The Rise Of The Papacy In Rome

The Rise Of The Papacy In capital of ItalyThe ascendancy of the bishop of Rome oer the whole of the Catholic Church, an institution recognized as the papacy, took centuries to grow. During the first few hundred years of the church building, the title pope, which denotes father, was applied for any important and esteemed bishop. Furthermore, the bishop of Rome was one of a number of meaning(a) bishops in Christendom.Rome had always been treasured for her relationship with Paul and ray of light and her stand as the Church in the Empires chief urban centralize. This was particularly observe afterward Christianity was made sub judice under Constantine which made the importance of that office grow further with each passing roman bishop. The dogma of the authority of the pope finally reached its height in the late 13th century, when Pope Boniface VIII asserted full religious and non-religious authority over every military man being.1Rome prior to Pope GregoryIn 535 it was invaded by an army sent by the emperor Justinian to bring it back under the control of the Roman Empire, the capital of which was now Constantinople.The war between the Ostrogoths and the Empire lasted for some twenty years, devastating the countryside and disrupting social organization.546 the city lay uninhabited for forty days. The final victory of the royal forces left Italy dangerously open to the attentions of another(prenominal) Germanic group, the Lombards. In 568, under their king Alboin, they made their way into Italy, and by force of arms steadily open up themselves over most of the peninsula.During Pope Gregory regin Gregory the large(p) whos life culminated in his holding the office of pope (590604). line of popes whom assumed office after Pelagius I (556-561) who was slimy Pope but was forced on the Church by Justinian.He is generally regarded as one of the offstanding figures in the pertinacious. The empire was unstable and Byzantine fountain had greatly subsided.1 T his was the world into which Gregory, who was drawn to monasticism, was born. Gregory had an interesting and refreshing outlook on missions. He was spurred on to his first missions project in response to the king of Lombard refusing baptism for his subjects.He renewed the church using Benedictine principles. The Bishop of Rome had an immediate impact on believers by reformed congregational worship by introducing choirs in install to read liturgy, he raised the standard of education of the clergy, and an emphasized in preaching. He took the task of protecting Rome from the Lombard threat that lasted in treaty that lasted for a short time period. This was only one treaty of many since Gregory negotiated treaties with several barbarian kings which helped take political steps to protect the Christian community by being destroyed by war. This helped him become the first Pope to act as a temporal ruler which eventually came part of the Papal States. Gregory the Great established the patt ern of church government in England that had everyone being supervised by someone higher. He to a fault started missionary work that spread out of his region.Part of the reason was he was labeled the Great had to do with his influential writings that impacted the Middle ages.7 Also, during his time as pope, he was an advocate of clerical celibacy.8 Furthermore, he was instrumental in the conversion of the Visigothic King Recared to Nicene Catholicism in SpainThrough research we have discovered that the position of Pope gained great influence and index something that has yet to stop. It must be noted that Gregory was the first Pope with a monastic background he made a mark in history. Gregory apply strategies such as connections with the Byzantine elite, which caused him to become well known among the upper classBishops in the Early ChurchDuring the early periods of Christianity, five cities arose as significant core of Christianity. These were Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantino ple and Alexandria. Even though the Roman Church was highly regarded, the Churches in the East in general had more influence and numbers than those of the West. Following the granting of legal status to Christianity by the Decree of Milan, the church took up the same governmental structure as the Empire whereby geographical provinces were ruled by bishops. These bishops of spot cities thereof rose in baron.2Rome wasnt only the city that could profess to have had a unique responsibility in Christs Church. Jerusalem had the reputation of being the city of Christs death and resurrection. Furthermore, a significant church council took place there in the first century. Antioch was the location where the followers of rescuer were first called Christians. Alexandria was an important early center of Christian belief. Constantinople developed into a very significant city after Constantine shifted his capital there in 330 AD.3Nevertheless, by the fifth part century, the bishop of Rome sta rted claiming his superiority over all other bishops. Moreover, several church fathers made this claim for him as well.Why Rome?Romes association with Peter was the main spiritual reason its ultimate dominance. According to customs, Peter visited Rome all by means of his life and, more significantly, was martyred there. This is affirmed by the belief that his remains are below the St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City. St. Paul was thought to have been martyred in Rome as well.The majority of the claims for the popes authority are supported by one major argument- the so called Petrine