Have you ever wonder where the word “papacy” come from and what does it has to do with the Roman Catholic church. I did some study recently and I like to write something about the rise of papacy during the medieval period until today. It is an interesting topic and a lot of reference sites and books have been used to accommodate what I am writing (I won’t be listing exactly all the resources I have referred) but you can do you own research to further your curiosity or knowledge.
Well, the New Testament church planted upon the earth according to a divinely given pattern of Christ had wanted it. We have seen the church gradually led into a great apostasy. Men completely changed the organization of the church from the New Testament pattern. When heretical doctrines were introduced, it was followed by sharp controversy. To settle one of these doctrinal controversies the Roman emperor, Constantine, who was sympathetic toward the church, called the universal church council, which met at Nicea in Bithynia, 325 AD. At this council, the first human creed (the Nicene Creed) was adopted. Christianity came to be known or recognized as the state religion and it was evident that the governments of the church and state were joining hands. Everything started due to the reason of the union of church and the state. This let to the formation a government state led by the emperor, which enable him to have the central of control of the whole country was how Roman Catholic Church came to be.
2. OUTCOME OF THIS UNION.
This tendency toward the union of the church and civil government suggests a new question to the mind of the thoughtful student of history, "What is the teaching of Christ and his apostles on the relation of the church to the state?" When asked, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" Jesus replied, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." (Matt 22:21) Jesus recognized the authority of civil government in secular affairs and taught his followers to live in submission to the laws of the land so long as such laws do not oppose the laws of God. When Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God, the things that are God's," He did more than to place upon his followers the responsibility of seeking to live in submission to both civil and divine laws. He clearly set forth the principle of the separation of the church and state. The apostles of Christ commanded Christians to obey existing civil governments as may be seen from the following statement of scripture - "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." Romans 13:1 We also notice from statements found in 1 Timothy 2:1,2; Titus 3:1 and 1 Peter 2: 13-14 - we know that it is impossible for one to be a faithful Christian without being a law-abiding citizen. Christian teaches us to recognize the authority of civil government, the apostle also charged Christians to put God's authority above that of civil officers. When officers of the civil law charged the apostles that they should no longer preach the name of Jesus, they replied, “We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Therefore, both the church and state can serve the respective purposes which God intended for them only by remaining separate, each seeking to avoid interference with the other but Roman emperor intervened than the event in history maneuver Christianity into a more political issue concerning with power and world dominion.
3. BEGINNING OF PAPACY.
Papacy begun from the Roman Catholic Church, papacy is just an office in the system of central ecclesiastical government while the Roman Catholic Church is the organization of the whole church. What is actually Roman Catholic Church? According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, the Christian ecclesiastical term, catholic derived from the Greek adjective “καθολικός”, meaning "general" or "universal" and in Oxford English Dictionary as:
"Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western, (c) the Latin Church after that separation, (d) the part of the Latin Church that remained under the Roman obedience after the Reformation, (e) any church (as the Anglican) claiming continuity with (b)".
The word “catholic” can also be found in the Bible:
“At the end of the epistles stands seven - James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John, and Jude - which bear the name of catholic, or general. This title is inaccurate, for two of them, 2 and 3 John, are addressed to individuals, and two more to a designated circle of readers; James to "the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad" and 1 Peter to "those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout," etc. The following explanations have been given of the term: (1) these epistles are "general letters of instruction, the name at first applied only to a part, but afterward including even those addressed to private persons"; (2) because the different apostles wrote them; (3) because of the catholic doctrine taught in them; (4) 1 Peter and 1 John, having from the beginning been received as authentic, obtained the distinction of being catholic, or universally accepted; as the others came to be thus received, they also were called catholic”. [1]
Next, the word "Roman" was added into the before the word "Catholic church", what does it means? The term the "Roman Catholic Church" only meant to imply a section of a larger organization or entity that they call "the Catholic Church." It is not a communion with city/people of Rome but the Roman Catholic church drawing up point documents, correspondence with other churches as a whole. Today it is one of the world's largest single religious bodies consisting of 1.1 billion members. The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the pope, which is the successor of Peter and the Vicar of Christ. The term pappa from which the word "pope" is derived, originated in ancient colloquial Greek as endearing term for "father." It was used around the third century, to Eastern patriarchs, bishops, abbots and lastly to parish priests. In the west the term was never popular outside Rome, from the sixths century it increased usage for the bishop of Rome until later somewhere in eleventh century when Pope Gregory VII made it official. The term "papacy" (papatus), meant to distinguish the Roman bishop's office which the rests of bishoprics (episcopatus). Therefore, papacy begins from the Roman Catholic Church in the eleventh century.
