Author Bio: Pope Leo I held papal authority from 440-461 AD. He was also known as "Saint Leo the Great." He is best known for meeting with Attila the Hun and persuading him not to invade Italy.
Speaker: See above.
Context: This oration was given as the church struggled against heresy and the secular nature of the Byzantine emperor in the east. The Pope attempted to fix this issue by interpreting Matthew 16:18 for the unity of the church.
Summary: The Petrine Theory is comprised of six interpretations of the Bible that emphasize the role of the church and the authority of the Pope. The first statement establishes St. Peter as the original leader of the church. The separation of anyone from St. Peter results in the separation of that individual from the church. The second statement essentially condemns the recently secular nature of Constantinople. The third statement establishes the Pope (bishop of Rome) as a respectful member of the church and "guardian of the catholic faith." The fourth statement reminds the populace that the Lord holds everyone responsible for the care of all churches. The penultimate statement names St. Peter as the head of all of the churches in the holy Roman church. Finally, the last statement says that Peter and his successors deserve to be viewed with honor and care for all those committed to him.
Key Quotations:
"We have the care of all the churches, and the Lord, who made Peter the prince of the apostles, holds us responsible for it."
"In my humble person he (Peter) should be seen and honored who has the care over all the shepherds and the sheep committed to him, and whose dignity is not lacking in me, his heir, although I am not worthy."
Well written post on "The Petrine Theory." One way the reader may be able to identify this primary document is the beginning of each paragraph which states the column at which each paragraph is found. i.e Col. 628 "Our Lord Jesus Christ..." In addition the column numbers indicate that Pope Leo I may not have been the author and instead may be segments of texts from the bible.
ReplyDeleteAlso, very shortly after the end of Leo's reign, Rome was sacked by Odoacer, bringing an official end to the Roman Empire.
ReplyDelete"It is reasonable and just that the holy Roman church, through St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, is the head of all the churches of the whole world."