Early Eastern Catholic Fathers vs. the Schismatic Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a schismstic and heretical sect that broke off in the 11th century from the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church founded by Our Lord which traces back to the 1st century when Jesus founded the Church on St. Peter and the Apostles.

While there are several factors involved in the reason for this split, the foundational one comes back to the issue of Papal authority and supremacy. Everything else in this historical debate ultimately springs from that particular root issue.

Proponents of Eastern Orthodoxy often make outlandish claims that all the Apostles possessed the same authority as St. Peter, and that by deduction, there is nothing particularly unique about the Bishop of Rome as opposed to other Bishops of different Sees.

Sacred Scripture clearly lays out the groundwork for St. Peter's authority as prince of the Apostles. Indeed, in Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus singularly speaks to St. Peter in designating him as the Rock upon whom He would build His Church, and He gave to St. Peter the keys of the kingdom and the authority to bind and loose. In this passage, Greek singulars are used in this conversation, meaning that while the Apostles are present, Jesus is addressing St. Peter alone.

Two chapters later in Matthew 18:18, Jesus then tells the Apostles collectively that they have the power to bind and loose. However, this is addressed to them as a whole, whereas in the Matthew 16 account, St. Peter is given this prerogative by himself. As well, in Matthew 18, there is no mention of the keys of the kingdom being given to the group. St. Peter alone is said to be the recipient of this by Our Lord in Matthew 16.

A snapshot of the New Testament only further solidifies this truth. In every list where the Apostles are named, Peter's name is always first while Judas is last. Matthew 10:2 interestingly uses the phrase, “First, Peter.” The term “first” is the Greek word protos which can be translated as “first in rank.” In Luke 22:32, St. Peter is given the charge to strengthen the brethren, meaning the rest of the Apostles. In Acts 4:1-13, Peter is regarded by outsiders to be the spokesman of the Apostles. In Acts 15, at the Council of Jerusalem, St. James is the Bishop of Jerusalem, yet it is St. Peter who presides and makes the binding decision that is accepted by the Church. In John 21:15-17, Peter is given the charge to feed and shepherd Christ's lambs and sheep.

The early Church further backs up these plain teachings from Sacred Scripture. In particular, Fathers of the East believed in the primacy, preeminence, and supremacy of St. Peter and his successors in the Bishops of Rome.

St. Irenaeus: “For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all Churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world; and it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the Apostolic tradition.”

St. Cyprian: “The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ He says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church’…On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed the sheep; and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?”

St. Ambrose: “They have not the succession of Peter, who hold not the chair of Peter, which they rend by wicked schism; and this, too, they do, wickedly denying that sins can be forgiven even in the Church, whereas it was said to Peter: ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven.’”

St. Cyril: “Peter, the Foremost of the Apostles, the Chief Herald of the Church… key-bearer of the Kingdom of Heaven… the preeminent one.”

St. John Chrysostom: “Peter himself the Head or Crown of the Apostles, the First in the Church, the Friend of Christ, who received a revelation, not from man, but from the Father, as the Lord bears witness to him, saying, 'Blessed art thou, This very Peter and when I name Peter I name that unbroken Rock, that firm Foundation, the Great Apostle, First of the disciples, the First called… Peter, the Leader of the choir of Apostles, the Mouth of the disciples, the Pillar of the Church, the Buttress of the faith, the Foundation of the confession, the Fisherman of the universe… Peter, the mouth of all Apostles, the head of that company, the ruler of the whole world.”

St. Nilus: “Peter, who was foremost in the choir of Apostles and always ruled amongst them.”

Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople: “Such a step without an Ecumenical Synod presided over by the Pope of Rome is impossible.”

Emporer Justinian to the Pope: “Let your Apostleship show that you have worthily succeeded to the Apostle Peter, since the Lord will work through you, as Surpreme Pastor, the salvation of all.”

St. Maximus: “The extremities of the earth, and everyone in every part of it who purely and rightly confess the Lord, look directly towards the Most Holy Roman Church and her confession and faith, as to a sun of unfailing light awaiting from her the brilliant radiance of the sacred dogmas of our Fathers, according to that which the inspired and holy Councils have stainlessly and piously decreed.”

John VI, Patriarch of Constantinople: “The Pope of Rome, the head of the Christian priesthood, whom in Peter, the Lord commanded to confirm his brethren.”

St. Nicephorus: “For it is the Popes of Rome who have had assigned to them the rule in sacred things, and who have received into their hands the dignity of headship among the Apostles.”

St. Theodore: “Since to great Peter Christ our Lord gave the office of Chief Shepherd after entrusting him with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, to Peter or his successor must of necessity every novelty in the Catholic Church be referred. Therefore, save us, oh most divine Head of Heads, Chief Shepherd of the Church of Heaven.”

St. Athanasius called Rome “the Apostolic Throne” and called Peter “the Chief” of the Apostles.

St. Macarius: “Moses was succeeded by Peter, who had committed to his hands the new Church of Christ, and the true priesthood.”

Eulogius of Alexandria: “Neither to John, nor to any other of the disciples, did our Savior say, 'I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,' but only to Peter.”

St. Therodoret: “I therefore beseech your holiness to persuade the most holy and blessed bishop (Pope Leo) to use his Apostolic power, and to order me to hasten to your Council. For that most holy throne (Rome) has the sovereignty over the churches throughout the universe on many grounds.”

St. Sophronius: “Transverse quickly all the world from one end to the other until you come to the Apostolic See (Rome), where are the foundations of the orthodox doctrine.”

Bishop Stephen of Dora: “And for this cause, sometimes we ask for water to our head and to our eyes a fountain of tears, sometimes the wings of a dove, according to holy David, that we might fly away and announce these things to the Chair (the Chair of Peter at Rome) which rules and presides over all, I mean to yours, the head and highest, for the healing of the whole wound. For this it has been accustomed to do from old and from the beginning with power by its canonical or apostolic authority, because the truly great Peter, head of the Apostles, was clearly thought worthy not only to be trusted with the keys of heaven, alone apart from the rest, to open it worthily to believers, or to close it justly to those who disbelieve the Gospel of grace, but because he was also commissioned to feed the sheep of the whole Catholic Church; for 'Peter,' saith He, 'lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep.' And again, because he had in a manner peculiar and special, a faith in the Lord stronger than all and unchangeable, to be converted and to confirm his fellows and spiritual brethren when tossed about, as having been adorned by God Himself incarnate for us with power and sacerdotal authority .....And Sophronius of blessed memory, who was Patriarch of the holy city of Christ our God, and under whom I was bishop, conferring not with flesh and blood, but caring only for the things of Christ with respect to your Holiness, hastened to send my nothingness without delay about this matter alone to this Apostolic see, where are the foundations of holy doctrine.”