The name of the word "Papacy" later denotes the office or the post of the pope that is the bishop of Rome, and the central ecclesiastical government system of the Roman Catholic Church. They believed they are the unbroken successor of St Peter (named to be the foundation stone of the church).They claimed the jurisdictional primacy in the church in what they latter called Petrine theory. According to this theory, it was affirmed by the Council of Florence in 1439, which was defined as a matter of faith by the First Vatican Council in 1870. Later years, the Second Vatican Council endorsed it in 1964 that Lord Jesus Christ really conferred the highest position of the church to St Peter alone and Rome as the capital city. They solemnized the Petrine primacy in the first Vatican council citing the three classical New Testament texts long associated with it: John 1:42, John 21:15 ff., and, above all, Matthew 16:18 ff.
"Thou art Peter [Cepha, transliterated also Kipha] and upon this rock [Cepha] I will build my Church." The word for Peter and for rock in the original Aramaic is one and the same; this renders it evident that the various attempts to explain the term "rock" as having reference not to Peter himself but to something else are misinterpretations"[2].
"The proof that Christ constituted St. Peter head of His Church is found in the two famous Petrine texts, Matthew 16:17-19, and John 21:15-17." [3]
"To be in continuity with the Church founded by Christ affiliation to the See of Peter is necessary, for, as a matter of history, there is no other Church linked to any other Apostle by an unbroken chain of successors." [4]
“It is Peter … who merits thrice to hear the words: "Feed My little lambs; feed My lambs; feed My sheep." And so, by feeding well the flock of Christ with the food of faith, he effaced the sin of his former fall. For this reason is he thrice admonished to feed the flock; thrice is he asked whether he loves the Lord, in order that he may thrice confess Him, Whom he had thrice denied before His Crucifixion”. [5]
4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAPAL POWER.
When Rome lost her place as capital of the world the founding of Constantinople as the capital of the Roman Empire in 325 AD., she began to assert her right to be the capital of the church. The five presiding bishops who lived in Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome were called "Patriarchs." In Patriarch at Rome took the title of "papa, father, and “afterward modified into” pope." A bitter battle for power was waged among the patriarchs. This battle finally narrowed down to a contest between the pope of Rome and the patriarch of Constantinople as to which should be the head of the Church. In 588 AD, the patriarch of Constantinople, John the Faster, assumed the title of "Universal Bishop of the Church." This was bitterly contested by the pope of Rome. In 606 AD., the emperor took the title of "Universal Bishop" away from John the Faster and conferred it upon Boniface III then Pope of Rome. Thus, papal supremacy was formally introduced. The date, 606 AD really marks the beginning of what is now known as the Roman Catholic Church, in a fully organized state, with the pope of Rome as its head.
5. THE CULMINATION OF PAPAL POWER.
The growth of papal power was gradual. The popes took the place of the Roman emperors as the rulers of Italy and later during the times of Charlemagne assumed the power of the crowning the kings of Europe. As the power of the pope increased, it met with resistance on the part of many kings and princes. Bitter controversies occurred. One of the most notable of these took place between Henry IV of Germany and Pope Gregory VII, or Hildebrand. Among other acts of discipline with, he directed toward Henry IV's reign, Pope Gregory excommunicated five of Henry's counselors who had been guilty of simony. Henry IV, feeling keenly the threat of his own power, called together the bishops of the Holy Roman Empire and compelled them to depose Gregory as pope. The pope then exercised his power and absolved all of Henry's subjects from allegiance to him. Since all the pope had great power over the people, Henry was left without a kingdom. In order to be forgiven by the pope and reinstated as king. Henry was forced to lay aside his royal garments, make a journey over the Alps in the dead of winter, and approach the pope in his palace at Canossa. After being force to stand outside the castle for three days, with his bare feet in the snow, he was admitted into the pope's presence on bended knees.
