In Christian theology , ecclesiology is the study of the Church , the origins of Christianity , its relationship to Jesus , its role in salvation , its polity , its discipline , its eschatology , and its leadership .
89-579: Papal primacy , also known as the primacy of the bishop of Rome , is an ecclesiological doctrine in the Catholic Church concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal sees . While the doctrine is accepted at a fundamental level by both the Catholic Church ( Eastern and Western ) and the Eastern Orthodox Church , the two disagree on
178-554: A church council at Rome that was attended by a number of bishops including Polycarp , bishop of Smyrna. Although the council failed to reach agreement on the issue, ecclesiastical communion was preserved. A generation later, synods of bishops in Palestine , Pontus and Osrhoene in the east, and in Rome and Gaul in the west, unanimously declared that the celebration should be exclusively on Sunday. In 193, Victor , bishop of Rome, presided over
267-537: A combining term used in the names of sciences or bodies of knowledge. The similar word ecclesialogy first appeared in the quarterly journal The British Critic in 1837, in an article written by an anonymous contributor who defined it thus: We mean, then, by Ecclesialogy, a science which may treat of the proper construction and operations of the Church, or Communion, or Society of Christians; and which may regard men as they are members of that society, whether members of
356-422: A conciliis oecumenicis et summis pontificibus emanarunt . The work is today published as Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum . The Enchiridion is sometimes referred to as Denzinger , after its first editor , Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger . It is commonly abbreviated 'D', 'D.', or 'Dz'. It is also referred to as 'DS' in editions edited by Adolf Schönmetzer due to
445-476: A council at Rome and subsequently sent a letter about the matter to Polycrates of Ephesus and the churches of the Roman province of Asia. In the same year, Polycrates presided over a council at Ephesus attended by several bishops throughout that province, which rejected Victor's authority and kept the province's paschal tradition. Thereupon, Victor attempted to cut off Polycrates and the others who took this stance from
534-456: A general organ of Ecclesiology; that peculiar branch of science to which it seems scarcely too much to say, that this very magazine gave first its being and its name. The Ecclesiologist was first published in October 1841 and dealt with the study of the building and decoration of churches. It particularly encouraged the restoration of Anglican churches back to their supposed Gothic splendour and it
623-472: A particular church or denomination 's character, self-described or otherwise. This is the sense of the word in such phrases as Catholic ecclesiology , Protestant ecclesiology , and ecumenical ecclesiology. The roots of the word ecclesiology come from the Greek ἐκκλησία , ekklēsia ( Latin : ecclesia ) meaning " congregation , church " and -λογία , -logia , meaning "words", "knowledge", or "logic",
712-523: A power that it attributes also to the entire body of the bishops united with the pope. The power that it attributes to the pope's primatial authority has limitations that are official, legal, dogmatic, and practical. In the Ravenna Document , issued in 2007, representatives of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church jointly stated that both accept the bishop of Rome's primacy at
801-419: A primacy that sums up rather than rules over: "Primacy is power, but as power it is not different from the power of a bishop in each church. It is not a higher power but indeed the same power, only expressed, manifested, and realized by one." The Catholic Church attributes to the primacy of the pope " full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church , a power which he can always exercise unhindered,"
890-436: A proof of design in the visible creation, in the same do the gaps, if the word may be used, which occur in the structure of the original creed of the Church, make it probable that those developments, which grow out of the truths which lie around them, were intended to fill them up." Modern Eastern Orthodox writers such as Nikolay Afanásiev and Alexander Schmemann have written that the phrase "presiding in agape ", used of
979-418: A sense of obligation to the oppressed all over Christendom. ... Consequently, there was but one focus of authority. By the year 252, there seem to have been one hundred bishops in central and southern Italy but outside Rome there was nothing to set one bishop above another. All were on a level together, citizens of Italy, accustomed to look to Rome for direction in every detail of public life. The Roman bishop had
