44 ST PETER'S PRIMACY OF ORDER. However, supposing this primacy, at least in respect to the fathers, who generally seem to countenance it, divers probable reasons may be assigned why it should especially be conferred on St Peter.' L It is probable that St Peter wast first in standing among the apostles. I mean not that he was the first disciple, or first converted to faith in Christ, but first called to the apostolical office, or first nominated by our Lord, when out of all his disciples " he chose twelve, and called them apostles; Simon, whom hecalled Peter, and Andrewhis brother, ' Luke vi. 14; Matt. iv. 18; Mark i 16; Luke V. 3. He was one of the first believers at large; he was perhaps the first that distinctly believed our Lord's divinity; he was probably the very first apostle, as the fittest person in our Lord's eye for that employment.' "He," says St Hilary, " did first believe, and is the prince" (or first man) "of the apostleship."' " He," says t Cyprian, "was the first whom the Lord chose."' "He," says St Basil, " was by judgment preferred before all the disciples."6 He by other ancients is called " The first-fruits of the apostles."' And according to this sense St Jerome (Hier. in Jovin. i), I suppose, calls him and his brother Andrew Principes apostolorum; that is, ac- cording to frequent usage of the wordprinceps in Latin, " The first of the apostles." So that as in divers churches (perhaps when time was, in all), anciently, priority in ordination grounded a right to precedence, as it is in ours, with some exceptions; so might St Peter, upon this ac- count of being first ordained apostle, obtainsuch a primacy. 2. St Peter also might be the first in age (which among persons otherwise equal is a fair ground of preference), for he was a married man, and that before he was called, as is intimated in St Luke (Luke iv. 38); and may be inferred from hence, that he would not have married after that he " had left all," and devoted himself to follow our Lord, Luke v. 11, Matt. xix. 27. Upon which account of age, St Jerome supposed that he was preferred before the beloved disciple. " Why," says he, " was not St John elected, being a bachelor? It was Petrusnatura onus homo erat, gratia onus Christianus, abundantiore gratis turns idemque primus apostolus.Aug. inJoh. Tract. 123. " Peter was by nature one man, by grace one Christian, by a more abundant grace one and the same prime apostle" Ipse enim Petrus in apostolorum ordine primus, inChristi amore promptis- simus, cope onus respondet pro omnibus.Aug. de Verbis Dom. sup. Matt. i. Serm. 13. " For Peter himself being the first in the order of the apostles, themost forward in the Iove of Christ, be alone ofttimes answers for all the rest." 9 [npwríAnoi Ss nkp. za) 'Avópiav, $rárr zai srpaprázxe.rss.Theoph. in Matt. x.] 3 rrvróoz ,V riç it srpr.'rrere grog rárrcaAar, igaigara ráv níapev ápxgyóv úvaq $L- Epiph. Hoer., li. 17, p. 440. Primus credidit, et apostolatus est princeps. Hil. in Matt. Can. 7. 6 Quem primum Dominus elegit.Cypr., Ep. lxxi., p. 127. 6 'O orávrav rm`v 124092r14 vrpozprAviç. Bas. de Judicio Dei, tom. ii. p. 268. 7 'Asrapxii e t raaooró7,ay. Modest., spud Phot. Cod. 275, Clem. ad Jac.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=