Another famous instance occurred later during the time of Pope Innocent III, who deposed John as King of England for opposing the Papal authority." [6]
Innocent III believed that he was the "Vice-regent of God upon earth." He believed himself to be the successor to St Peter and that he possessed "authority, not only over the church, but over the world."
6. CATHOLIC CLAIM FOR THE POPE.
At this point, we raise the question as to the power that is claimed by the Pope of Rome. Does the pope still consider himself the successor of St Peter? Does he still believe that the authority to rule over the world in both religious and civil affairs rightfully belongs to him? Does the Catholic Church still believe that the pope should exercise such power, or have catholic change? The only fair way to answer this question is to allow Catholics to speak for themselves. Archbishop James Cardinal Gibbons states:
"The church did not die with Peter. It was destined to continue till the end of time; consequently, whatever official prerogatives were conferred on Peter were not to cease at his death, but were to be handed down to his successors from generation to generation. The church is in all ages as much in need of a Supreme Ruler as it was in the days of the Apostles. Nay, more; as the church is now more widely diffused than it was then, and is ruled by the frailer men, it is more than ever in need of a central power to preserve its unity of faith and uniformity of discipline. Whatever privileges, therefore, were conferred on Peter which may be considered essential to the government of the church are inherited by the Bishops of Rome, as successors of the Prince of the Apostle; just as the constitutional powers given to George Washington have devolved on the present incumbent of the Presidential chair." [7]
7. PETER WAS NOT A POPE.
It is evident to the casual student that the whole foundation of Catholicism rests upon the pope and his authority. Remove the power of the pope and Catholicism crumbles. It is further evident to the casual student that the authority of the pope rests upon the one proposition as to whether Peter was a pope. Catholics claim that Peter was the first pope and that the pope of Rome today is the successor to Peter.
"... For though you think heaven still shut, remember that the Lord left here to Peter and through him to the Church, the keys of it, which every one who has been here put to the question, and also made confession, will carry with him. … to be sure, I shall carry with me excellent keys...." [8]
"But if you suppose that upon that one Peter only the whole church is built by God, what would you say about John the son of thunder or each one of the Apostles? Shall we otherwise dare to say, that against Peter in particular the gates of Hades shall not prevail, but that they shall prevail against the other Apostles and the perfect? Does not the saying previously made, "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it," hold in regard to all and in the case of each of them? And also the saying, "Upon this rock I will build My church"? Are the keys of the kingdom of heaven given by the Lord to Peter only, and will no other of the blessed receive them? But if this promise, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," be common to the others, how shall not all the things previously spoken of, and the things which are subjoined as having been addressed to Peter, be common to them?… For all bear the surname of "rock" who are the imitators of Christ, that is, of the spiritual rock which followed those who are being saved, that they may drink from it the spiritual draught. But these bear the surname of the rock just as Christ does". [9]
Refute the erroneous claim that Peter was the first pope, and you have destroyed the authority of the pope of Rome. With his authority gone, Catholicism comes crashing down when viewed from a scriptural standpoint.
Peter was not a pope because Christ, and not Peter, is the basic foundation of the church. Jesus said to Peter, "And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18) To interpret this statement of Jesus to mean that He would build His church upon Peter is a mistake for two reasons.
i) It ignores the difference in the two words rendered Peter and rock.