theory. affirm by the Council of Florence in 1439, outlined as a subject of faith by the First Vatican Council in 1870, and approved by the Second Vatican Council in 1964, Jesus Christ bestowed the position of Primacy in the church upon Peter only. The First Vatican Council based their claim on a classical New Testament text long linked with it. In Mathew 16, Jesus inquires from his disciples who they believe he is. Peter says, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus responds Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I ordain build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.4Given that the word Peter stands for rock, the above stated verse has been taken by the Roman Catholic Church to mean that Peter was charged with the task of overseeing the formation of Gods Church, had spiritual power over it which he passed on to successive Popes (Protestants take issue that the rock signifies not only to Peter but to his admission of faith.) Additional biblical support for their claim has been found in the Gospel of John, whereby the resurrected Jesus directs Peter to feed my sheep. An imager y of St. Peter watching over the gates of heaven has its origin from the Matthew 16 passage.5The Bishop of Rome was one of the most significant Bishops of Western europium up until the Reformation due to a number of factors. Being the city which lay claim to having the first martyr, (Peter), Rome was the historical capital of the empire and a politically key city, so it was expected that the bishop of the city would in addition be important. Furthermore, the pope was the most dominant figure that remained in Rome after the capital of the empire was moved to Constantinople by Constantine. The Bishop of Rome claimed control over all other bishops and Christians based on biblical passages, but some of it was as a result of political and cultural realities. In Western Europe, there existed no other cities to rival Rome giving the Roman Bishop automatic prestige. In the east however, there were rivals such as Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem. The bishop of Constantinopl e never did stoop to Roman claims. Additional prestige on Rome was as a result of tradition. It was a city of martyrs. The earliest persecutions, initiated by Nero, occurred at Rome. In addition, Peter was martyred at Rome. As earlier observed, Rome was the solitary city in the Western cerebral hemisphere of the Empire while the rest (four) were found in the easterly region of the Empire. As the two areas became increasingly culturally and politically advanced, the eastern region was in charge of decisions concerning the church and political life whereas Rome was sought out regarding decisions of vital nature, whether it be of political or religious side.6In addition, the barbarian attacks of the fifth century were significant. Leo I, considered by many as the first pope in the modern sense, was influential in convincing Attila the Hun not to attack Rome in 452. When it finally fell to the Vandals in 455, Leo persuaded their leader not to set the city on fire. These endeavors furthe r added to the prestige to the bishop of Rome.Besides, when Rome fell to the barbarians in 455 AD, the church grew to be the defender of order, justice, and the remainder of civilization. The bishop of Rome was active in recapturing the harmony and steadiness that had been crushed by the attacks. Compared to the West, the Eastern side of the empire endured for another 1000 years, hence the bishops there didnt match the political significance as their Roman counterparts.7The reality of Rome being the center of political and religious power within Western Europe had some positive ramifications. Firstly, the Christian cause was broadened and Rome was viewed by not only Western Europe as the key voice and head of Christianity, owing in large part to the Catholic Church, but in addition accepted by the people who lived in the Eastern region of Europe. Rome accorded the bishops the chance to petition resolutions that were made, in regarding their standing and duty as men of faith. Many bi shops that were given judgment that they sensed were unfair petitioned their upshot to the Roman Spiritual authority at the time.8The reality of Rome being the center of political and religious power within Western Europe had also negative positive ramifications. In time, the lines started to blur and it became difficult to differentiate between the responsibility of the church and government. There existed the feudal system that echoed the spiritual chain of want that had been advocated for by earlier theologians. This practice gave rights to landowners, allowing their servants to till the land in exchange for imbursement of wages or debt. In spite of this, wealthy persons arose who had servants that were obliged to them. This reached a meridian where it became a never-ending cycle of assistance with little to no possibility of ever being set free of their gained obligations. The church as well started to situation in a way that was not planned by the founding fathers, for inst ance abbots being married. The lowest story of the Papacy occurred when at some point in when Stephen VI was in office, a trial took place where his predecessor, who had passed away 3 days earlier, was taken before a council, found guilty and dragged through the city. After the ordeal, he was buried in a common grave. Subsequently his papal robes were taken and his fingers cut off.9Whereas Rome was the key voice of the Catholic Church, the church faced many challenges leading up to the Reformation.