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#17328523432551068-466: A single leader until the 2nd century. Classic Roman Catholic tradition maintained that the universal primacy of the bishop of Rome was divinely instituted by Jesus Christ. This was derived from the Petrine texts, and from the gospel accounts of Matthew (16:17‑19) , Luke (22:32) and John (21:15‑17) according to the Roman tradition, they all refer not simply to the historical Peter, but to his successors to
1157-483: A transmission of Peter's leadership; nor is the transmission of apostolic authority in general very clear," it considers that its doctrine has a developmental history and that its teaching about matters such as the Trinity , the divinity of Christ , and the union of his two natures in a single person developed as the result of drawing out from the original revealed truth consequences that were not obvious at first: "Thanks to
1246-523: Is "primacy of jurisdiction, which means the possession of full and supreme teaching, legislative, and sacerdotal powers in the Catholic Church"; it is authority "not only in faith and morals but Church discipline and in the government of the Church." In 1983 CIC canon 331, the "bishop of the Roman Church" is both the "vicar of Christ" and "pastor of the universal Church on earth". Knut Walf, in New commentary on
1335-456: Is a compendium of texts on Catholic theology and morality . This compendium was first published in 1854, and has been updated many times in subsequent editions since. It is sometimes referred to as Denzinger , after its first editor , Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger . The name Enchiridion (from Greek cheir, "hand") means "handbook". It was originally published as Enchiridion symbolorum et definitionum, quae de rebus fidei et morum
1424-487: Is it lawful for anyone to judge its judgment, seeing that canons have willed that it might be appealed to from any part of the world, but that no one may be allowed to appeal from it." The historical and juridical development of the "primacy of the Roman Pontiff" from Pope Gregory I (590–604) to Pope Clement V (1305–1314) was a doctrinal evolution in fidelity of the depositum fidei ( deposit of faith ). In 1049,
1513-411: Is upheld today in the Catholic Church, developed over the course of centuries, often in reaction to challenges made against exercises of authority by popes, writers both of East and West declare that from a very early period the Church of Rome was looked to as the centre of reference for the whole Church. Thus Schmemann wrote: It is impossible to deny that, even before the appearance of local primacies,
1602-480: The sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches. In CCEO canon 45, the bishop of Rome has "by virtue of his office" both "power over the entire Church" and "primacy of ordinary power over all the eparchies and groupings of them" within each of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Through the office "of the supreme pastor of the Church," he is in communion with the other bishops and with the entire Church, and has
1691-509: The Byzantine throne in 602, the Diocese of Rome , Bishop Gregory I , praised Phocas as a "restorer of liberty" and referred to him as a pious and clement lord. Meanwhile Gregory I died in 604, and also his successor, Sabinian , in 606. After almost a year of vacancy, Emperor Phocas appointed Bonafice III as the new bishop of Rome on February 19, 607 AD. Then Phocas writes through imperial decree of
1780-511: The Catholic Church — composed of all baptized, professing Catholics, both clergy and laity—is the unified, visible society founded by Christ himself, and its hierarchy derives its spiritual authority through the centuries, via apostolic succession of its bishops, most especially through the bishop of Rome (the Pope) whose successorship comes from St. Peter the Apostle , to whom Christ gave "the keys to
1869-468: The Council of Reims , called by Pope Leo IX , adopted a dogmatic declaration about the primacy of the Roman Pontiff as the successor of Peter: " declaratum est quod solus Romanae sedis pontifex universalis Ecclesiae Primas esset et Apostolicus " (literal translation is "it was declared that only the bishop/pontiff of the see of Rome is the primate of the universal Church and apostolic"). When Phocas took
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#17328523432551958-586: The Holy Spirit . Not all Catholic theologians see a special providential intervention as responsible for the result, but most see the papacy, regardless of its origin, as now essential to the Church's structure. The presence of Peter in Rome, not explicitly affirmed in, but consistent with, the New Testament, is explicitly affirmed by Clement of Rome , Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyon and other early Christian writers – and no other place has ever claimed to be
