The Early Church and the Roman Claim; Lectures, in Reply to Archbishop Carr on "The Primacy of the Roman Pontiff." (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 Excerpt: ...relations soon with the Emperor's household. Before the close of the first century some of the Emperor's near relatives were Christians. Every Church that was impoverished by famine or persecution sent an appeal to the wealthy Church at Eome. The prominent martyrs were sent to suffer at Eome. The Christian traders gravitated towards Eome. In the closing years of the second century we find "episcopacy" almost everywhere. But what was that "episcopacy?" Certainly not anything like diocesan episcopacy. The "episcopos," as Sanday shows, corresponded to a modern parish minister or the incumbent of a town church, or (shall I say?) a Wesleyan circuit leader, with his presbyter-helpers, and his deacons or stewards round him. There was, as yet, no sacerdotal caste, and nothing like diocesan episcopacy, or any separate ordination for " presbyters" and for "bishops." Prof. Sanday says that the discovery of the Didaclie has dissipated the doubt expressed by Lightfoot whether the rulers in Hernias might not mean ' bishops' in the later sense. Harnack says Hernias is proof that "episcopacy" had not yet arisen in Rome. t cf. Sanday, Expos., Jan., 1887. The inexpensive book, Church of Sub-Apostolic Age, by Prof. Heron, of Belfast, deals lucidly with this. -... The Message Of Peace Between The Churches. We are, as Sanday says, alas, " slaves of words." The metaphorical Old Testament language about '" High-priest, Priest, and Levite" has dominated, as Lightfoot vividly shows, our Christian imagination. Similarly the word "bishop," with its mediaeval pompous sound, has led our historical reason captive. For the " bishop" of the close of the second century was a very limite...