Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-04-17
THE Primary DISPUTE.
"Rustic" Again to the Fore,
Backed by His Authorities
Some Morsels for 'Luke's"
Digestion, and Little Advice.


Correspondence Of the Register.
"a miss is as good as a mile" but
Luke" in locating my humble domicile
near the Episcopal Palace has missed it
five score miles and more. But no
matter, kind friend, who am. Unpro-
voked you opened your "masked bat
tery;" be content therefore to receive
the fire as you were pleased to give It.
cannot Just yet harken to your piteous
cry to be let alone. do see hit to re-
ply, not to answer any argument you
have presented, but to demolish your
former bold assertions, which l would
have passed as unworthy of notice had
you not again called attention to them.
| took up but two items of your for
mer communication; now You ask why
| did not refute your other positions.
That is an easy task. But first, think,
YOU must have made a blunder In say
ing that my "article" was erdsire. Did
you not mean to write conclusive!
Two items / discussed, one ST. Peters
being in Rome; the other, why may he
not have written his epistle from Baby
lon on the Euphrdtesf
To this second question ] replied,
"BaJylon was in ruins at that time" al
ready the prophecy of Isaiah had been
fulfilled. (Ch. A. Was that answer
eyasive? | think it was so direct that,
by your silence, you admit your ignor-
ance OF history, and therefore your stu
pidity in rushing into print to discuss
question you have never stu died and
knew nothing about. You confine your
scattered remarks to a sickly effort to
fling dust into your readers eyes that
they may not see the weight OF my
reasoning in support OF st. Peters resi-
dence in Rome.
You impeach the testimony OF an his
torian who is Justly held in high repute
bv all historical scholars. What reason,
sir, have you to qualify his style as I'm
hated?" to charge him with retailing ia
bles? All this ~ your own unfounded
and false estimate. | challenge the
proof. And yet after all this rash criti-
cism YOU add, with characteristic incon-
sistency, ave have not word To say
against Eusebius." With like brazen
effronterv YOU shortly afterwards de-
clare that you mean mo incivility" in
applying harsh and offensive epithets
10 your Catholic brethren. Were | to
call YOUR sect the Communist Church,
and vet solemnly declare | meant no
insult, YOU would not hesitate to charge
me with either gross stupidity or wanton
living. Eusebius, who besides his history,
/ of the Church, wrote several other most
valuable works, is highly priced as an
historian by all genuine lovers OF eccle-
! siastCal history, not merely Tor the facts
which he has collated and recorded, but
also for the many and large quotations
which he extracted from the works Of
earlier writers now no longer extant.
Your opinion is OF very little import
ance, put beside the approving judg-
mcnt of all the learned. Tosatisfy your
ignorance | will inform you when he
lived and wrote. He was Bishop of
! Caeserea from A. ID. ga to 339. His
| history therefore contains an account OF
the Christian Church during its first
three hundred years OF existence. Per-
| haps because he was so much nearer
than luke" to the Apostolic times, for
that reason he must be all the more
suspected of being "ROmanistic." The
passage already cited is but one OF the
many proofs Of st. Peters going to
! Rome.
The entire history is evidence of the
| establishment of the church. OF the
Papacy from 1t. Peter to st. Sylvester,
and of the chief ecclesiastical events OF
the first three centuries. But Luke
| wants the exact words of some early
authorities. Within reasonable limits,
I'll try and satisfy him. The holy
martyr st. IrenGus, Bishops Of Lyons,
one Of the most distinguished prelates
of the early church, born about the
wear 1901, SAYS that st. Peter and St.
Paul preached the Gospel of Rome and
established the church, which he calls
1.-THE greatest and most ancient, known
to all, founded and established by the
most glorious Apostles, Peter and
Paul" a.. iii, haer., Oh. ill., And then
he gives the list of bishops from the
apostles down to his own time.
It. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, in the
year 2j7, writes: Cornelius was chosen
Bishop, "when the place Of Fabrian,
that is The place Of Peter was vacant"
! (Ep w Antoniano). Origen, "a. ID.
about 230) tcstifcs that st. Peter suffer
ell martyrdom at Rome, l.. ii, C. XIV:
Tertullan (born at Carthage about the
year 1907, and Justly reckOned among the
ablrst writers Of the early Western
Church, says: Contra lMarcion carmD.
"The church Of Rome, organized by
Peter, hourished in piety" | will mere
! " add Il few brief testimonies from few
| later, but emiuent men. II. jerome, one
of the most learned of all the fathers,
saws: Clement was fourth Bishop Of
! Rome after Peter" (Ilom. X. in ii al
| Titum). It. Augustine begins the list
Of Roman PontiiIs from Peter to whom
Linus succeeded" and continues il
down to his own time, Up. al Generos).
1t. Ambrose SAYS: Where Peter il,
there is the Church" Com in Psalm.
XII.
If Luke" or any OF his friends still
remain unsatisfed, | can only com
mend them Ia such treatses as exhaust
| the whole subject. OF a list Of eleven
! before me, ! suggest a. the most COM
! plete "Foggini. De Romano Pefri ilinere
q espiscOpdtu."
will now recall my former syllogism.
"What has been held by all historians
prior 10 the rise Of Professionalism, and
by the great majority Of even learned
Protestants, must be considered beyond
doubt, otherwise all history would be
nothing better than Pyrrhonism. Now
this is the case with IT. Peters's resi-
] dence in Rome" ] call on my clever
historic friend to cite one authority
against it for fifteen hundred years.
Nay, OF modern upholders Of this hsto-
rical truth, the very strongest have
been eminent men OF various Protestant
denominations. But Luke" insists on
an answer to other queries propounded
by him. did Peter lay claim to the
Primary? And did the other Apostles
recognize his claim?'
/. II Christ appointed II. Peter the
visible head Of His Church and the
chief shepherd Of His flock then 81.
Peter did claim the office, and the other
/ apostles tmOre faithful than" Luke" 10 the