2047-675: The Second Vatican Council in its ecumenical efforts. The Council, using this model, recognized in its document Lumen gentium that the Body of Christ subsists in a visible society governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside its visible structure. From the Eastern Orthodox perspective,
2136-409: The patriarchs . This distinction of levels does not diminish the sacramental equality of every bishop or the catholicity of each local Church. The evolution of earlier tradition established both Peter and Paul as the forefathers of the bishops of Rome, from whom they received their position as chief shepherd (Peter) and supreme authority on doctrine (Paul). To establish her primacy among the churches of
2225-462: The Bishop of Rome. This act effectively ended the attempt by Patriarch Cyriacus of Constantinople to establish himself as "Universal Bishop". The dispute about the authority of Roman bishops reached a climax in the year 1054, when the legate of Pope Leo IX excommunicated Patriarch of Constantinople Michael I Cerularius . Leo IX had, however, died before the legate issued this excommunication, depriving
2314-506: The Catholic Church at this time, although for reasons different from Martin Luther and the Protestants. Ecclesiological In its early history, one of the Church's primary ecclesiological issues had to do with the status of Gentile members in what had become the New Testament fulfilment of the essentially Jewish Old Testament church. It later contended with such questions as whether it
2403-608: The Catholic Church, including some itinerant friars' abuses involving indulgences. When Pope Leo X refused to support Luther's position, Luther claimed belief in an " invisible church " and called the pope the Antichrist . Luther's rejection of the primacy of the Pope led to the start of the Protestant Reformation , during which numerous Protestant sects broke away from the Catholic Church. The Church of England also broke away from
2492-654: The Christian Church in the widest acceptation of the term, or members of some branch or communion of that Church, located in some separate kingdom, and governed according to its internal forms of constitution and discipline. However, in volume 4 of the Cambridge Camden Society 's journal The Ecclesiologist , published in January 1845, that society (the CCS) claimed that they had invented the word ecclesiology : ...as
2581-595: The Church and the churches, and vice versa. Historically, that ecclesiological concept was applied in practice as patriarchal pentarchy , embodied in ecclesiastical unity of five major patriarchal thrones (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem). There is disagreement between the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Moscow on the question of separation between ecclesiological and theological primacy and separation of
2670-467: The Church as institution, as mystical communion, as sacrament, as herald, and as servant. The ecclesiological model of Church as an institution holds that the Catholic Church alone is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church", and is the only Church of divine and apostolic origin led by the Pope . This view of the Church is dogmatically defined Catholic doctrine, and is therefore de fide . In this view,
2759-536: The Church from the first days of her existence possessed an ecumenical center of unity and agreement. In the apostolic and Judeo-Christian period, it was the Church of Jerusalem , and later the Church of Rome – presiding in agape , according to St. Ignatius of Antioch. This formula, and the definition of the universal primacy contained in it, have been aptly analyzed by Fr Afanassieff and we need not repeat his argument here. Neither can we quote here all testimonies of
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2848-426: The Church in its inner core is community (Gemeinschaft) and in its outer core society (Gesellschaft). Here, the interpersonal aspect of the Church is given primacy and that the structured Church is the result of a real community of believers. Similarly, Yves Congar argued that the ultimate reality of the Church is a fellowship of persons. This ecclesiology opens itself to ecumenism and was the prevailing model used by
2937-547: The Church is one, even though it is manifested in many places. Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology operates with a plurality in unity and a unity in plurality. For Eastern Orthodoxy there is no 'either / or' between the one and the many. No attempt is made to subordinate the many to the one (the Roman Catholic model), nor the one to the many (the Protestant model). In this view, it is both canonically and theologically correct to speak of
3026-522: The Church of Rome in the letter that Ignatius of Antioch addressed to it in the early 2nd century, contains a definition of that Church's universal primacy; but the Catholic writer Klaus Schatz warns that it would be wrong to read this letter and the even earlier First Epistle of Clement (the name of Clement was added only later), in which the Church of Rome intervenes in matters of the Church of Corinth, admonishing it in authoritative tones, even speaking in
