The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-08-11
THE COLUMBIAN AND DEMOCRAT BLOOMSBURY, COLUMBIA &C

Win tne luea tnat ne was tnere, us
sides, this letter contains many things |
which would not have been in 1t If Peter
was In that city.
In the year sixty.three Paul himself
was taken prisoner to Rome, as re-
corded in the 2sth chapter Of Acts, and
remained there for two years that Is
until In the year sixty.hve. The author
Of the Acts does not mention that Peter
was there, and If he was it is unaccount.
able that 1t was not mentioned.
During Pauls two years stay In Rome,
he wrote his letters to the PHILIPPIANS,
to Philemon, TO the Collossians, and to
the Ephesians-in neither of which
does he mention that Peter is in Rome
Is this fact at all consistent with the
idea that he was there?
The truth Is that there Is no certain
and concl usive evidence that the Apos.
tie Peter was ever in the city of Rome
in his life. 1t is absolutely certain that
he was not there prior to the year fifty
three. 1t is almost certain that he could
not have been there prior to the year
sixty-five. The evidence is barely suffi.
cient to render it probable that he spent
the last two years of his life, and suffer-
ed martyrdom in that city.
8. The statement that Peter "entered
upon his office as Pope, A. d. 33, imme-
diately on Christ's ascension''and closed
his office by martyrdom A. ID. G7, thus
reigning for thirty.three years." can be
best appreciated by simply bearing in
mind that no such office as Pope exist
ed for several hundred years after the
death of the Apostle Peter.
The Apostle Peter possessed no other,
or different or greater power, than that
possessed by the other Apostles. All the
Apostles were ministers extraordinary
of Jesus, the Christ. They were per
sonally chosen by him. He personally
taught them their duties; and, by be-
slowing upon them the miraculous gifts
of the Holy Spirit, qualified them for
the performance of those duties. The
extraordinary powers incident to their
office, were first promised to Peter,
Math. 1G, 10; but this promise was SUBJ
sequently extended to all the Apostles.
Matt. IS, IS and 10, %; and was con-
ferred upon all alike, and at the same
time.See the lat and I'd chapters of Acts.
These powers were confined to them
and did not, and could not, extend to
successors, for they hal no successors.
Paul was subsequently made an Apos-
tie; not as successor to either of the
others, but as special Apostle TO the
Gentiles. But to be an Apostle, he had,
like the others, to see Christ, and be by
him personally appointed to the apos.
tolic Office, and be endowed with the
miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Grand Hierarchy of which the
Roman Pontiff is the head, had not the
shadow of an existence until, in the
reign of Augustine, the church and the
State began to be united; and the
church (so. called) began to assume
form and organic structure correspond
ing to that of the Roman Empire, and
it was not until long after this, that the
Office of Pope was constituted.
Peter was never Pope; and whether
he lived in Rome two years or twenty
five years, is matter of no consequence
except to show how "baseless as the
fabric of a vision" are the pretensions
set up In regard to the matter.
8. The statement that the Apostle
Peter "reigned," that in Rome his "see
was permanently fixed" that he has
had "twO hundred and fifty.eight sue
cessors," &C., &C., are supremely absurd
in view of the foregoing facts.
There is no evidence that the Apostle
Peter was even one of the Bishops of
Rome. During the life time of the
Apostles, there was plurality Of Bish-
ops, or elders, in each local congrega.
tion of christians. If Peter was one of
these Bishops in the church in the city
of Rome, he was only one of board Of
Bishops, or Elders-all possessed of
equal authority as to that local church,
and neither of them, by virtue Of that
office, possessed of any authority any
where else. For Diocessian Bishops
had not then been invented. The GEN.
tralization and consolidation of eccles-
iastical power into vast Hierarchy,
and the constitution of grades of eccles.
iastical officers, corresponding to the
grades of civil offices in the Roman
Empire was the work of after ages
and Uas nerer authorized either Jy Christ
or his apostles.
The Irish World had better discard
some more of the TRADITIONS" of the
Italians. T.. E. ORvIs.
BENTON, July q, 1871.