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Emer Tannam, 19/01/05 (1,342 words) 55%
The Pope became the major definer of orthodoxy in the west. What were its origins? How did it become so powerful? What were the consequences of papal dominance?
The Pope is the head of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church today. His supreme status is often taken for granted so it is difficult to imagine a time when his position was not as it is. His role in the Church has evolved significantly over time, as indeed has the Church itself. To account for the origins of the papacy it is necessary to first consider briefly the early history of the Church itself, before considering the origins of the papacy, and it's rise to power.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the teaching of Jesus Christ (died33ad). He was executed for his heretical and subversive message, whereupon his followers became a persecuted minority. Despite this, Christianity spread, largely because of the appeal of the egalitarianism it advocated. However Christians continued to be persecuted, which made the formalising of the religion into an organised hierarchy impossible. Nevertheless popes existed from the very beginning, with Peter, Jesus' most important apostle.
The Popes authority itself originated with Peter. From the early days of Christianity Peter directed the church, instituted ceremonies, defined discipline and founded bishoprics. Furthermore, God supposedly said to Peter "And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (Mt16: 18), which legitimised his authority for believers. Peter's body remained entombed in Rome and its presence there lent authority to whoever the current Pope was, by association. The Pope was seen as the "Vicar of St Peter", and disobedience to the Pope was synonymous with disobedience to St Peter. The authority of Peter superseded that of the Pope, hence the Pope's authority originated with Peter. However, by the end of the 12th century the "Vicar of St Peter" had become the "Vicar of Jesus Christ" Pope Innocent III decreed that "We are the successors of the Prince of the Apostles, but we are not his vicars, nor the vicar of any man, but the vicar of Jesus Christ himself"By claiming authority stemming from Jesus Christ himself, the Pope's authority was now greater than the authority claimed by earlier Popes.
The conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity in 312ad marked a significant turning point in the development of the Church, and, hence, the papacy. Constantine became the emperor of Rome in 306, and was the most powerful person in his part of the world. His conversion to Christianity had far reaching effects on the common practice of the religion and on all the factions of Christianity that are present today He passed the Edict of Milan (313ad) rescinded the persecution of Christians and granted them equal status with pagans. . This allowed all the different Christianities to emerge. Up until this point the various Christian sects, such as Arian, Nestorian etc, had held often wildly different interpretations of the word of god. Without homogenising the many sects a definite role of the Pope could not be established. However, during the Council of Nicea there can be no doubt that Constantine prevailed over developments, implying that his influence was greater than that of the Pope. Nevertheless the fundamental elements of Christianity were established, which would allow subsequent Popes to expand their power and role in the Church. Two Popes in particular had a huge influence of the achievement of papal supremacy.
Pope Leo I (the Great) reigned from 440-61 and died 10 November, 461. Leo's pontificate, next to that of St. Gregory I, is the most significant and important in Christian antiquity. At a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest obstacles to her progress in consequence of the hastening disintegration of the Western Empire, while the Orient was profoundly agitated over dogmatic controversies, Leo had a profound effect on the fate of the Church. Leo’s chief aim was to sustain the unity of the Church. Not long after his elevation to the Chair of Peter, he saw himself compelled to combat energetically the heresies, which seriously threatened church unity, even in the West. . His forceful actions during his reign redefined the role of the papacy, and demonstrated the potential scope of papal authority. For example he deprived Hilary a clergyman, who was acting far too independently, of jurisdiction over the other Gallic provinces and of metropolitan rights over the province of Vienne (455ad)
Gregory the Great was more important than Leo in establishing power of the papacy. He was one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised in a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church He passed six decrees dealing with ecclesiastical discipline were passed, some of them merely confirming changes already made by the pope on his own authority. "In his dealings with the Churches of the West, Gregory acted invariably on the assumption that all were subject to the jurisdiction of the Roman See. Of the rights claimed or exercised by his predecessors he would not abate one title; on the contrary, he did everything in his power to maintain, strengthen, and extend what he regarded as the just prerogatives of the papacy. It is true that he respected the privileges of the Western metropolitans, and disapproved of unnecessary interference within the sphere of their jurisdiction canonically exercised . . .. But of his general principle there can be no doubt whatever". There cannot be the smallest doubt that Gregory claimed for the Apostolic See, and for himself as pope, a primacy not of honour, but of supreme authority over the Church Universal. In Epp. XIII, l, he speaks of "the Apostolic See, which is the head of all Churches".