3115-542: The Code of Canon Law , notes that this description, "bishop of the Roman Church", is only found in this canon, and the term Roman pontiff is generally used in 1983 CIC . Ernest Caparros et al' s Code of Canon Law Annotated comments that this canon pertains to all individuals and groups of faithful within the Latin Church, of all rites and hierarchical ranks, "not only in matters of faith and morals but also in all that concerns
3204-552: The Council of Chalcedon in 451. Besides Rome, Jerusalem was also held in high prestige in the early Church, both because the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus occurred there, and on account of the 1st-century Council of Jerusalem . Followers of Jesus were first referred to as "Christians" (as well as "Catholic") in Antioch and was, together with Alexandria, important in the thought of
3293-554: The Eastern Churches (CCEO). The Second Vatican Council 's 1964 dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium (LG) declared that the "pope's power of primacy" is by "virtue of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church", and is "full, supreme and universal power over the Church" which he "is always free to exercise". The primacy of the bishop of Rome, according to John Hardon in Catholic Dictionary ,
3382-602: The Kingdom of Heaven". Thus, the Popes, in the Catholic view, have a God-ordained universal jurisdiction over the whole Church on earth. The Catholic Church is considered Christ's mystical body, and the universal sacrament of salvation, whereby Christ enables human to receive sanctifying grace. The model of Church as Mystical Communion draws on two major Biblical images, the first of the "Mystical Body of Christ" (as developed in Paul's Epistles) and
3471-510: The Roman church possessed "the supreme and full primacy and authority over the universal Catholic Church." The council was seemingly a success, but did not provide a lasting solution to the schism. Michael's death in December 1282 put an end to the union of Lyon. His son and successor Andronikos II Palaiologos repudiated the union. The primacy of the Pope was again challenged in 1517 when Martin Luther began preaching against several practices in
3560-525: The Roman government, proclaims Boniface III as the "Head of all the Churches" and "Universal Bishop". Phocas transfers the title of "Universal Bishop" from Diocese of Constantinople to Diocese of Rome. Boniface sought and obtained a decree from Phocas which he restated that "the See of Blessed Peter the Apostle should be the head of all the Churches" and ensured that the title of "Universal Bishop" belonged exclusively to
3649-413: The Roman see. Although the introduction of Christianity was not due to them, "the arrival, ministries and especially the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul were the seminal events which really constituted the Church of Rome. It was from their time, and not before, that an orderly and meetly ordained succession of Bishops originated." While the doctrine of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, in the form in which it
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3738-722: The West. Wishing to end the East-West Schism that divided Rome and Constantinople , Gregory X had sent an embassy to Michael VIII, who had reconquered Constantinople, putting an end to the remnants of the Latin Empire in the East. On 29 June 1274 (the Feast of Peter and Paul, the patronal feast of popes), Gregory X celebrated Mass in St John's Church where both sides took part. The council declared that
3827-586: The Western half of the empire, the bishops of Rome relied on a letter written in 416 by Innocent I to the Bishop of Gubbio , to show how subordination to Rome had been established. Since Peter was the only apostle (no mention of Paul) to have worked in the West, thus the only persons to have established churches in Italy, Spain, Gaul, Sicily, Africa, and the Western islands were bishops appointed by Peter or his successors. This being
3916-487: The advancement of the see of Constantinople over the sees of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem led successive bishops of Rome to attempt a sharper definition of their ecclesial position vis-a-vis the other bishops. The first documented use of the description of Saint Peter as first bishop of Rome, rather than as the apostle who commissioned its first bishop, dates from 354, and the phrase "the Apostolic See", which refers to
4005-501: The assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church 'through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts'; it is in particular 'theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth.'" Accordingly, it would be a mistake to expect to find the modern fully developed doctrine of papal primacy in
