The Monarchal Bishop

Near the end of the first century, Clement of Rome (ca. 30-100) introduced the theory of apostolic succession. Although he never used this term, he believed a bishop’s authority derived from the apostles, but he said this in the context of a local church’s elders (bishops) and deacons, not the church at large. He emphasized obedience to them. In the centuries following his martyrdom (100 A.D.), his theory assumed a broader meaning. 

By the second century, rampant heresies led to the rise of monarchal bishops. These men served local congregations as pastors, exercised authority over other elders and deacons, and enabled the church to present a united front in defense of sound orthodoxy through their writing and preaching, and they helped Christians endure persecution.

An early church father, Ignatius of Antioch (1^st to 2^nd c.), had a famous saying: “Do nothing without the bishop.” For the sacraments to be valid, he said, a bishop must be present. In his Epistle to Smyrna (c. 170), he was the first person to use the word “catholic,” by which he meant the universal church, not the Roman Catholic Church, for it hadn’t yet fully developed.  

The Rise of the Roman Papacy

Over the first three centuries of church history (100-313 A.D.) various Christian strongholds vied for dominance. Jerusalem, the first major center (c. 30-44 A.D.), lost its influence when Christians fled the city during Roman general Titus’s attack in 69-70 A.D.

Antioch of Syria, the Apostle Paul’s home base, took over from Jerusalem, but lost its importance due to wars and theological controversies. As did Alexandria, Egypt, for the same reasons.

Other key centers, such as Ephesus and later, Constantinople, fell by the wayside as conflicts for primacy among churches continued. Eventually, Christians in the West looked to Rome for leadership.

Rome’s Claims for Primacy

1. Many early Church leaders connected Peter to Rome.
2. Eusebius, the Father of Church History, recounted what these early leaders wrote, and he said Peter’s martyrdom happened during Nero’s persecution.
3. The apocryphal Acts of Peter recounts stories of Peter doing miracles in Rome.
4. John Mark, author of the New Testament’s second gospel, is said to have interviewed Peter in Rome.
5. Depictions of Peter are seen in Rome’s catacombs.  
6. Origen (c. 185-254) claimed Peter was crucified upside down.
7. Finally, Rome, as the capital of the Roman Empire, held a special place of honor in the Church.

Apostolic Succession

Although we’ve established the fact in the previous post that Peter was not Rome’s first bishop, how did such a notion come about that popes were in the line of Peter’s authority?

Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon (170 A.D.), claimed him as its first bishop.

Tertullian of Carthage (c. 155-240 A.D.) produced a list of bishops citing Peter as its first one. Two other rivals for primacy supported Tertullian’s list, but they only claimed episcopal authority – not papal. By the early third century, bishops held sway over all local congregations.

By the seventh century, papal primacy became well established in the West. By the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, during the pontificate of Innocent III (1198-1216), it became fact.

Historians consider Gregory I (the Great) the Church’s first medieval pope, whose papacy spanned the years 590 to 604.

Though this is an oversimplification of how the Roman Church developed, I hope some will find it informative.’

Bibliography

Bayer, Hans F. “Mark.” In ESV Study Bible, edited by Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem, page 1999. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967

Hinson, E. Glenn, The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996.

Engelbrecht, Edward A., and Laura L. Lane, eds. The Church from Age to Age: A History from Galilee to Global Christianity. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2011.