The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy
The Church Founded by Jesus of Nazareth
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy
The Tomb of St. Peter the First Apostle named by Jesus of Nazareth,
who Founded the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Peter, the first Pope, was Martyred in Rome and is buried under the Basilica.
The Basilica and the Vatican Palace, home to the Pope, were built over the Circus of Emperor Nero, where St. Peter was martyred. (How sweet is that!) The first St. Peter’s was built by Emperor Constantine and the present day Basilica was completed in 1626 AD.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy
Historical documents and archaeology have provided answers to many questions about the ancient world. Since the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus of Nazareth about two thousand years ago, history and archaeology can play a pivotal role in substantiating the claims of Jesus and the origins of Christianity.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy are two institutions that have existed continually since their inception up to this present day. This is really remarkable as there are few or no other institutions in the world today that can make this claim. These institutions came into existence almost two thousand years ago during the reign of the mighty Roman Empire in a small area of the Middle East known as Palestine.
The vast Roman Empire was pagan in nature. It spread its rule over most of the known world by conquering other lands by force. Its strength was wielded by well equipped, well trained and disciplined armies, armies with victorious track records never before seen in the ancient world. The Roman Empire was ruled by politicians who not only protected Roman citizens, but wanted their rule of law to be enacted in all the lands vanquished by their armies. The Roman leaders knew that in order to keep peace and collect taxes in their conquered lands, they had to work with the elite religious authorities who exercised great influence over a large sector of the population in these occupied lands. The most important religion in Palestine was Judaism.
Discovering what historical events unfolded to establish the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy during the time of Jesus is pivotal to a Christian worldview. History reveals these events were of such a magnitude that the powerful Romans could not ignore what was stirring over the chosen land of Palestine.
The Roman Empire would eventually discover that the slaughter of over one million Jews and Christians during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD would not even be enough to snuff out the flames that were ignited by the life of Jesus. His birth, teachings and miracles, culminating in his Crucifixion and Resurrection were the events that would eventually change the course of human history.[1] Not only were the winds of change blowing over the Roman landscape, these miraculous winds would eventually spread all over the world as the mighty Roman Empire was destroyed, leaving the Roman Catholic Church to survive.
When we were in Rome in September of 2017, we saw the Arch of Titus which was erected by the Roman Emperor Domitian in honor of Titus who led the Roman army in its victory over the Jews in 70 AD. The Jewish Temple and the city of Jerusalem were both destroyed by Titus over the five month siege. The Arch of Titus is a short walk from the Roman Colosseum. Carved into the arch are depictions of the Menorah and the Table of the Bread of God’s Presence which were sacred objects the Romans plundered from the second Jewish Temple. The almost two-thousand-year-old Arch of Titus is an historical reminder of these important events that forged the destiny of Christianity.
On October 28, 312AD the battle lines were drawn between two would-be Roman Emperors, Constantine I and Maxentius. This battle of Roman legions unfolded on the Milvian Bridge which spanned the Tiber River and was an integral part of the main trade route through northern Rome. After Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius, he became the new Roman Emperor.[2]
In 313 AD he met with Co-emperor Valerius Licinius in Milan to discuss the persecution of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. They signed the Edict of Milan, a letter which legalized Christianity, along with all other religions, in the lands under Roman rule. The edict was to stop the persecution of Christians in the empire and was successful for a period of time.[3]
Constantine became sympathetic to Christianity to the great delight of his saintly mother, Helena. Constantine initiated the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD which produced the Nicene Creed which is still used to this day in Christian churches all over the world. During Constantine’s reign, Christianity became the dominant religion in the empire.[4] The very fact that the pagan Roman Empire, which ruled Palestine and persecuted Christians for over three hundred years, produced a Christian Emperor who allowed the practice of Christianity, substantiates how compelling the life of Jesus was, as his life spoke truth to power and truth won the day.
I have evangelical friends, who see Emperor Constantine’s spreading of the Gospel as a tainting of Christianity with worldly power, which they believe was only corrected with the Protestant Reformation after 1500AD (1517-1648). This position is not tenable as it seems unfathomable that God would abandon his Church for nearly 1200 years. During this time period, the Church produced some of the most brilliant minds in the history of Christianity, from St. Augustine, St. Benedict, St. Francis, St. Jerome, St. Ignatius to St. Thomas Aquinas to name only a few. The great Christian monasteries of Europe also came into being during this time period. Also, the great Church Councils of Ephesus in 431AD to Trent in 1545AD established several dogmas of the Church during this time period. Father Raymond de Souza’s article in Convivium magazine: Constantine & The Church stated it well, “Constantine’s triumph was not the birth of Christianity, but was the beginning of Christendom.”[5]
**Next week: Persecution & Miracles.
Have an antiwoke week:).
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
[1] The Christians: The Veil is Torn: 2002 Christian Millennial History Project Inc.
[2] www.britannica.com: Battle-of-Milvian-Bridge
[3] www.britannica.com: Edict-of-Milan
[4] www.britannica.com: First-Council-of-Nicaea-325AD
[5] Constantine & The Church: Father Raymond de Souza: Convivium magazine Vol. 1 No 5 Nov/Dec. 2012.