4094-526: The attitude the other churches would adopt. In the aftermath of the Decian persecution , Pope Stephen I (254-257) was asked by Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) to resolve a dispute among the bishops of Gaul as to whether those who had lapsed could be reconciled and readmitted to the Christian community. Cyprian stressed the Petrine primacy as well as the unity of the Church and the importance of being in communion with
4183-400: The bishops. For Cyprian, "the Bishop of Rome is the direct heir of Peter, whereas the others are heirs only indirectly", and he insisted that "the Church of Rome is the root and matrix of the Catholic Church". Cyprian wrote Pope Stephen asking him to instruct the bishops of Gaul to condemn Marcianus of Arles, (who refused to admit those who repented) and to elect another bishop in his stead. It
4272-480: The case then, all congregations had to abide by the regulations set in Rome. Because of its association with the supposed position of Peter among the apostles, the function that, within the Catholic Church, is exercised by the Bishop of Rome among the bishops as a whole is referred to as the Petrine function, and is generally believed to be of divine institution, in the sense that the historical and sociological factors that influenced its development are seen as guided by
4361-461: The celibacy of the clergy. The Quartodeciman controversy arose because Christians in the Roman province of Asia ( Western Anatolia ) celebrated Easter at the spring full moon, like the Jewish Passover , while the churches in the West observed the practice of celebrating it on the following Sunday ("the day of the resurrection of our Saviour"). In 155, Anicetus , bishop of Rome, presided over
4450-471: The common unity, but later reversed his decision after bishops, that included Irenaeus of Lyon in Gaul, interceded and recommended that Victor adopt the more tolerant stance of his predecessor, Anicetus. This incident is cited by some Orthodox Christians as the first example of overreaching by the Bishop of Rome and resistance of such by Eastern churches. Laurent Cleenewerck suggests that this could be argued to be
4539-521: The different ecclesiological levels: Historical development of the Church of the East outside the political borders of the Late Roman Empire and its eastern successor, the Byzantine Empire , resulted in the creation of its distinctive theological and ecclesiological traditions, regarding not only the questions of internal institutional and administrative organization of the Church, but also
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#17328523432554628-460: The disciples that they will do the same. Similarly, the foundation upon which the Church is built is related to Peter in Matthew 16:16 , and to the whole apostolic body elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. Eph. 2:20 ). Irenaeus of Lyon (AD 189) wrote that Peter and Paul had founded the Church in Rome and had appointed Pope Linus to the office of the episcopate , the beginning of the succession of
4717-407: The discipline and government of the Church throughout the whole world". Heinrich Denzinger , Peter Hünermann, et al. Enchiridion symbolorum (DH) states that Christ did not form the Church as several distinct communities, but unified through full communion with the bishop of Rome and profession of the same faith with the bishop of Rome. The bishop of Rome is a subject of supreme authority over
4806-464: The early Church and most especially the Church father St. Augustine of Hippo . It also challenged the Catholic doctrine that the Catholic Church was indefectible and infallible in its dogmatic teachings. There is no single "Radical Reformation Ecclesiology". A variety of views is expressed among the various " Radical Reformation " participants. A key "Radical Reformer" was Menno Simons , known as an " Anabaptist ". He wrote: They verily are not
4895-574: The early Church. It is important to note, however, that the three main apostolic sees of the early Church (i.e. the See of Antioch , the See of Alexandria , and the See of Rome ) were directly related to Peter . Prior to becoming Bishop of Rome, Peter was Bishop of Antioch. Additionally, his disciple Mark founded the church in Alexandria. The doctrine of the sedes apostolica (apostolic see) asserts that every bishop of Rome, as Peter's successor, possesses
4984-404: The early to mid-20th century. This shift is most clearly marked by the encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu in 1943. Avery Robert Cardinal Dulles , S.J. contributed greatly to the use of models in understanding ecclesiology. In his work Models of the Church , he defines five basic models of the Church that have been prevalent throughout the history of the Catholic Church. These include models of
