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Interactive Transcript
The 15th century fresco by Pietro Perugino found in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, portrays the scene from Matthew 16 of Peter receiving the keys to the kingdom from Christ.
Later from the 18th century we have a statue of Peter holding the keys. Peter and Rome are central to our story of the early Christianity.
By this middle of the 2nd century, Rome had begun to emerge to a position of primacy within the universal church.
We've already talked about the importance of bishops as leaders in the early church, of their struggle for example against Gnosticism.
Above all, it was those episcopal sees with particular association with early Christianity that had a place of honor.
The reason, primarily was because of Peter and Paul who did not found the church in Rome but became its moral leaders, they were martyred in the city.
And during the 4th century, Rome begun to assert it's position and influence, not always with success. For the Greek churches were not willing to exempt its authority. But, Rome was the only See of apostolic foundation in the West. Carthage, for instance, in North Africa, could not make that claim.
The position of Rome was succinctly put by the church father Irenaeus of Lyon, a man who died in the year 202. In his work against Heresies, he made an argument that was to prove highly influential.
The teaching of Christ, Irenaeus wrote, was to be found in the doctrine preached publicly in the churches, in their bond with the past. The Apostolic sees were essential to the preservation of the rule of faith and the church of Rome was the outstanding Apostolic see.
Under constant time, Rome had played a limited role. That the Lateran Basilica and the church of St Peter were from the beneficence of the emperor. In the First Council of Nicaea, as we've already seen, Rome's participation was limited. In the bitter battles between Arians and Orthodox after Nicaea, Rome, however, had taken in Athanasius.
And attempts to bring about reconciliation such as the Council of Sardica in 343 were not successful.
The Western Church and the supporters of Athanasius increasingly asserted that Rome should judge in such weighty theological matters.
This decree caused a problem for Rome and the Roman church. For the canon that made this decree establish the Constantinople's rank in terms of its civil position.
By the mid-4th century, evidence suggests that Roman bishops asserted the city's place within the Apostolic see.
Relations between Rome and the North African church were strong as we see from the letters of St Augustine.
The high point without doubt of the authority of Rome was the Papacy of Leo the Great, Leo the First from 440 to 461. Leo's the first Roman bishop from whom we have homilies and letters revealing him to be a great pastoral figure of the church.
Leo was the first to be called great. And first to be called Pope, coming of course from the Latin, Papa.
His stories are the stuff of legend. When Attila the Hun threatened the city of Rome, it is said that Leo went out and met the warrior and persuaded him not to attack. A scene that we see represented here in this 15th century picture Leo before Attila.
But, like Gregory the Great a century and a half later, Leo was a powerful leader of the church both spiritually and politically.
But he spoke of Christ that because Christ had given greater responsibility to Peter so the Bishop of Rome had greater position within the Church.
Leo argued that as Bishop of Rome, one should actually become like Peter. He played a crucial role in the debates over the nature of Christ that dominated the 5th century. And wrote a long exposition on the question of Christ's nature.
But at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, it was read aloud in its entirety and enthusiastically received.