110 ST PETER COULD NOT BE BISHOP OF ROME. to reside there, and for that [because] other needful affairs wouldhave forced him to leave so great a church destitute oftheir pastor. 7. It was needless that he should be bishop; because by virtue of his apostleship, involving all the power of inferior degrees, he might, whenever he should be at Rome, exercise episcopal functions and authority. What need a sovereign prince to be made a justice of peace? 8. Had he done so, he must have given a bad example of non- residence,a practice that would have been very ill relished in the primitive church; as we may see by several canons' inter- dicting offences of kin to it (it being, I think, then not so known as nominally to be censured), and culpable upon the same ground, and by the sayings of fathers condemning practices approaching to it' Even later synods, in more corrupt times, and in the declension of good order, yet prohibited this practice.' Epiphanius, therefore,well inferred that it was needful the apostles should constitute bishops resident at Rome. "They might very pos- sibly," says he, " the apostles Peter and Paul yet surviving, consti- tute otherbishops, because the apostles often took journeys into other countries, for preaching Christ; but the city of Rome could not be without abishop."' 9. If St Peter were bishop of Rome, he thereby offended against divers other good ecclesiastical rules, which either were in practice from the beginning, or at least the reason of them was always good upon which the church afterward enacted them; so that either he Conc. Nie., can. xvi.; Conc. Ant., can. iii.; Conc. Sard., can. xi., xii.; Conc. Trul., can. lxxx. 2 Oiaaç ávayv9l vaç 1,pa0áç, mTixov tor( S7) ÉyxT.ryaa xaraT(pR9r ivtry ivriaxafav rñ, txxT.n- oíav, zai ri¡atTEïv rl v r, eto "a m'a(p.viwv.Athan., Apol. i. "Having read the Scriptures, you know how great an offence it is for abishop to forsake his church, and to neglect the flocks of God." Oportet enimepiscopos curis secularibus expeditos curam suorum agere populorum, nec ecclesiis suis abesse diutius. P. Paschal II., Ep. xxii. "For bishops ought to be disentangled from secular cares, and to take charge of their people, and not to be long absent from their churches." s Prsecipimus ne conductitiis ministris ecclesia committantur, et unaquseque ecclesia, cui facultas suppetit, proprium habeat sacerdotem.Conc. Lat. ii. (sub Innoc. IL), can. 10. "We enjoin that churches be not committed to hired ministers, but that every church, that is of ability, have its proper priest." Cum igitur ecclesia vel ecclesiasticum ministerium committi debuerit, talis ad hoc persona quseratur, quse recidere in loco, et euremejus per seipsum valet exercere; quod si aliter fuerit actum, et qui receperit, quad contra sanctos canones accepit, amittat. Conc. Lat. iii. (sub Alexandro III.), cap. 13. " Therefore, when a church, or the ecclesiastical ministry, be to be committed to any man, let such a person be found out for this purpose who can reside upon the place, and discharge the cure by himself; but if it prove otherwise, then let himwho has re- ceived lose that which he has taken contrary to the holy canons." 4 nx.ñv á.1T.á zai oirmç ñativaro är( atp(ávrwv rmvd9roovóTlrv, (ß,21.m al rmv atpl IIirpov xai IIxúT.oY, É97(axá,r,u5 b.X,s, useforarea,, Sase rá roúç (191.00,75)1.0t4 w,T.Tbx(ç lei raa5 !Wet; 71,7piaaç 'AY 9raptiav aríxT.toAa , a(ávó xñpuy/.ca 703 Xp(oraú ¡r.n ativaoAa( as rñv rmv'Pegesivry q'i).,, liiv,s É9r(aKÓ9r.s Eiva(.Epiph., Hoer. xxvii.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=