5073-579: The eastern churches insisted that their traditions were older and quite as sacred, if not more so, the voice in the West, unaccustomed to rivalry at home, spoke on regardless of protest or denunciation at a distance. Eastern Orthodox theologian Nicholas Afanassieff cites Irenaeus in Against Heresies 3:4:1 as illuminating that during the pre-Nicene period, the Church of Rome acted as arbiter in resolving disputes between local churches. Rome's support would ensure success, while refusal from Rome predetermined
5162-469: The end of time. Today, scriptural scholars of many traditions agree that it is possible to discern in the New Testament an early tradition that attributes a special position to Peter among Christ's twelve apostles. The Church built its identity on them as witnesses, and responsibility for pastoral leadership was not restricted to Peter. In Matthew 16:19 , Peter is explicitly commissioned to "bind and loose"; later, in Matthew 18:18 , Christ directly promises all
5251-405: The established ecclesiastical levels: locally, for the bishop as protos of his diocese with regard to his presbyters and people; regionally, for the protos of each metropolis with regard to the bishops of his province , and for the protos of each of the five patriarchates , with regard to the metropolitans of each circumscription; and universally, for the bishop of Rome as protos among
5340-443: The fathers and the councils unanimously acknowledging Rome as the senior church and the center of ecumenical agreement. It is only for the sake of biased polemics that one can ignore these testimonies, their consensus and significance. In their The See of Peter (1927), non-Catholic academic historians James T. Shotwell and Louise Ropes Loomis, noted the following: Unquestionably, the Roman church very early developed something like
5429-511: The first centuries, thereby failing to recognize the Church's historical reality. The figure of the pope as leader of the worldwide church developed over time, as the figure of the bishop as leader of the local church seems to have appeared later than in the time of the apostles. That the Christian scriptures, which contain no cut-and-dried answers to questions such as whether or not there is forgiveness for post-baptismal sins, and whether or not infants should be baptized, gradually become clearer in
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#17328523432555518-533: The first fissure between the Eastern and Western churches. According to James McCue, Victor's threatened excommunication was an "intradiocesan affair" between two local churches and did not pertain to the universal church. The First Council of Nicaea was convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325. Canon IV states: "A bishop is to be chosen by all the bishops of the province, or at least by three,
5607-441: The first place in the taxis [lit. 'arrangement, order')], and that the bishop of Rome was therefore the protos [lit. 'first')] among the patriarchs". The same agreement stated: In the history of the East and of the West, at least until the ninth century, a series of prerogatives was recognised, always in the context of conciliarity, according to the conditions of the times, for the protos or kephale [lit. 'head')] at each of
5696-421: The full authority granted to this position and that this power is inviolable on the grounds that it was established by God himself and so not bound to any individual. In line with the norm of Roman law that a person's legal rights and duties passed to his heir, Pope Leo I (440–461) taught that he, as Peter's representative, succeeded to the power and authority of Peter, and he implied that it was through Peter that
5785-453: The legate of its authority and thereby rendering the excommunication technically invalid. Similarly, a ceremony of excommunication of Leo IX then performed by Michael I was equally invalid, since one cannot be posthumously excommunicated. This event led to the schism of the Greek and Latin churches. In itself, it did not have the effect of excommunicating the adherents of the respective churches, as
5874-411: The light of events, is a view expressed, when considering the doctrine of papal primacy, by Cardinal John Henry Newman , who summed up his thought by saying: [...] developments of Christianity are proved to have been in the contemplation of its Divine Author, by an argument parallel to that by which we infer intelligence in the system of the physical world. In whatever sense the need and its supply are
5963-479: The location of his death. The same witnesses imply that Peter was the virtual founder of the Church of Rome, though not its founder in the sense of initiating a Christian community there. They also speak of Peter as the one who initiated its episcopal succession, but speak of Linus as the first bishop of Rome after Peter, although some hold today that the Christians in Rome did not act as a single united community under
