History of Bible-Believing Christianity III
Bible Study at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
Mid-Week Teaching Service
The Development of the Papacy
Good start: Few organizations on earth had humbler beginnings than the church at Rome - and no organization has reached loftier heights than the Roman church. The early Roman Christians were cruelly persecuted by the Roman authorities because they refused to acknowledge the Roman Emperor as a god and refused to bow to idols of him. The persecuted Roman Christians lived (and died) in underground sewers under the city. This underground "city" was called the catacombs. Tours of the catacombs are still available today. When a person was found to be a Christian, he was forced to bow to an idol of the Roman Emperor. If he refused he was often thrown to the lions in the Coliseum on special holidays to entertain the Romans.
The competition is removed: After Emperor Constantine made Christianity the "state religion," the humble church became a powerful institution in Rome. Ambitious men eventually replaced the early church leaders. Shortly after Constantine became emperor of Rome, he built his capital in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and eventually shifted the seat of the Emperor there. Therefore, the bishop of Rome came out of the shadow of the Emperor - he effectively became the most important man in Rome (which was the "center" of the mighty Roman Empire). Though the Emperor and his government had moved to Constantinople, the prestige of Rome continued.
At this time there were five patriachates (major church districts), each ruled by a patriach (or church leader). They were: Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Rome. At first they were all equally important but eventually the patriachs of Constantinople and Rome became the most powerful. For many years there was keen rivalry between the two for pre-eminence. In AD 606, an imperial edict gave the pre-eminence to Rome.
Greater than the Emperor: The prestige of the Roman bishop grew so much that he was no longer satisfied to be appointed by the Emperor (as was the case since Christianity became the "state religion"). The Roman bishop, then claimed that his appointment was from heaven and that he was the vicar of God, ie, he was God's representative on earth. From this time till the present, the Roman bishop was elected by the cardinals. Nowadays, when a new pope is to be elected from among the cardinals, all the cardinals (from all over the world) gather in the Vatican for the elections.
The Roman Empire collapses In the 4th and 5th Centuries after the birth of Christ, pagan tribes from the north (mostly Germanic) repeatedly attacked Rome and the weakened Roman Empire finally collapsed. However, these barbaric conquerors on entering Rome were so impressed by the Roman Church - its magnificent cathedrals, imposing rituals, wealthy and powerful priests - that they fell at the feet of the priests. The Roman bishop's reputed sanctity and authority reminded them of their druids (ie, chief priests of their pagan religion). These barbarians who conquered the Roman Empire were "conquered" by the Roman Church.
Papa of the nations: The power and authority of the Roman bishop soon extended over much of Western Europe. He became the Father of these nations. The word pope comes from the word papa (father). In Italy, the pope is still called papa.
The pope becomes a king: The pope had already claimed to be the bishop of bishops by the 6th Century. In AD 774 a large territory around Rome was given to the pope, he was now also a king over an earthly territory.
The pope becomes the king of kings: The popes were not satisfied to be the spiritual "father" of many nations, nor king over a piece of Italian territory. They sought to control all the temporal affairs of the known world. The pope who came closest to achieving this was Gregory VII, who was the pope around AD 1000. Gregory believed that the reign of the pope was another name for the reign of God. He stated his doctrine of papal omnipotence in the Dictatus.
To achieve this, he first began to wrest from kings the right to appoint clergy in their own countries. The kings stubbornly resisted but they were eventually overcome by their superstitious fear of the pope and by his superior wealth and power. A well-known example of this superstitious fear was that of Emperor Henry IV of Germany. When he resisted the pope, the pope excommunicated him from the Church. Fearing for his eternal damnation, he stood in sackcloth, barefooted for three days and nights in winter at the pope's gate begging for forgiveness. The power of the papacy peaked around AD 1000.
The brilliance of the papacy: The popes are probably the ablest line of rulers in human history. They succeeded in building a fantastic "empire":
1. upon the Gospel, though their main doctrines contradicted the Gospel;
2. without the use of an army;
3. that consisted of all segments of the populace (from the richest to the poorest);
4. with the help of nobles, who realized that they would be destroyed by the Church they helped to build;
5. that lasted for seven centuries, through the reign of 130 popes;
6. with very little opposition.
Is the Roman Church God's church?: If we measure God's favor by the yardstick of success, then we would have to acknowledge that the Roman Church is God's favorite.
The northern barbarians crushed the Roman Empire but fell at the feet of the pope. Later the Muslims from the east were on the brink of destroying Rome but fell back at the last moment. The Protestant Reformation appeared to have overwhelmed the Church but failed to do so. Then the French Revolution brought down many thrones but Rome stood.
What is Rome's formula for success?:
Rome has always swum with the current - whether with kings or with the masses.
With the masses, she provided what they desired. If they wanted to keep their sins (eg, gambling, smoking) she allowed it. If they desired "salvation" without sanctification, she offered it. If they enjoyed outward rituals rather than inward sincerity, she provided it.
With kings, she backed the likely winners. When necessary she used every other available means, eg. excommunication, burning, bribery, pomp, poverty.
By and large, she founded her dominion by persecution.
She usually took a long-term view of things. The papacy has the motto: Spes messis in semine - which means "the harvest in the seed." In other words, she was willing to sow a seed, knowing that it would only bear fruit many years later.
The fruit of the papacy: Her progress continued till the 16th Century (when her further progress was greatly hindered by the Protestant Reformation). By this time, the nations of Europe were wrecked. Hardly any one could read. A scholar who was able to read the ancient languages (eg. Greek) was in danger of being labeled a heretic. Even the colleges of the church were places of ignorance where lazy gluttons resorted. Numerous popes could hardly read or write. Priests were performers of rituals - unable to deliver even the simplest biblical message. The ballad-singer and playwrights supplemented this lack of bible teaching through their "biblical" ballads, comedies and dramas.
Holiness consisted of prostrating oneself before images. Though Europe was covered with religious objects, it was filled with crime. The lives of the priests were shocking - keeping mistresses and frequenting brothels. Everything was holy except the souls of men.
The masses were feudal slaves - little better than farm animals. History calls this 1000 year reign of the Church (from AD 500 to 1500) the Dark Ages (or the Medieval Period). The lands under the Roman yoke were lands of darkness - in literature, freedom, industry and civilization. Europe was a backward place - far behind the Middle-east and China.
King of man's conscience: The popes were unsatisfied controlling both the spiritual and temporal affairs of nations, they desired also to be mistress over man's conscience. They demanded the exclusive right to prescribe to every one what they were to believe. They claimed the sole right to interpret God's Word and to kill those who disagreed with them and to confiscate their properties. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men were falsely accused by evil priests and the church owned much of the land in Europe.
The world's most efficient money-making machine: Within the church there was a scramble for money and power. Each layer of the organization was a parasite to the layer below it. Money was the oil that fueled the Roman machinery. There were homes to dedicate, infants to baptize, marriages to bless, dead to anoint and masses for the dead. There was a price for each service. The church was an enormous "spiritual" market stocked with services that were available to all at the right price.