The reign of Gregory the Great marks an epoch in papal history, and this is specially the case in respect to his attitude towards the imperial Government centred at Constantinople. Gregory seems to have looked upon Church and State as co-operating to form a united whole, which acted in two distinct spheres, ecclesiastical and secular. He also had a profound effect on the temporal position of the papacy. Seizing the opportunity, which circumstances offered, he made himself in Italy a power stronger than emperor, and established a political influence, which dominated the peninsula for centuries. From this time forth the varied populations of Italy looked to the pope for guidance, and Rome as the papal capital continued to be the centre of the world. The temporal power originated in the Romans aversion to becoming subjects of a Lombard King, although the Lombards were catholic and the Romans would not have lost much in changing Byzantium rule for that of the Lombard’s.
Pope Gregory VII (reigned 1073-85) in many ways consolidated the steps taken by Leo and Gregory the Great by stating in his letters some of the following "the pope can be judged by no-one“,“ the pope alone can depose and restore bishops“,“ he can depose emperors" and "all princes should kiss his feet“. The pontificate had come to realise the potential might of the religious and moral power of the papacy .So the Pope became a major figure not just in matters of orthodoxy, but in world politics too, a power that was exercised throughout medieval history and is only now beginning to wane.
The consequences of Papal authority in matters of orthodoxy have been the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as it is now. The lack of flexibility in interpreting the Word of God has led to the fragmentation of Christianity, first in 1054, into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and then later during the reformation initiated by Martin Luther, into the various Protestant religions. It could also be argued that the papal dominance that exists in the Church has led to modern scepticism, that one man could be infallible (as he was deemed to be in 1870) on matters of faith for his significant flock of Catholic believers, especially as the Church faces modernity and issues such as divorce, abortion, IVF, homosexuality and an increasingly relativist attitude to life.
Bibliography
Backman, C, The Worlds of Medieval Europe, (Oxford 2003)
Duchesne.L, The Beginnings of the Temporal Sovereignty of the Popes (London 1908)
Southern, R.W., Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Great Britain 1979)
://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/EastEurope/ConstantineConverts
.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06780a.htm: (17/01/05)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09154b.htm : (17/01/05)
The Pope became the major definer of orthodoxy in the west. What were its origins? How did it become so powerful? What were the consequences of papal dominance?
The Pope is the head of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church today. His supreme status is often taken for granted so it is difficult to imagine a time when his position was not as it is. His role in the Church has evolved significantly over time, as indeed has the Church itself. To account for the origins of the papacy it is necessary to first consider briefly the early history of the Church itself, before considering the origins of the papacy, and it's rise to power.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the teaching of Jesus Christ (died33ad). He was executed for his heretical and subversive message, whereupon his followers became a persecuted minority. Despite this, Christianity spread, largely because of the appeal of the egalitarianism it advocated. However Christians continued to be persecuted, which made the formalising of the religion into an organised hierarchy impossible. Nevertheless popes existed from the very beginning, with Peter, Jesus' most important apostle.
The Popes authority itself originated with Peter. From the early days of Christianity Peter directed the church, instituted ceremonies, defined discipline and founded bishoprics. Furthermore, God supposedly said to Peter "And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (Mt16: 18), which legitimised his authority for believers. Peter's body remained entombed in Rome and its presence there lent authority to whoever the current Pope was, by association. The Pope was seen as the "Vicar of St Peter", and disobedience to the Pope was synonymous with disobedience to St Peter. The authority of Peter superseded that of the Pope, hence the Pope's authority originated with Peter. However, by the end of the 12th century the "Vicar of St Peter" had become the "Vicar of Jesus Christ" Pope Innocent III decreed that "We are the successors of the Prince of the Apostles, but we are not his vicars, nor the vicar of any man, but the vicar of Jesus Christ himself"By claiming authority stemming from Jesus Christ himself, the Pope's authority was now greater than the authority claimed by earlier Popes.
The conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity in 312ad marked a significant turning point in the development of the Church, and, hence, the papacy. Constantine became the emperor of Rome in 306, and was the most powerful person in his part of the world. His conversion to Christianity had far reaching effects on the common practice of the religion and on all the factions of Christianity that are present today He passed the Edict of Milan (313ad) rescinded the persecution of Christians and granted them equal status with pagans. . This allowed all the different Christianities to emerge. Up until this point the various Christian sects, such as Arian, Nestorian etc, had held often wildly different interpretations of the word of god. Without homogenising the many sects a definite role of the Pope could not be established. However, during the Council of Nicea there can be no doubt that Constantine prevailed over developments, implying that his influence was greater than that of the Pope. Nevertheless the fundamental elements of Christianity were established, which would allow subsequent Popes to expand their power and role in the Church. Two Popes in particular had a huge influence of the achievement of papal supremacy.
Pope Leo I (the Great) reigned from 440-61 and died 10 November, 461. Leo's pontificate, next to that of St. Gregory I, is the most significant and important in Christian antiquity. At a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest obstacles to her progress in consequence of the hastening disintegration of the Western Empire, while the Orient was profoundly agitated over dogmatic controversies, Leo had a profound effect on the fate of the Church. Leo’s chief aim was to sustain the unity of the Church. Not long after his elevation to the Chair of Peter, he saw himself compelled to combat energetically the heresies, which seriously threatened church unity, even in the West. . His forceful actions during his reign redefined the role of the papacy, and demonstrated the potential scope of papal authority. For example he deprived Hilary a clergyman, who was acting far too independently, of jurisdiction over the other Gallic provinces and of metropolitan rights over the province of Vienne (455ad)
Gregory the Great was more important than Leo in establishing power of the papacy. He was one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised in a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church He passed six decrees dealing with ecclesiastical discipline were passed, some of them merely confirming changes already made by the pope on his own authority. "In his dealings with the Churches of the West, Gregory acted invariably on the assumption that all were subject to the jurisdiction of the Roman See. Of the rights claimed or exercised by his predecessors he would not abate one title; on the contrary, he did everything in his power to maintain, strengthen, and extend what he regarded as the just prerogatives of the papacy. It is true that he respected the privileges of the Western metropolitans, and disapproved of unnecessary interference within the sphere of their jurisdiction canonically exercised . . .. But of his general principle there can be no doubt whatever". There cannot be the smallest doubt that Gregory claimed for the Apostolic See, and for himself as pope, a primacy not of honour, but of supreme authority over the Church Universal. In Epp. XIII, l, he speaks of "the Apostolic See, which is the head of all Churches".
The reign of Gregory the Great marks an epoch in papal history, and this is specially the case in respect to his attitude towards the imperial Government centred at Constantinople. Gregory seems to have looked upon Church and State as co-operating to form a united whole, which acted in two distinct spheres, ecclesiastical and secular. He also had a profound effect on the temporal position of the papacy. Seizing the opportunity, which circumstances offered, he made himself in Italy a power stronger than emperor, and established a political influence, which dominated the peninsula for centuries. From this time forth the varied populations of Italy looked to the pope for guidance, and Rome as the papal capital continued to be the centre of the world. The temporal power originated in the Romans aversion to becoming subjects of a Lombard King, although the Lombards were catholic and the Romans would not have lost much in changing Byzantium rule for that of the Lombard’s.
Pope Gregory VII (reigned 1073-85) in many ways consolidated the steps taken by Leo and Gregory the Great by stating in his letters some of the following "the pope can be judged by no-one“,“ the pope alone can depose and restore bishops“,“ he can depose emperors" and "all princes should kiss his feet“. The pontificate had come to realise the potential might of the religious and moral power of the papacy .So the Pope became a major figure not just in matters of orthodoxy, but in world politics too, a power that was exercised throughout medieval history and is only now beginning to wane.
The consequences of Papal authority in matters of orthodoxy have been the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as it is now. The lack of flexibility in interpreting the Word of God has led to the fragmentation of Christianity, first in 1054, into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and then later during the reformation initiated by Martin Luther, into the various Protestant religions. It could also be argued that the papal dominance that exists in the Church has led to modern scepticism, that one man could be infallible (as he was deemed to be in 1870) on matters of faith for his significant flock of Catholic believers, especially as the Church faces modernity and issues such as divorce, abortion, IVF, homosexuality and an increasingly relativist attitude to life.
Bibliography
Backman, C, The Worlds of Medieval Europe, (Oxford 2003)
Duchesne.L, The Beginnings of the Temporal Sovereignty of the Popes (London 1908)
Southern, R.W., Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Great Britain 1979)
://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/EastEurope/ConstantineConverts
.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06780a.htm: (17/01/05)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09154b.htm : (17/01/05)