Papal Authority & Papal Infallibility Claims Outline by Vocab Malone for Backpack Radios Is Rome the True

Church? Broadcast

PAPAL AUTHORITY Pope Stephen vs. the Spanish Church (254) Two deposed bishops appealed to Rome. The Bishop reversed the call, demanding reinstatement. Cyprian convened a council, advising the Spanish bishops to ignore Stephen and stick to their decision.

Pope Stephen vs. 87 Bishops (256) The Council of Carthage and Cyprian formally decreed opposition to Stephens teaching about heretical baptism and rebaptism. During the dispute, Stephen applied Matthew 16:18 to himself, claiming to be the bishop of bishops. Response? For no one of us setteth himself up as a Bishop of Bishops, or by tyrannical error forceth his Colleagues to a necessity of obeying. He was also said to be glorying in his standing as bishop and of claiming to hold the succession from Peter.

Pope Julius vs. The Eastern Bishops (341-342) East held a synod at Antioch (341), passed 25 canons (later adopted by Chalcedon) w/out Pope Bishops refused to take part of Sardican Council (342), as long as Rome recognized Athanasius The East demanded Rome recognize their authority and not interfere. Bishops on equal footing.

Pope Zosimus vs. The North African Church (417-418) Pope tried to reinstate the deposed Apiarius. N. Africans rejected, passed decrees forbidding appeals to other sees at a synod in Carthage (424).

Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) vs. Constantinople Canon 28 of Constantinople forbade bishops to meddle in the ecclesiastical affairs of others. The bishop of Rome, Gregory, agrees in letters to John, patriarch of Constantinople (who claimed the title Universal Bishop): Now I confidently say that whosoever calls himself, or desires to be called, Universal Priest, is in his elation the precursor of Antichrist, because he proudly puts himself above all others.

Forgeries vs. The Rest of the Church (9th Century) Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals (845). Forged docs w/fake church history, including precedents for Roman universal authority over the church. Pope Nicholas I (858-867) used them first but Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) combined them w/other forgeries, The Donation of Constantine and The Liber Pontificalis to elevate Gregory to absolute monarch. Gratian used these in his Decretum, becoming basis of canon law.

Papal Authority & Papal Infallibility Claims Outline by Vocab Malone for Backpack Radios Is Rome the True Church? Broadcast

PAPAL INFALLIBILITY Pope Liberius (352-366) Gave in and signed an Arian confession and agreed to excommunicate Athanasius. Later reversed this. Pope Zosimus (417-418) Rebuked N. African Church for condemning Pelagius and Celestius. Opposite of Pope Innocent (401-17). 200 bishops passed canons condemning Pelagianism at general synod in Carthage (418). Pope flip-flops. Pope Vigilius (537-555) Emperor Justinian (not Pope) convened 5th Ecumenical Council (553) to examine The Three Chapters. Vigilus issued The Constitutum, saying no one can investigate or condemn them. This reversed an earlier papal decree, The Judicatum, where he opposed them. The council ignored this, anathematized the authors and those who would not condemn them. Vigilus issued a second Constitutum, canceling his earlier one and submitting to the council. Pope Honorius (625-638) In letters to Sergius I, patriarch of Constantinople, Honorius embraced monothelitism, heresy that Christ only had one will, the divine. Condemned as a heretic at the 6th Ecumenical Council (680-681). Ratified by next 2 ecumenical councils, Pope Leo II (682) and all popes until the 11th century. Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) Issued Unam Sanctam (1302), bull which declared papal authority over temporal matters and made obedience to pope condition for salvation. Vatican II says non-Roman Catholics can experience salvation. Pope Eugenius (1431-1447) Council of Basel (1431) reaffirmed superiority of councils over popes. Eugenius opposed. Pope Martin V (1417-1431) sanctioned. Eugenius later affirmed but Vatican I (1870) abrogated all of them. Paul V (1605-1621) and Urban VIII (1623-1644) Officially censured and condemned Galileos teaching because the Copernican theory of the solar system contradicted the Churchs right to infallibly interpret Scripture. Some Questions for Roman Catholic Apologists: 1. Why are only 2 popes (Leo I, Gregory the Great) mentioned for theological contributions? 2. How can Roman claims contradict what Rome sees as the infallible magisterium of the patristic age in their interpretation of Matthew 16, John 21, and Luke 22? Trent and Vatican I both say this is unlawful. 3. In all the theological controversies of the first seven centuries of the church, why did only one pope (Leo I at Chalcedon) play a substantial role in the resolution? 4. Rome claims infallibility for both the Pope (when he is speaking ex cathedra) and for ecumenical councils. What do they do with the times when these two have directly contradicted each other? 5. Rome says Clements letter from Rome to the Corinthian church (96) proves his jurisdictional authority. Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 112-16) wrote letters to different churches, including Rome, where he rebuked and instructed them. Does this mean he had a right of jurisdiction over these churches as well?