Papal Primacy
Does Peter's chair in Rome hold authority over the whole Church?
Papal primacy is the claim that the bishop of Rome holds a primacy of authority over the universal Church, appealing to Matthew 16:18 and early witnesses like Clement of Rome and Leo the Great. It remains a chief church-dividing issue: Catholics affirm universal jurisdiction, the Orthodox accept a primacy of honor but reject universal jurisdiction, and Protestants reject the office itself.
How it traveled
- The Treatises of Cyprian.Carthage · 258explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Second Ecumenical Council: The First Council of ConstantinopleConstantinople (Istanbul) · 381challenges
- The Letters of St. JeromeBethlehem · 420explains
- The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of EphesusEphesus · 431explains
- The Ecclesiastical History of SozomenConstantinople (Istanbul) · 450explains
- The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of ChalcedonChalcedon · 451explains
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · 461explains
- The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of ConstantinopleConstantinople (Istanbul) · 553explains
- The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- Selected Epistles of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- The Canons of the Synods of Sardica, Carthage, Constantinople, and Carthage Under St. Cyprian, Which Canons Were Received by the Council in Trullo and Ratified by II. NiceConstantinople (Istanbul) · 692explains
- Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic ChurchGeneva · 1564applies
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
OF THE PRIMACY OF THE ROMISH SEE. The divisions of this chapter are,—I. Question stated, and an argument for the primacy of the Roman Pontiff drawn from the Old Testament refuted, sec. 1, 2. II. Repl
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
OF THE JURISDICTION OF THE CHURCH, AND THE ABUSES OF IT, AS EXEMPLIFIED IN THE PAPACY. This chapter may be conveniently comprehended under two heads,—I. Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, its necessity, or
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
8. Although we have not said all that might here be adduced, and even what has been said is only briefly glanced at, enough, I trust, has been said to leave no man in doubt that the spiritual power on
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
11. At length the Roman Pontiff, not content with moderate districts, laid hands first on kingdoms, and thereafter on empire. And that he may on some pretext or other retain possession, secured by mer
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
15. To jurisdiction is annexed the immunity claimed by the Romish clergy. They deem it unworthy of them to answer before a civil judge in personal causes; and consider both the liberty and dignity of
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
9. I come to the seculars, some of whom are (as they speak) beneficiaries; that is, have offices by which they are maintained, while others let out their services, day by day, to chant or say masses,
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
4. How unbecomingly they wrest the passages of binding and loosing I have elsewhere glanced at, and will in a short time more fully explain. It may now be worth while merely to see what they can extra
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
12. Let us see, however, how admirably they reason. Peter, they say, had the first place among the apostles; therefore, the church in which he sat ought to have the privilege. But where did he first s
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
114 D114 In Paul’s second epistle to Timothy (the last of the Pauline epistles, dated A.D. 67), he states that at his first defense no man stood with him, but that all forsook him (2 Tim. 4:17). Where
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
17. But since on this our opponents would rear up a primacy and supreme authority over other churches, they, as I have said, greatly err. That this may better appear, I will first briefly show what th
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
29. But I have no pleasure in this absurd mode of disputation, and therefore return to the point from which I digressed. To fix down Christ and the Holy Spirit and the Church to a particular spot, so
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
1. In regard to the antiquity of the primacy of the Roman See, there is nothing in favour of its establishment more ancient than the decree of the Council of Nice, by which the first place among the P
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
4. The controversy concerning the title of universal bishop arose at length in the time of Gregory, and was occasioned by the ambition of John of Constantinople. For he wished to make himself universa
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
6. Be this as it may, let us consider what right or authority the Roman See then possessed. Ecclesiastical power may be reduced to four heads—viz. ordination of bishops, calling of councils, hearing o
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
9. The fourth remaining species of power is that of hearing appeals. It is evident that the supreme power belongs to him to whose tribunal appeals are made. Many had repeatedly appealed to the Roman P
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
12. In the time of Gregory, that ancient rule was greatly changed. For when the empire was convulsed and torn, when France and Spain were suffering from the many disasters which they ever and anon rec
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
16. But shortly after, John, who, in the time of Gregory, presided over the church of Constantinople, went so far as to say that he was universal Patriarch. Here Gregory, that he might not be wanting
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
21. I will not treat with them on the strictest terms. In opposition to their great insolence, some would quote the language which Cyprian used to the bishops in the council over which he presided: “N
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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
As to the See of Prima Justiniana, the Metropolitan jurisdiction assigned to it by the Emperor Justinian, and the vicariate jurisdiction that had been transferred to it from Thessalonica by the popes,
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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
Still it is very distressing, and hard to be borne with patience, that my aforesaid brother and fellow-bishop, despising all others, should attempt to be called sole bishop. But in this pride of his w
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