CHRISTIANITY IN THE MIDDLE ACES
exandria were originally more important than Rome Theological leadership in the western, Latin-speaking church was in North Africa.
Papal Primacy. In spite of the importance of Eastern church leadership, a tradition began to develop that considered the bishop in Rome as the most important Christian leader Eventually this tradition led to the idea that the bishop of Rome was the supreme Christian leader. All other Christians were to be submissive to him This idea is known as papal primacy
Papal primacy is based on several factors. Rome was the capital. It was natural to look to the city for both religious and political leadership The founding of the church in Rome also was associated with the two great figures of early Christianity—Peter and Paul Finally, those holding to the primacy of the Roman pope could cite Matthew 16: 18-19, where, because of Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus says:
You are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my church, and the powers of
death shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose of earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The argument based on this scripture reasons that because Peter was the first 'bishop'' of Rome, the powers given to him were transferred to all other bishops of Rome As a result, the pope was the “rock" upon which the church was built. Holding "the keys of the kingdom" meant those he forgave on earth would be forgiven in heaven, those who were condemned (excommunicated) on earth would be condemned in heaven. This reasoning eventually gave the pope tremendous power in matters of faith and morals and in practical concerns such as appointing or removing church officials and dealing with political leaders This tradition was even used to assert the supremacy of the pope to councils at later times
The argument for papal primacy developed over many centuries. For example, the Matthew text was not taken seriously as a ground for papal primacy until the reign of Pope Damasus (366-384). Even though the pope and his supporters claimed primacy, that did not mean he was recognized as supreme The Eastern church has always given a special place to the bishop of Rome, but it refuses to this day to recognize that he has much greater authority than any other patriarch Since the time of the Reformation, Protestant denominations have rejected the claims to papal primacy
In addition, the pope has had difficulty in establishing his right to supremacy even within the Roman Catholic church itself All through the Middle Ages, church people and secular leaders alike defied papal authority The pope has always had just as much authority as he has had the power to enforce
Leo the Great. At any rate, during the first four centuries of church history there was a growing trend to recognize a special place for the pope and some recognition of his primacy. It was Pope Leo I (440-461) who first asserted papal primacy in its full sense Leo was convinced that he was the successor to Peter and that the Lord had given to him the care of the whole church. To resist him was a sure way to hell. Anyone who did not recognize his authority was outside of the "body of Christ" (the church).
Leo's claims were given some support by the Romans because of the political chaos in the West. The western emperor was weak and made little effort to resist the invaders. Leo came to the rescue In 452 he successfully negotiated with Attila the Hun to prevent the capture of the city of Rome. Legend says that great fear was created in Attila by a vision of Saint Peter and Saint Paul marching with the pope as he went to confront the Hun. Leo then negotiated in 455 with the Vandals. This time he was not successful in saving Rome from capture but did prevent the city from being burned His achievements have led him to be referred to as Leo the Great.
Gelasius I. One of Leo's successors, Pope Gelasius I (492-496), advanced the claims to papal primacy further when he declared that priestly power was above kingly power The chair of Saint Peter (the pope) is supreme There can be no appeals for its decision Church authorities must submit to the emperor in secular matters. But in things concerning the church, the emperor must submit to the pope. With Leo and Gelasius, the foundation was laid for asserting papal authority in the Middle Ages.
Chaos continued to engulf Italy. Barbarian invaders competed with established residents for control The schism between East and West over theological questions lasted for years. Rival popes supported by the Germans and the Byzantines appeared in Rome Armed conflict between their supporters caused extensive damage to the city.
Gregory the Great. It was in this dangerous situation that one of the ablest popes of the Middle Ages came to be bishop of Rome Gregory I (590-604) was the son of a Roman government official and he may have been a government officer himself. Later he sold his land and possessions He gave the money to the poor and became a Benedictine monk He was appointed by Pope Pelagius II as an ambassador to the royal court in Constantinople. After