The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-10-07
THE NTERMoLNrAN AND COLORADO CATHOLIC, OCT :, 1905

4;a a,,d brtLipia proceeded in the second wear
- Clol,J;,s r. Rome to confound Simon Maous
and here held for twentylv Years the sarcedotal
see until the last year enaI Is the fourteenth Of
ye-o h. hon, he was crowned wish martvr,lon
80: ,,;eod with lis head dovnwards and ki
l1,,,rards. saying that ne was not wortL
20 II ne his Lord was = Flo va
a;ed - go IN the Vatican near the Tri,mnbaI
" - no i had iii public veneration of the
,1s,ls - The testimony of St. Jerome. who was
= ,,rofonnd scholar thoroughly acquainted with
estI- b;storv. Of the Christian church. who lived
part of his life in the east ana part III Rome.
Lo+1a bo1a more weight with an honest and sin
eca-ho far truth than that of the depraved
writer who was thou7""N 'N"i' 'i'er thls learned
doctor of the church.
W. oad "a these testimonies that of Eusebius
];r.a1f Historian. who critically examined all his
tor;cal events that preceded his time (325). In
treat;,,o Of the Emperor Caus. and the beginning
If tbe reign Of Claudius. he writes: Peter the
anos+la GaGIean by birth, the first pontitf of the
Christians having first rounded the church at An
t;ocb ooos 10 Rome and there preaching the Cos
mel for tveuty-five years continued bishop of that
city
Referriuo to the thirteenth year of Nero. this
,,,,, b;s+o,rian writes Nero was first above all
his o,brr crimes. to raise a persecution against
The Christian, in which Peter and Paul suffered
q glorious death IN Rome.
These testimonies can be so multiplied. that if
the editor of the Baptist Advance is sincere and
honest in his historical research he will find no
fact in history more universally authenticated and
better attested than the Roman episcopate of St.
Peter Why then. deny it! Is il because at might
he placed in the category important if truel But
ever,, fair-minded sincere editor Loves the truth
which alone "lnakes man free" simple statement
that at is one of those vagarles which have ex
istence i'll fact is mere gratuitous assertion, and
what is gratuitongly asserted can be gratuitously
denied So strong is 5lie-tJstimony obtained from
the early Christian writers that Peter went to Rome
and was erucifed in Rome that Protestant writ
ers like Gave Pearson Ctrotits, Usher Blondell
Basnaee and Others who thoroughly investigated
the ouestion admit it US ali historical fact Then
Mr.. Editor will YOU graciOusly yield to the inevi-
table and place it ION the category important?
Would YOU. because of its Importance and the con
sequences that follow from the admission viz
the succession of the primacN of the Roman see
Weld if an angel from heaven revealed to you the
facts: % that Peter was himself Bishop of Rome
(2) that he was so until his DEATH GU that he did
not resign to another his universal authority or
primacy before he was crucifed and. lastly. that
he beoueathed to his successors in the See of Rome
his supreme authority!
To expect you would yield would be presunng
too much. Why! Canon Robertson, the Anglican
historian in his history of the Christian church
answers: at is not so much spirit of sound criti
cism as religious prejudice that has led some Pro
testant writer's to deny that the apostle was ever
at Rome where all ancient testimony represents
him to have suffered, together with ST Paul in
the reign of Nero.
As to the law of succession which you claim to
be broken it is mere, gratuitous assertion; and
the VERY reverse can be as easily proved as that the
Diocese IF Little Rock was established in 1S43. that
its first bishop was Ri. Rev. Andrew ByYhe. d. D.,
who died III Helena. June TO- 1862 a1d that the
present venerable prelate Ri. Rev Edward Fitf
gerald. D. D.. who sgs.esds him. ;@as consecrated
FEB. 3. 1867. IAEditA sove wouQ gFaciouslv con-
souls who is The real Is - }hepherd diviuelt
appointed to teach al save SOILS he will learn
more Christish truths Than he eveiS dreamed of.
F. D.