22/04/2025
Though I think it's rather easy to portray the fact both Biblically and Historically that Peter was the first leader of the Christian Church (a.k.a. 'Pope')......the question remains, did the the Christians in the years after Peter think that Peter's successors were in-turn leaders of the Christian Church? And did these early Christians think 'Rome' was where Christian authority headquarters was located?
1. Clement who was the Bishop in Rome and a successor of Peter writes in the year 80 AD:
"If anyone disobey the things which have been said by him [God] through us let them know that they will involve themselves in transgression..." (Letter to the Corinthians 1, 58–59, 63 [A.D. 80]).
2. Ignatius of Antioch was a Disciple of JOHN THE APOSTLE and he writes to the Roman church around 110AD saying:
"to the church also which holds the presidency, in the location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and, because you hold the presidency in love, named after Christ and named after the Father” (Letter to the Romans 1:1 [A.D. 110]).
In another place in that same letter, Ignatius says:
“You [the church at Rome] have envied no one, but others you have taught. I desire only that what you have enjoined in your instructions may remain in force” (ibid., 3:1).
3. The Apostle John (writer of the Gospel of John), had a disciple called Polycarp.
Polycarp in-turn, taught a guy name Irenaeus.
Irenaeus was the Bishop of Lyon in France and writes the following around the year 189 AD:
"But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the succession of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul, that church which has the tradition and the faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. With that church, because of its superior origin, all the churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world, and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition” (Against Heresies 3:3:2 [A.D. 189]).
So what trend do we see....
1. The early bishops ALTHOUGH FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD...agree that Rome is the Headquarters of the Christian Church
2. The early bishops ALTHOUGH FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD...agree that the Bishop in Rome is the head of the Christian faith.
3. The Catholic church didn't INVENT a position called the Pope. The Christian faith ALWAYS had a leader on earth after Christ ascended.
Ps. I've given three examples, but Google could easily show you "what the early church believed about the Papacy?"