The name "Peter" here means "a stone" and in the musculine gender.. "Rock" here is feminine and refers to the foundation upon which Jesus built his church. "Petros" which means "a stone" is one thing, and "Petra" which means a "ledge of rock" is another. Jesus did not say nor mean to say that his church would be built upon "a stone", but upon a solid "ledge of rock." [10]
Peter had just confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. Peter was to be as a stone in preaching the gospel of Christ, but the church was to be built upon the bedrock foundation fact of the divinity of Christ.
ii) To say Christ promised to build his church upon Peter is to contradict a plain passage of scripture. Paul said: "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11) If Peter was the first pope, then he was the foundation upon which Christ built His church but, if Peter was the foundation of the church, then Paul was an imposter because he declared that Christ is the foundation and the only foundation upon which men can build their hopes. If Peter was the foundation of the church, to say that he must have successors is to say that a foundation succeeds a foundation under a building! Peter was a married man (Luke 4:38) but popes do not marry. Those who recognize the authority of the pope dare not rebuke him for his conduct. It is evident that Paul did not regard Peter as pope because he rebuke him with any mention of his supremacy (Gal 2:11-14). Peter would not permit men to worship him (Acts 10:25-26) but the pope of Rome expects ken to bow down to him and his subjects as address him "Lord the Pope: Therefore, Peter was never a pope.
8. STRANGE DOCTRINES.
While this drastic change in the organization of the church was taking place, there gradually came into prominence a system of strange doctrines, which fixed themselves in the religious practices of the day. I will briefly mention of some of these false doctrines, which were introduced between the second and the fourth centuries as an example.
Holy Water - said to be especially blessed and sanctified by the priest.
Penance - This infliction of punishment in expiation of sin and as evidence of one's penitence.
Latin Mass
Images of Saints and Martyrs.
Extreme Unction - Anointing the body of those thought to be dying.
Purgatory.
Transubstantiation - By prayer of hope or priest, the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper are said to be changed to the literal flesh and blood of Christ.
Celibacy - the popes and priests are forbidden to marry. This doctrine was prophesied in 1 Tim. 4:1-3
Indulgences - the authoritative remission of penances by the substitution for them of prayers, benevolent gifts, or other forms of devotion and self-sacrifice, was universally accepted.
Veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus as the Blessed Virgin Mary or Theotokos, and veneration of the saints.
The use of sacred images, candles, vestments and music, and often incense and water, in worship.
The use of prayer for the dead.
Requests to the departed saints for intercessory prayers.
Belief in Exorcisms
Auricular Confession - confessing one's sin into the ears of the priest that they may be forgiven.
Sprinkling for baptism beginning from infancy.
9. CONCLUSION.
Christianity was pure during the early or initial period but during the medieval period, the union of the state with the church by the emperor and the Roman Catholic Church, which though purity in itself was committed to the keeping of imperfect beings because they were more concerned with power of control. It was more like how the Jew brought with him into the Church the ideas of the synagogue, and attempted to graft the institutions of Moses upon the doctrines of Christ. This give rise to the Papacy and it is undoubtedly to be sought for in the corruption of human nature. The study of papacy or of historical facts in this course should somehow impress us to keep the church and civil government entirely separate in the first place. It is bad for both the church and state, for either to seek to control or just to direct the affairs of the other. This can be seem form the observance of the outward ceremony as listed above where it was just meant to the cultivation of the inward habit or performance of act to please the eyes of man, and not basing on Christ teaching. This would indirectly exhibit the master traits and leading peculiarities of each of the ancient worship of paganisms, which we suppose to get rid of. Papacy begun to deteriorate somewhere in the early 16th century which was the great challenge posed by Martin Luther to the traditional teaching on the church's doctrinal authority and much else besides. Martin Luther was a significant threat to the Roman Catholic Church or papacy and was a major faction in the rapid growth of the Protestant Reformation. This is how the establishment, organization and the setting of the Christian churches stand today.
[1] From The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.
[2] New Advent (Roman) Catholic Encyclopedia, The Pope
[3] New Advent (Roman) Catholic Encyclopedia, The Pope
[4] New Advent (Roman) Catholic Encyclopedia, Apostolic Succession
[5] Ambrose of Milan 339/340 - 397, Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book V, Prologue, § 2
[6] Frank Pack, Lesson in Church History (Chattanooga 1940, p.18)
[7] James Cardinal Gibbons, Faith of our Fathers, 94th Revised and Enlarged Edition (Baltimore), 108
[8] Terutllian, Scorpiace, Chapter X
[9] Origin's Second Book of the Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew, Book XII, § 11
[10] H.Leo Boles, A commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew (Nashville, 1926), 344-345
