
condemned by Flavian. After this infamous "Robber Council"
persecution was rampant.
Theodoret,
bishop of Cyrus was being deposed and had appealed to Rome saying:
To you, indeed, it is fitting that the primacy belong in
every respect… Your(See) has
received from God an affluence of goods: it is the greatest and most
illustrious, it presides over the
universe, it is teeming with inhabitants...I have been
condemned without having been judged. But
I await the sentence of your apostolic see... I beg and urge your holiness,
to whose just tribunal I appeal to help me... I implore you to tell me whether or not I must accept this unjust
deposition, because I await your sentence. [PG 83: 1313-16]
Theodoret
had also contacted the priest Renatus, a legate of Pope Leo saying:
I implore your
holiness to convince the most holy archbishop to use his apostolic authority to order me to come to his synod, because this most holy see has authority
(hegemonia) over the churches throughout the world for several reasons... [PG 83: 1324]
In his
appeal against being deposed, Eusebius of Dorylaeum wrote:
I implore Your
Beatitude... restore to me the dignity
of my episcopate, and communion with you, by letters from you to my lowliness
bestowing on me my rank and communion. [Neues Archiv 11: 364-7]
The “Real”
Ecumenical Council. Chalcedon
Pope Leo
would not be able to attend the council but would be present in his legates. He
wrote:
...in these brethren, that is, Bishops Paschasinus and
Lucentius, and the priests Boniface and Basil, let Your Fraternity consider me as presiding at the synod; my
presence is not far from you inasmuch as I am present in my vicars. [Ep. 93. PL
54: 937]
Dioscorus (presider over the “Robber Council”)
was seated as one of the judges. Papal legate Paschasinus stood and said:
We have in our
hands orders from the most blessed and apostolic pope of the city of Rome,
which is head of all the churches, by which his apostleship has deigned to
command that Dioscorus is not to sit in the council. It is necessary for us
to observe this... Either he is to go out, or we leave. [ACO II, Vol. 3, Pt. 1, 40]
The commissioners wanted to know why
Dioscorus was singled out for accusation. Papal legate Lucentius replied:
It is necessary that he give an account for his judgment,
because, although it was not his place to act as judge, he presumed and dared to make a synod without the authority of the
Apostolic See, which was never lawful [and] was never done. [ACO II, Vol. 3, Pt. 1, 40]
The legates pronounced this sentence
against Dioscorus in which the bishops agreed:
Therefore... Leo, through us and
through the present holy synod... has
stripped him(Dioscorus) both of the dignity of the episcopate and of all priestly
ministry. Therefore let this great and holy synod, in conformity with the
canons, decree with regard to the above-mentioned Dioscorus. [ACO II, Vol.
1: 2: 28-29]
Hormisdas Libellus
The formula
of Pope Hormisdas reads in part:
...the teaching of
our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be overlooked, which says: "Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I shall build my Church," these things which have been
said are proven by the events, because
in the Apostolic See the Catholic religion has always been preserved immaculate...
we anathematize all heresies... we anathematize Eutyches and Dioscorus of Alexandria, who
were condemned in the holy council of Chalcedon... Consequently we receive and approve all the letters of
the blessed Pope Leo, which he wrote concerning the true faith. Wherefore, as
we have already said, following in all
things the Apostolic See and preaching whatever has been decreed by it, I
hope that I may deserve to be in one communion with you, which the Apostolic
See preaches, in which is the complete and true solidity of the Christian
religion. [CSEL 35: 520-22]
Persecutions
in the East resulted in bloodshed. Hormisdas received one appeal from numerous
archimandrites and monks of Second Syria having almost 200 hundred signatures:
Taught by the
grace of our Savior to have recourse to Your Beatitude as to a tranquil harbor in a storm, we believe that we have
already been delivered from the evils weighing upon us... As Christ our God has constituted you the prince of pastors… We beg you, we
urge you, O blessed Father, rise up full of zeal and ardor, have compassion on
the body torn to pieces, since you are
the head of all; avenge the faith which has been despised, the canons
trampled underfoot, the fathers blasphemed, the holy council struck with
anathema. God has given you the power
and authority of binding and loosing. [CSEL 35: 565 sq.]
