The Popes (1)

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The Earlier Popes

How did we get Popes?

 The word, "Pope", is derived from "papa", meaning "Father". One might be tempted to ask: Since Jesus warned us "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven," why did he appoint Popes? The point, of course, is that Jesus did not appoint Popes and, as far as scripture shows us, had no intention that there should be such an office.

How, then, did the office of Pope develop? Originally, as we have seen elsewhere, the offices of Elder (or Presbyter) and Bishop (or Overseer) were synonymous. A local Church may have been governed by a group of elders or bishops, with deacons working alongside them in administrative roles.

Although Ignatius, writing about 110 AD stresses obedience to the bishop from the members of the church, he nowhere suggests that elders should obey bishops. It is not until the beginning of the third century that there is any clear indication of a distinction between bishops and elders. However, Irenaeus, at the end of the second century, did teach that the Church in Rome had been established by Peter and Paul. This gave a precedent for Cyprian, who in the middle of the third century taught that the Catholic Church was ruled by Bishops who were the successors of the Apostles. He also argued that the apostolic authority had been given to Peter ( Matthew 16:18). Since Peter had established the Church in Rome, it followed that the Bishop of Rome was the most important of the bishops.

It can be seen even from this brief glance that, as the church evolved from the loose knit fellowship of the New Testament times to the great institution that existed by the time of Constantine, so a structure of government evolved which echoed the power structure of secular kingdoms.

At the same time, the function of the presbyter was becoming more and more that of "priest" rather than leader or shepherd. It has been suggested that it was not the intention of Jesus that there should be a priesthood other than the "priesthood of all believers" found in the New Testament.

From the time when Constantine made Christianity a tolerated religion (about 325), there was an acceptance of a clergy who practiced priesthood, of rule by bishops of which the bishop of Rome was senior. At least, this was the situation in the western parts of the empire. In the East, the bishops of Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria ruled their separate provinces until the seventh century when the advance of Islam overtook Antioch and Alexandria leaving Constantinople supreme.

It would seem that the title of Pope as the exclusive title of the bishop of Rome was not in use until the early sixth century. However, the power of Rome was steadily increasing for some time prior to that. Leo I, who was bishop of Rome from 440-461, was a superb statesman who saved Rome from Attila the Hun and Genseric the Vandal. He used his abilities to increase the power of the Roman bishop over the bishops of western Europe. Other bishops of Rome built steadily upon this.

However, one of the greatest leaders the Catholic Church has ever had came a century later than Leo. He was Gregory I, called Gregory the Great, who held office from 540-604. It is after Gregory that the beautiful and now popular plainsong of the monasteries is named. Although he was not its inventor he certainly greatly encouraged it within his standardisation of the Roman liturgy.

Apparently, Gregory never called himself Pope but the changes he made to the Bishopric of Rome laid the foundation for the Papal system that held sway all through the middle ages.

Although in many ways Gregory's theology was orthodox, he encouraged various elements of popular, non-biblical religion. These included the concepts of purgatory, penance, the use of relics and amulets and prayer to the saints and martyrs. He reinterpreted the Eucharist from a sacrament or ordinance into a continuing sacrifice and encouraged the doctrine of transubstantiation ¹ (the belief that the elements of the communion actually and literally become flesh and blood.)

After Gregory I the bishops of Rome became known as Pope and the Papal system, with both its strengths and its weaknesses, ruled the Western Church for the best part of a thousand years.

Note: I have received an e-mail from Frederick J Mader including the following points

1. The word Transubstantiation was not ratified or used until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 under Pope Innocent III.
2. The doctrine of Transubstantiation (The Real Presence in the Eucharist) was extensively written about by the early Fathers of the Church (eg Polycarp, Ignatius of Antioch, Cornelius and many Popes before Gregory.