6052-872: The moment of their call. This was in direct contrast to the hierarchical, sacramental ecclesiology that characterised the incumbent Roman Catholic tradition as well as the new Lutheran and other prominent Protestant movements of the Reformation . Some other Radical Reformation ecclesiology holds that "the true church [is] in heaven, and no institution of any kind on earth merit[s] the name 'church of God.'" For historical Protestant ecclesiology, see Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum The Enchiridion (full title: Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum ; "A handbook of symbols, definitions and declarations on matters of faith and morals"), usually translated as The Sources of Catholic Dogma ,
6141-517: The name of God, as statements of the developed Catholic teaching on papal primacy. It was only later that the expression of Ignatius of Antioch could be interpreted as meaning, as agreed by representatives of both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, that "Rome, as the Church that 'presides in love' according to the phrase of St Ignatius of Antioch ( To the Romans , Prologue), occupied
6230-568: The nature of primacy. English academic and Catholic priest Aidan Nichols wrote that "at root, only one issue of substance divides the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Churches, and that is the issue of the primacy." French Eastern Orthodox researcher Jean-Claude Larchet wrote that, together with the Filioque controversy, differences in interpretation of this doctrine have been and remain
6319-402: The other apostles received from Christ strength and stability. Leo argued that the apostle Peter continued to speak to the Christian community through his successors as bishop of Rome. Pope Gelasius I (492–496) stated: "The see of blessed Peter the Apostle has the right to unbind what has been bound by sentences of any pontiffs whatever, in that it has the right to judge the whole church. Neither
6408-625: The prerogative of honour after the Bishop of Rome because Constantinople is New Rome." Thomas Shahan says that, according to Photius, Pope Damasus approved the council of Constantinople, but he adds that, if any part of the council were approved by this pope, it could have been only its revision of the Nicene Creed , as was the case also when Gregory the Great recognized it as one of the four general councils, but only in its dogmatic utterances. The increasing involvement of Eastern emperors in church matters and
6497-674: The primacy among the apostles that Jesus gave to Peter in Matthew 16:16–19 : Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven and in John 21:15–17 : "Feed my lambs [...] Feed my sheep." While acknowledging that "the New Testament contains no explicit record of
6586-427: The primary causes of schism between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Eastern Orthodox churches, some understand the primacy of the bishop of Rome to be merely one of greater honour, regarding him as primus inter pares ("first among equals"), without effective power over other churches. A prominent 20th century Eastern Orthodox Christian theologian , Fr. Alexander Schmemann, envisioned
6675-412: The prince of the apostles delivered to the church at Rome and which it has watched over until now, and nothing may be added or introduced that lacks this authority or that derives its pattern from somewhere else." Pope Boniface I (418–422) stated that the church of Rome stood to the churches throughout the world "as the head to the members", a statement that was repeated by the delegates of Pope Leo I to
6764-413: The questions of universal ecclesiastical order. Martin Luther argued that because the Catholic Church had "lost sight of the doctrine of grace", it had "lost its claim to be considered as the authentic Christian church". This argument was open to the counter-criticism from Catholics that he was thus guilty of schism and the heresy of Donatism , and in both cases therefore opposing central teachings of
6853-526: The recurrence of such abuses." The event that is often considered to have been the first conflict between Rome and Constantinople was triggered by the elevation of the see of Constantinople to a position of honour, second only to Rome on the grounds that, as capital of the eastern Roman empire, it was now the " New Rome ". This was promulgated in the First Council of Constantinople (381) canon 3 which decreed: "The Bishop of Constantinople , however, shall have
6942-460: The rest giving by letter their assent; but this choice must be confirmed by the Metropolitan." Karl Josef von Hefele says that this was probably in response to Melitius of Lycopolis , who "had nominated bishops without the concurrence of the other bishops of the province, and without the approval of the metropolitan of Alexandria, and had thus occasioned a schism. This canon was intended to prevent
7031-481: The right not only to ordain but even, on occasion, to select bishops for Italian churches. ... To Christians of the Occident, the Roman church was the sole, direct link with the age of the New Testament and its bishop was the one prelate in their part of the world in whose voice they discerned echoes of the apostles' speech. The Roman bishop spoke always as the guardian of an authoritative tradition, second to none. Even when
7120-456: The right to determines whether to exercise this authority either personally or collegially. This "primacy over the entire Church" includes primacy over Eastern Catholic patriarchs and eparchial bishops, over governance of institutes of consecrated life , and over judicial affairs. Primacy of the bishop of Rome was also codified in the 1917 Code of Canon Law (1917 CIC) canons 218–221. The Catholic Church bases its doctrine of papal primacy on
7209-468: The same apostle, began to be used exclusively of the see of Rome, a usage found also in the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon . From the time of Pope Damasus, the text of Matthew 16:18 ("You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church") is used to support Roman primacy. Pope Innocent I (401–417) claimed that all major cases should be reserved to the see of Rome and wrote: "All must preserve that which Peter
7298-539: The science of the building and decoration of churches, promoted by the Cambridge Camden Society, the Ecclesiological Society and the journal The Ecclesiologist, ecclesiology now stands for the study of the nature of the Christian church." Catholic ecclesiology today has a plurality of models and views, as with all Catholic Theology since the acceptance of scholarly Biblical criticism that began in
7387-493: The second of the "People of God." This image goes beyond the Aristotelian-Scholastic model of " Communitas Perfecta " held in previous centuries. This ecclesiological model draws upon sociology and articulations of two types of social relationships: a formally organized or structured society (Gesellschaft) and an informal or interpersonal community (Gemeinschaft). The Catholic theologian Arnold Rademacher maintained that
7476-478: The tit-for-tat excommunications, even had they been valid, would have applied to the named persons only. At the time of the excommunications, many contemporary historians, including Byzantine chroniclers, did not consider the event significant. On 31 March 1272, Pope Gregory X convoked the Second Council of Lyon to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to reunite the Eastern church with
7565-447: The true congregation of Christ who merely boast of his name. But they are the true congregation of Christ who are truly converted, who are born from above of God, who are of a regenerate mind by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the hearing of the divine Word, and have become the children of God, have entered into obedience to him, and live unblamably in his holy commandments, and according to his holy will with all their days, or from
7654-595: The universal level, but that differences of understanding exist about how the primacy is to be exercised and about its scriptural and theological foundations. The Catholic dogma of the primacy of the bishop of Rome is codified in both codes of canon law of the Catholic Church ;– the Latin Church 's 1983 Code of Canon Law (1983 CIC) and the Eastern Catholic Churches ' 1990 Code of Canons of
7743-502: Was at the centre of the wave of Victorian restoration that spread across England and Wales in the second half of the 19th century. Its successor Ecclesiology Today is still, as of 2017 , being published by The Ecclesiological Society (successor to the CCS, now a registered charity ). The situation regarding the etymology has been summed up by Alister McGrath : "'Ecclesiology' is a term that has changed its meaning in recent theology. Formerly
7832-642: Was to Pope Damasus I (366–384) that Jerome appealed in 376, to settle a dispute as to who, among three rival claimants, was the legitimate Patriarch of Antioch. In the strictest sense of the word, " decretal " means a papal rescript ( rescriptum ), an answer of the pope when he has been appealed to or his advice has been sought on a matter of discipline. The oldest preserved decretal is a letter of Pope Siricius (r. 384-399) in response to an inquiry from Himerius , Bishop of Tarragona ( fl. 385), in which Siricius issued decisions on fifteen different points, on matters regarding baptism, penance, church discipline and
7921-456: Was to be governed by a council of presbyters or a single bishop , how much authority the bishop of Rome had over other major bishops, the role of the Church in the world, whether salvation was possible outside of the institution of the Church, the relationship between the Church and the State, and questions of theology and liturgy and other issues. Ecclesiology may be used in the specific sense of
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