The
Armenians were loosing Monophysite faithful. John, Patriarch of Jerusalem,
wrote to the Catholicos of Caucasian Albania:
As for us, that is the holy Church, we have the following
dominical pronouncement, which he spoke
to Peter, head of the apostles, giving him the superintendence of the immovable
faith of the churches, [saying:] “You are rock and on that rock I shall
build my Church, and the gates [of hell] shall not prevail against it.” He also gave to Peter the keys of heaven
and earth, so that until this day his disciples and the doctors of the catholic
church follow his faith... especially the heirs of his holy and venerable
See [who do this] with sound faith, unerringly [anskhal] in accordance with the
dominical pronouncement… [Ararat, 9 (1896), 253]
The Byzantines were pressed to sign the
libellus. Unity and peace appeared on the horizon and came rather quickly with
the new emperor Justin II. It was solidified with the signing of Patriarch John
of Constantinople. The Roman deacon Rusticus [c. 550] speaks of the libelli, or professions of faith:
... of perhaps twenty-five
hundred priests, under Emperor
Justin, after the schism of Peter [Mongus] of Alexandria, and Acacius of
Constantinople. [PL 67, 1251-2]
Pope
Agapetus(535-536) deposed Monophysite Patriarch of Constantinople Anthimus. The
new patriarch Menas and the Emperor
Justinian signed a formula similar to that of Hormisdas.[A.S.
45: 179]
Lateran Council of 649
Called by Pope Martin the opening of
the acts call it:
... the holy and apostolic synod, which occurred in the most
celebrated Old Rome, according to the
sacred command and canonical procurement of the most holy and thrice blessed
Pope Martin, who presided over the entire divine hierarchy under the sun,
for the establishment and defense of the dogmas of the fathers and synods of
the Catholic and apostolic church according to the gospel. [Mansi X,
863-64]
Stephon of Dora, bishop under St. Sophronius of Jerusalem,
addresses the council:
And
for this cause, we sometimes asked for... the wings of a dove... that we might
fly away and announce these things to
that Chair which rules and presides over all, that is to yours, the head and
highest... For this it has been accustomed to do from of old and from the
beginning with power by its canonical or spiritual authority, because the
truly great Peter, leader of the apostles, clearly was deemed worthy not only
to be entrusted with the keys of heaven, alone
[and] apart from the rest… [Mansi X, 893]
Stephen had been instructed by
Sophronius:
Traverse
swiftly, therefore, from one end of the world to the other, until you come to the Apostolic See, where
are the foundations of the holy doctrines... Cease not to pray and beg them until their apostolic and divine wisdom
shall have pronounced the victorious judgment and destroyed the new heresy from
its foundation. [Mansi X, 895]
Greek and Armenian monks led by John,
abbot of St. Sabas, followed Stephen describing the council as meeting:
... by command of the one divinely presiding over you,
priest of priests and father of fathers pre-eminent
over all, our lord Martin, the thrice blessed pope... The hearts of all look to you, after God, knowing that you have been established by
Christ our God as leader and head of the churches. [Mansi X, 903-8]
After the council Pope Martin appointed
John, bishop of Philadelphia, as a special vicar in the east with wide
authority. Martin told John to:
...correct
the things which are wanting, and appoint bishops, priests and deacons in every
city of those which are subject to the see of both Jerusalem and of Antioch, with
us charging you to do this in every way, by virtue of the apostolic authority
which was given to us by the Lord in the person of the most holy Peter, prince
of the apostles, on account of the necessities of our time, and the
pressure of the nations. [Mansi X, 806 sq.]
Maximus the Confessor regarded the
Lateran Council as the sixth ecumenical. He wrote Rome saying:
...
as they were explained piously and in
all purity by the six holy councils [the five ecumenical councils, plus the
Lateran Council], which were inspired and dictated by God in proclaiming very
clearly the Symbol of Faith. For ever since the Word of God condescended to
us and became man, all the Churches of
Christians everywhere have held, and hold the great Church there as their sole
basis and foundation, because, according to the very promises of the Lord,
the gates of hell have never prevailed over her... [PG 91: 137-40]
Maximus was arrested and put on trial
for treason. When asked why he did not communicate with the Church of
Constantinople he said:
They
are condemned by their own action, and... by the Romans... and by the [Lateran] Council. [PG 90: 120]
___________________________________________________________________________________________
All primary source quotes have come
from the soon to be published book Keys
Over The Christian World Copyright 2001, written by Scott Butler and John
Collorafi