ArchivedApostolic succession?
During the persecution of Herod Agrippa, St. Peter, once miraculously liberated; "departed and went to another place" (Acts 12:17). If this other place was Rome, St. Peter could have arrived by 42 A.D., the date required in order to have the traditional quarter century episcopate in Rome (St. Jerome, Illustrious Men, 1). The exact date of arrival, however, is neither certain nor of any essential importance. What is beyond question is that Peter arrived in Rome at an early period, well before St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, written about 57-58 A.D. (Rom. 15:20); that he was Rome's first bishop, and that there he was martyred, sowing in blood a perpetual progeny of episcopal and papal succession. What is the evidence for the confident statements of Catholics that St. Peter was in Rome? First of all, Peter himself tells us so. In his first papal encyclical he designated Rome under a symbolic name well understood by his fellow Jews: "She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings" (1 Pet. 5:13). Now Jews would readily recognize under the name of their ancient persecutor, Babylon, then largely in ruins, the allusion to their contemporary ruler, Rome. Recognition became easier when St. John gave them a broad hint; "Babylon the great . . . seven hills" (Apoc. 17:5-9) could scarcely be other than Rome's famous seven hills. But if explicit identification be required, Clement of Alexandria gives it about 200 A.D. Clement, who would be well aware of the existence of another small town near Alexandria, Egypt, named Babylon, yet asserts: "Peter makes mention of Mark in his first Epistle which they report he wrote in Rome. as he indicates where he calls the city figuratively Babylon" (Clement, Hypotyposes, cited by Eusebius, History, II, 15 In a work issued in 1959, Father Kirschbaum, a member of the archeological commission excavating under the basilica during the 1940's, has given a summary of the findings. These are in brief that it is reasonably certain that the place where St. Peter was buried has been discovered. According to historical records, supplemented by these new discoveries, this is the "history" of the tomb. The Christians buried the Apostle's body in a simple grave on the southern slope of Vatican Hill and covered it with a few brick slabs. Soon other graves were made near that of St. Peter, and these have been recently discovered. Their existence and inscriptions on the wall make clear that from the very first St. Peter's tomb was a place of pilgrimage so that there was uninterrupted Christian veneration and observation of this spot. About the middle of the second century the grave was marked by a simple monumental slab, the "trophy" mentioned by Father Gaius about 200. During Valerian's persecution, when Christian cemeteries were closed for the first time, St. Peter's relics, but probably only the skull, were moved to a more secure place on the Via Appia. They were returned in the fourth century when Constantine began the first basilica over St. Peter's tomb. In 1503, work was begun to construct the modern basilica which was built over the tomb without disturbing it. During construction some attempts were made to reach the tomb, but were abandoned, it is now clear, before reaching the actual grave. The discoveries of 1940-51, however, successively penetrated the various layers and reached the actual site of the original grave of St. Peter. Here were found bones, all belonging to the same person, "an elderly and vigorous man," with the skull missing. The cautious archeologists will affirm no more than that these bones were believed to have been those of St. Peter by those who detached the skull for preservation during Valerian's persecution in the third century. In view of the continuous record up to that time of Christian devotion to the tomb, we believe that this ought to be enough to satisfy any reasonable man. We may conclude, then, that not only St. Peter's authority and spirit, but even the relics of his body, have remained in Rome. Also one more thing; From the 1st century an apocryphal work called the Ascension of Isaiah has come down to us; and this is probably the first and earlist document that attests to the martyrdom of Peter IN ROME. In a passage (Chap. 4:2f) we read the following prediction: ...then will arise Beliar, the great prince, the king of this world, who has ruled it since its origin; and he shall descend from his firmament in human form, king of wickedness, murderer of his mother, who himself is king of this world; and he will persecute the PLANT which the 12 apostles of the Beloved shall have planted; ONE of the 12 will be delivered into his hands. This is a clear reference to Emperor Nero who murdered his mother Agrippina in 59 A.D., and put Peter to death in February of 68 A.D. It cannot refer to Paul -- he was beheaded in January of 67 A.D. by Helius, one the prefects who was left in charge of Rome while Nero was away in Greece entertaining the fawning citizens of this vassal province. None denominational Christians are denominational, they are simply a denomination, as they are a splinter from Protestantism which in itself is a denomination. |
🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame