Rome and Peter in the early church

Peter among the apostles, the church of Rome and its bishop, and their authority. Part of The church.

Diatessaron, section 23Tatian · ca. 160-180
Martyrdom of Peter (Greek Acts of Peter) 6Anonymous · ca. 180–200 · Warned of the plot, Peter leaves Rome, meets the Lord at the gate going to be crucified again, and returns.
Acts of Peter (Vercelli) 6Anonymous · ca. 180–200 · At Puteoli Peter meets Ariston, who tells him how Simon has scattered the Roman church, and Peter refuses to rest before going to Rome.
Fragment 69 (Malalas 10; Peter and Paul at Antioch)Clement of Alexandria · late 2nd-early 3rd century
Prescription against Heretics 36Tertullian · ca. 203 · Anyone may visit the apostolic churches, such as Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, and Rome, where the apostles taught and died; Rome's faith, shared with Africa, is the one from which the heresies broke away.
On Modesty 21Tertullian · ca. 210–220 · Forgiving grave sins belongs to God's power, not to church discipline; Christ's word to Peter was personal to him, and the church that forgives is the church of the Spirit acting through spiritual men, not the bishops.
Refutation of All Heresies 6.20.2Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 222–235 · Simon, cursed by the apostles in Samaria, later went to Rome, where Peter opposed him.
Commentary on Matthew 12.10Origen · ca. 246–248 · Whoever confesses Christ as Peter did, by revelation from the Father, becomes a Peter, and on every such disciple, a “rock,” the Church is built by God.
Commentary on Matthew 12.11Origen · ca. 246–248 · Origen argues that the promises to Peter—the rock, the keys, binding and loosing—belong to every disciple who confesses Christ as Peter did, and that the gates of Hades cannot prevail against the rock or the Church, which are one.
Commentary on Matthew 13.31Origen · ca. 246–248 · Origen applies “whatever you bind on earth” to those who admonish a sinner three times, and argues that Peter's power of the keys extends to all the heavens while theirs extends to one.
Letter 30.1Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The Roman clergy reply to Cyprian, commending him for seeking their agreement though his conscience answers to God alone.
Letter 30.2Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Strict discipline, the helm of the church, is an ancient Roman tradition going back to the faith Paul praised, and falling away from such praise would be a great crime.
Letter 33.1Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The church is built on the bishops, as on Peter; the lapsed who wrote to Cyprian in the name of “the church” presume too much, since the church is the bishop, clergy, and those who stood firm.
Letter 55.8Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Cornelius rose through every church office, was made bishop against his will by God's judgment, the clergy's testimony, the people's vote, and the bishops, to the vacant chair of Peter; anyone made bishop after him is outside the church.
Letter 59.14Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · The schismatics dare to carry their case to the chair of Peter and the principal church at Rome, though it was agreed that each case be heard where the offense occurred, and the African bishops have already judged them.
Letter 70.3Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · One cannot accept heretical baptism in part: there is one baptism, one Spirit, one church founded on Peter, and whatever Christ's adversaries do is void.
Letter 71.3Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Custom must yield to reason: Peter, though first, accepted Paul's correction, and bishops too should embrace better counsel.
Letter 73.11Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Christ's living water flows only in the church founded on Peter, which alone holds the keys; heretics outside it cannot give her baptism.
Letter 75.6Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Rome itself differs from Jerusalem on Easter and other rites without breaking communion; Stephen alone has broken the peace, and his “tradition” is merely human.
Letter 75.17Cyprian of Carthage · 249/250–258 · Firmilian charges that Stephen, who claims Peter's succession, in effect founds many churches on other rocks by recognizing heretical baptism, and so might as well share their altar.
On the Unity of the Catholic Church 4Cyprian of Carthage · 251 · Christ built the church on Peter to show its unity; the other apostles had equal honour and power, but the church begins from one and is one.
Church History 2.14.6Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Providence brought Peter to Rome under Claudius to oppose Simon and preach the kingdom.
Church History 2.25.5Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Under Nero, Paul was beheaded and Peter crucified in Rome, as the cemeteries named after them confirm.
Church History 2.25.8Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Dionysius of Corinth (quoted) says Peter and Paul both taught in Corinth and Italy and were martyred at the same time.
Church History 3.1.2Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Peter preached in Asia Minor and at last was crucified head downward in Rome at his own request.
Church History 5.6.3Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Under Clement the Roman church wrote to Corinth to restore peace and faith.
Homilies 17.19Anonymous · 4th century (reworking earlier material) · Peter rejects authority based on visions and rebukes Simon for opposing him, the rock on which the church is founded.
Recognitions 0.1Anonymous · Greek original 3rd–4th century; Rufinus's Latin translation before 407 · Rufinus dedicates his Latin translation of the Recognitions to Gaudentius, explains his method and omissions, and reconciles Clement's succession with the Roman bishops Linus and Cletus.
Divine Institutes 4.21.2Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · The apostles founded the church; Peter and Paul at Rome foretold the destruction of the Jews.
Divine Institutes 4.21.5Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · After Nero killed Peter and Paul, Vespasian fulfilled their prophecy.
On the Deaths of the Persecutors 2.5Lactantius · ca. 314–315 · Peter came to Rome under Nero, worked miracles, and founded a faithful church there.
On the Deaths of the Persecutors 2.6Lactantius · ca. 314–315 · Nero, the first persecutor, crucified Peter and killed Paul, but did not escape punishment.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.2.24Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Moses renamed Joshua and appointed seventy elders; Christ renamed Simon Peter.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.5.89Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Mark, recording Peter’s preaching, omits Jesus’ praise of Peter after his confession.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.5.90Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Matthew records Jesus’ praise of Peter, which Peter modestly left out of his own preaching.
Theophany 4.6Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 4.11Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 5.38Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Book 3, lines 269–292Juvencus · ca. 330 · Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ; the rock, the church and the keys; the first prediction of the passion.
Canon 3Anonymous · 343 or 347 · Bishops are not to intrude into other provinces; a condemned bishop may have his case referred to Julius of Rome, who may order a retrial by neighboring bishops.
Canon 4Anonymous · 343 or 347 · When a deposed bishop appeals, no successor is to be installed until the bishop of Rome has decided the case.
Canon 5Anonymous · 343 or 347 · A deposed bishop may appeal to the bishop of Rome, who may have neighboring bishops rehear the case or send presbyters to judge with them.
Canon 3Anonymous · 343 or 347 · Bishops are not to intrude into other provinces; a condemned bishop's case may be referred to Julius of Rome, who decides whether it is retried and appoints the judges.
Canon 4Anonymous · 343 or 347 · When a deposed bishop appeals to Rome, no successor is to be ordained until the Roman bishop has decided the case.
Canon 7Anonymous · 343 or 347 · A deposed bishop may appeal to the bishop of Rome, who may have neighboring bishops rehear the case or send a presbyter to judge with them.
Historical Fragments 1.4.1.10Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 343–367 · The Easterners say Athanasius won Julius of Rome's communion by deceptive letters from people who had not judged him.
Historical Fragments 1.7.3.2Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 343–367 · Liberius says he has upheld the apostolic and Roman tradition unchanged.
Historical Fragments 2.2.2.1Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 343–367 · The council of Serdica writes to Julius of Rome, excusing his absence and affirming reference to the see of Peter.
Historical Fragments 2.3.1.1Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 343–367 · A letter in Liberius's name to the Eastern bishops: he summoned Athanasius to Rome.
Catechetical Lecture 11.3Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Peter's confession, revealed by the Father, shows that Christ is Son of God by nature; he is firstborn and Son in a sense unlike Israel or others called sons.
Defence against the Arians 20Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 349–357 · Athanasius relates how Eusebius’s party declined Julius’s invitation to a synod at Rome, where more than fifty bishops received him, and introduces Julius’s letter.
Defence against the Arians 29Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 349–357 · Julius argues that he acted canonically in receiving Athanasius, while the Eusebians acted against the canons in appointing a stranger at Antioch and sending him to Alexandria with soldiers.
Defence against the Arians 35Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 349–357 · Julius closes by asking for a new synod, protesting that bishops were deposed and exiled without reference to all the churches, and claiming that matters concerning Alexandria should first be referred to Rome.
Commentary on Matthew 14Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 353–355 · Hilary treats the scribe of the kingdom, Jesus rejected at Nazareth, John’s death as the law silenced by Israel’s pleasure and unbelief, the feeding of the five thousand as the law and prophets turned into gospel food, and the walking on the water as Christ’s return to the storm-tossed church, with Peter’s faith and fall.
Commentary on Matthew 16Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 353–355 · Jesus refuses a sign except that of Jonah, warns against the Pharisees’ leaven, receives Peter’s confession (with Hilary’s statement of the Son’s eternal generation and incarnation and his praise of Peter as foundation and doorkeeper), rebukes the devil’s suggestion through Peter, and calls disciples to take up the cross.
On the Trinity 6.36Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Peter's confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” revealed by the Father, recognized Christ's divine nature, not merely a title; on this confession the church is built.
On the Trinity 6.37Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Peter's confession of Christ as Son of God is the foundation of the church and the key of the kingdom; to call Christ a creature denies Peter's whole apostleship.
On the Trinity 6.38Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Peter was rebuked even for a lesser fault; had he called Christ a creature he would not have been blessed. A faith that calls Christ a creature is not the church's.
Letters 7Lucifer of Cagliari · ca. 356–361 · Liberius defends himself to Constantius over Athanasius, insists on the Nicene faith, and sends Lucifer and two legates to ask for a council.
Letter 68Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil sends Dorotheus to Meletius with a plan to ask Rome to send Italian bishops to the East, and reports on Euippius's party.
Letter 69Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Basil sends Dorotheus to Athanasius, proposes asking the bishop of Rome to send envoys and to condemn Marcellus of Ancyra, and urges unity at Antioch.
Letter 70Basil of Caesarea · ca. 357–378 · Fragment: Basil asks the bishop of Rome to send help to the East, recalling Dionysius of Rome's care for Caesarea in a former crisis.
Treatise on the Mysteries 1.11.2Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–366 · Seth, "foundation of faith", prefigures the church founded on Peter.
Tractates on the Psalms 131.4Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ acted as one bound by an oath to suffer: he rebuked Peter, refused the sword, and said 'It is finished' when all was fulfilled.
Three Letters to Sympronianus 3.11Pacian of Barcelona · ca. 360-390 · Pacian refutes the Novatian claim that the power to bind and loose applied only to catechumens, appealing to Matt 16 and 18.
Commentary on Galatians 1.15Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · God revealed his Son to Paul, who consulted no one but went to Arabia and Damascus, then saw Peter, the church’s foundation, only fifteen days; Victorinus claims Paul denied James the title of apostle and treats James as the source of the Judaizing view, citing the Symmachians.
Commentary on Galatians 2.7Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · The pillars of the church, Peter, James, and John, recognized that the same God had entrusted Paul with the Gentiles as Peter with the Jews, and gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship in one gospel.
Commentary on Galatians 2.11Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · Paul publicly rebuked Peter at Antioch for withdrawing from table fellowship with Gentiles out of fear of men from James; Victorinus holds that Peter only pretended, but sinned by acting from fear and by leading Gentiles to judaize.
Against Parmenian the Donatist 2.2Optatus of Milevis · ca. 366–385 · Of the church's endowments the first is the chair, and the one episcopal chair was first given at Rome to Peter, head of the apostles, so that unity might be kept in it.
Against Parmenian the Donatist 2.4Optatus of Milevis · ca. 366–385 · The Donatist bishops at Rome, a line of Africans beginning with Victor of Garba who met in a cave outside the city, cannot claim Peter's chair or even enter the apostles' shrines.
Against Parmenian the Donatist 7.3Optatus of Milevis · ca. 366–385 · Peter, who denied Christ three times after professing him, still received the keys and was kept in the apostles' communion for the sake of unity, a pattern that shows the church must receive the Donatists.
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 12:11Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul is not inferior to the earlier apostles; priority in time does not confer rank, as Peter's primacy over Andrew shows.
Commentary on Galatians 1:18Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul visited Peter, first among the apostles, not to learn but in fellowship, showing his agreement with the apostles.
Commentary on Galatians 2:7–8Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Peter held the primacy for founding the church among Jews, Paul an equal primacy among the gentiles, each preaching to both when occasion arose.
Commentary on Galatians 2:9–10Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · The pillar apostles recognized Paul's primacy among the gentiles as Peter's among Jews; Paul withstood Peter at Antioch, not for withdrawing out of caution, which Paul too had done, but for an error explained next.
Commentary on Galatians 2:14Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Peter's fault was not withdrawing from gentiles but compelling them to judaize, which confused them; Paul's own concession over Timothy did not urge the law on anyone.
Epigram 26Damasus I of Rome · 366–384 · Epigram at the place "ad catacumbas" on the Via Appia, saying that Peter and Paul once dwelt there and that Rome claims them as her own by their martyrdom.
On the Destruction of Jerusalem 3.2Anonymous · ca. 370 · At Rome Peter defeats Simon Magus in raising a dead youth and in Simon's attempted flight; Nero seeks Peter's death; Peter, leaving Rome, meets Christ at the gate (“Lord, where are you going?”), returns, and is crucified head downward, while Paul is beheaded.
Question 79, section 3Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · Paying for himself and Peter, Jesus paid for all, because after him all the disciples are contained in Peter, whom he made their head and shepherd of the flock.
Letter 15.1Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Amid the divisions of the Eastern church, Jerome turns to Pope Damasus and the Roman see as the guardian of the faith.
Letter 15.2Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome declares his communion with the see of Peter and refuses to side with any of the rival bishops of Antioch until Damasus directs him.
Letter 67.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Augustine holds that Paul truly corrected Peter for compelling Gentiles to Judaize, so that Scripture's truthfulness is kept.
Letter 84.9Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome says he opposes Origen only because his supporters treat him as infallible, defends the ancient faith of Rome, and professes his love for the flesh sanctified in Christ and martyrdom.
Letter 112.8Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome argues from Galatians that Peter had first taught freedom from the law and at Antioch withdrew from the Gentiles only out of fear of losing the Jewish believers.
Letter 146.1Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome argues from Scripture and Alexandrian custom that presbyters and bishops were originally the same office and that deacons rank below presbyters.
Letter 146.2Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome rejects the Roman custom as grounds for exalting deacons and compares bishops, presbyters and deacons to Aaron, his sons and the Levites.
Letter 153.1Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome congratulates a newly ordained bishop of Rome, tells of Eustochium's death and the care of the young Paula, and urges him to act against the heretics.
Ancoratus 9.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Peter is the firm rock of the faith; the gates of Hades are the heresies.
Ancoratus 9.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Peter's confession contains the whole faith.
Ancoratus 9.13Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Peter was entrusted with the flock and gave Paul the right hand of fellowship.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 27.6.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The first bishops of Rome.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 27.6.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Rome needed bishops while the apostles traveled.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.17.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Andrew met Jesus first, but Christ chose Peter as leader of the disciples.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 59.7.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Peter is a rock founding the faith.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 59.7.9Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Peter’s confession of the Son is the rock of the church.
On the Christian Faith 4.5Ambrose · ca. 378–380 · Ambrose distinguishes four kinds of impossibility (by nature, by weakness, by lack of skill or authority, and by fixed will) and shows that the first three cannot apply to Christ, so that John 5:19 expresses the unity of will and love between Father and Son.
On the Christian Faith 5.0Ambrose · ca. 378–380 · In the prologue to the fifth book Ambrose, as a steward of the five talents of faith, explains why he writes against the heretics despite the warnings against disputes, and introduces John 17:3.
Eleven Tractates 2.41Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Priscillian addresses the bishop of Rome, explaining that Bishop Hydatius's attacks force him to state his faith before him.
Eleven Tractates 2.51Priscillian · ca. 380–385 · Hydatius slandered even Bishop Hyginus; Priscillian's party brought letters of communion from their churches and came to Rome to seek a hearing before bishops.
Canon 3Anonymous · 381–382 · The bishop of Constantinople ranks in honor next after the bishop of Rome, Constantinople being New Rome.
Petition to the Emperors (Libellus precum) 1Faustinus · ca. 383–384 · An account of the Roman schism: when Liberius was exiled for refusing to condemn Athanasius, the clergy broke their oath and accepted the archdeacon Felix in his place; Liberius returned after consenting to the emperor's faith, and Felix was driven out.
Letter 1 to Himerius of Tarragona, inscription and introductionSiricius, bishop of Rome · 385 · Siricius, newly bishop of Rome, answers the report Himerius of Tarragona had sent to Damasus, claiming to bear the burdens of all as Peter's heir.
Letter 1 to Himerius of Tarragona, chapter 15Siricius, bishop of Rome · 385 · Penitents, twice-married men, and husbands of widows already ordained may keep their grade without promotion; Himerius is to circulate the decretal through Spain.
Letter 5 to the bishops of Africa, chapter 1Siricius, bishop of Rome · 385 · The council at Peter's tomb sends the African bishops a reminder of existing apostolic and patristic rules, neglected by some who follow popular will rather than God's judgment.
Letter 36.21Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine answers the claim that Peter taught Saturday fasting at Rome after defeating Simon Magus, citing the story as an uncertain opinion and urging harmony between the customs.
Letter 43.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine argues that Caecilian, in communion with Rome and the churches overseas, could rightly refuse a suspect council, and Secundus should not have condemned him in absence.
Letter 53.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine lists the bishops of Rome from Peter to Anastasius and notes that no Donatist bishop appears in the succession.
Letter 75.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Jerome argues that Peter had been the first to teach that the law need not be kept, and withdrew from the Gentiles at Antioch only out of fear of losing the Jewish believers.
Letter 75.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Jerome quotes Augustine’s view that Paul kept the Jewish rites as harmless for Jewish believers and summarizes his argument about Peter’s fault.
Letter 176.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · The Council of Milevis (416) appeals to Pope Innocent to act for the endangered members of Christ.
Letter 181.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Pope Innocent I praises the Council of Carthage for referring the Pelagian case to the apostolic see, according to ancient custom.
Letter 182.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Pope Innocent I replies to the Council of Milevis, praising its pastoral concern both to exclude the erring and to receive the repentant.
Letter 182.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Innocent affirms that questions of faith are rightly referred to the see of Peter, from which answers flow to all provinces.
Letter 209.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine asks Celestine to study the records of Antoninus's conduct and how he deceived the primate of Numidia into commending him to Pope Boniface.
Letter 209.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine begs Celestine to protect the people of Fussala from Antoninus's threats of force and to show mercy to both parties.
Letter 265.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine explains that Peter's repentance for his denial was not the formal penance of the Church's penitents.
Homilies on Matthew 54.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · At Caesarea Philippi Christ draws from the disciples, beyond the people’s opinions, Peter’s confession that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, which the Father revealed; he names Peter the rock of the church’s faith and promises him the keys, gifts that show the Son’s equality with the Father.
Homilies on Matthew 54.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ forbids the disciples to proclaim him as the Christ until after the cross and resurrection, since the faith of the many would otherwise be shaken; Peter, though granted the revelation of the Son, does not yet understand the passion and tries to prevent it.
Homilies on Matthew 56.3John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Peter’s offer of three tents shows his love for Christ but also his fear and confusion; the Father’s voice from the bright cloud singles out Christ alone as the beloved Son, equal to him and of one will, whom the disciples must obey even when he goes to the cross.
Homilies on Matthew 58.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ again foretells his passion and the grieved disciples do not yet grasp the resurrection; asked for the temple tax, he shows Peter that as the King’s own Son he is exempt, yet pays it by a miracle so as not to give offense.
Homilies on Matthew 58.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · By making the sea pay the tax Christ shows himself Lord of nature and honors Peter, whose humility Mark’s silence shows; when the disciples, jealous of Peter, ask who is greatest, Christ sets a child before them as the pattern of humility needed to enter the kingdom.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.30.5Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · Peter followed behind Christ; where Peter is, there is the church, against which hell does not prevail.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 43.17.5Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · The sinew is love, the bond of Christ’s body the church; Peter, who professed love three times, is chosen.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 43.41.4Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · After his testing Peter was set over the church as shepherd, to strengthen his brothers and become food for us.
Sermon 46.23Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God says he himself will feed the sheep he rescues from bad shepherds, as Christ, the true Joseph sold by his own and now honored among the Gentiles, seeks his sheep through the fog of this world’s error.
Sermon 46.30Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · God says “I will feed,” not because good shepherds are lacking, but because all good shepherds are one in Christ, as Peter, entrusted with the sheep after confessing his love, represented the unity of the Church.
Sermon 76.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter is a type of the Church: the Church is built not on Peter but on Christ the rock whom he confessed; Peter is blessed when speaking from God and called Satan when speaking from himself.
Sermon 137.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ is both door and shepherd; he questioned Peter three times after the resurrection, not because he doubted his love, but so that a threefold confession of love might undo the threefold denial he had foretold like a physician.
Sermon 138.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter was made a shepherd when Christ entrusted his sheep to him, and a good one because he truly loved Christ, as his threefold confession shows.
Sermon 147.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter, in whom the unity of all good shepherds was figured, answered truly that he loved Christ, judging only his present heart, and did not dare to claim that he loved more than the others.
Sermon 149.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter bore the person of the Church, so the keys given to him were given to the Church; the vision overcame his fear, under pressure from Jewish believers, of admitting Gentiles like Cornelius.
Sermon 183.14Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter's loving confession came from the Father's revelation, not from himself; when he spoke from his own, recoiling from Christ's passion, he was called “Satan,” showing that both right faith and good life are God's gifts.
Sermon 232.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The two on the road to Emmaus called Christ a prophet, falling back on outsiders' opinions, whereas Peter had confessed him the Son of the living God, a confession that merited the promise of the keys.
Sermon 244.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Mary, Peter, and John at first believed only that the body had been taken; Peter’s confession had been swallowed up at the cross, and Christ the rock rose to make Peter firm.
Sermon 253.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter’s presumption failed because he lacked charity; having denied life by fearing death, he rose by weeping, and the risen Lord, who had said “You cannot follow me now,” now says “Follow me.”
Sermon 254.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Every man is a liar from his own resources, as Peter was when he opposed the passion; when Peter confessed Christ truly, it was by the Father’s revelation, not from himself.
Sermon 270.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ had to go away so that the disciples, attached to his human form as Peter was when he feared the passion, might become spiritual and receive the Spirit; Peter’s confession was from the Father, his fear from the flesh.
Sermon 286.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Before the passion Peter, though an apostle, was weaker than later martyrs, even girls; he presumed, denied, and ‘died’, but was raised by the Lord’s look and later died for him, smoothing the way for martyrs.
Sermon 295.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · On the feast of Peter and Paul Augustine explains that the rock on which Christ builds his Church is the faith Peter confessed, Christ himself, from whom Peter takes his name as Christians do from Christ.
Sermon 295.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The keys given to Peter were given to the unity of the Church, which he represented; the Church binds and looses, outside it nothing is loosed, and as with Lazarus Christ raises the sinner while the Church unbinds him.
Sermon 295.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · In Peter both the Church’s strength and its weakness were shown: he followed Christ but denied him through presumption, then, looked upon by the Lord, went out and wept bitterly.
Sermon 295.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ entrusted his sheep to Peter, first of the apostles and figure of the Church’s unity, asking his love three times so that a threefold confession might loose the threefold denial.
Sermon 296.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The Gospel of the feast charges ministers to feed Christ’s sheep; Peter, loving out of order, presumed to die for Christ and denied him, but after the resurrection was taught to love rightly and promised martyrdom.
Sermon 296.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter, loving Christ carnally, tried to keep him from death and was called Satan just after being called blessed for confessing him; presuming to die for him, he denied him and wept.
Sermon 296.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Seeing death conquered in the risen Lord, Peter was taught to love; his threefold confession answered his threefold denial, and the charge to feed the sheep was followed by the prophecy of his martyrdom.
Sermon 296.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · A human master entrusts sheep to a servant able to repay their price in money; Christ, who bought his sheep with blood, entrusted them to Peter, who was fit because he repaid with his own blood.
Sermon 296.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Not only Peter but all the apostles, especially Paul, received the charge to feed the sheep; it is the will to die that makes a martyr, as with John the apostle and the three young men in the furnace.
Sermon 297.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Death is naturally bitter, which is why martyrs, who chose it rather than deny Christ, are great and are not prayed for but pray for the Church; Peter did not want to die but preferred to follow Christ, and the apostles trod down the thorns for the sheep.
Sermon 298.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The feast of Peter and Paul deserved a larger crowd; the first and the last of the apostles, Stephen’s ordainer and persecutor, both atoned for their sins and now speak to all nations through their letters.
Sermon 299.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Peter, first chosen, and Paul, chosen last, were joined in one feast of passion by God, the first and the last; we know them because their voice has gone out to all the earth.
On Illustrious Men 1Jerome · 392–393 · Peter: bishop of Antioch, then of Rome for twenty-five years, crucified head downward under Nero; author of two letters; several books under his name are apocryphal.
On Illustrious Men 15Jerome · 392–393 · Clement of Rome wrote 1 Clement, which resembles Hebrews; 2 Clement and the Disputation of Peter and Apion are wrongly ascribed to him.
Against Jovinianus 1.26Jerome · 393 · Jerome argues that the apostles' marriages belonged to the time before the Gospel, that 1 Cor 9:5 refers to women who served them, and that John, the virgin apostle, was specially loved by Christ.
Against Jovinianus 2.37Jerome · 393 · Jerome traces Jovinian's teaching to old heresies, laments that it took root at Rome, and satirizes its message and followers.
Tractates 20Gaudentius of Brescia · ca. 397-410 · A short sermon for the feast of Peter and Paul (29 June), given at another bishop's request: the three births (natural, baptismal, and martyrdom), the deaths of Peter by inverted crucifixion and Paul by the sword under Nero, and their equality as brothers in faith.
Letters 1.3Anastasius I · ca. 400-402 · Anastasius has no wish to know Origen, but the reading of his translated works at Rome showed that he undermined the apostolic faith.
Letters 1.5Anastasius I · ca. 400-402 · Rome cannot accept Origen's teaching; Anastasius quotes his letter to Venerius and reports the emperors' rescripts against reading Origen.
Letters 2.2Anastasius I · ca. 400-402 · Anastasius tells the recipient that Rome, Peter's see, has condemned whatever in Origen is contrary to the faith, citing Gal 1:8.
Canon 101 (Bruns)Anonymous · 401–424 (collection of 419) · Pope Innocent is to be asked to restore peace between the churches of Rome and Alexandria.
Canon 105 (Bruns)Anonymous · 401–424 (collection of 419) · Clerics excommunicated in Africa who take communion overseas lose their rank; clerics travelling to the court need letters of credence from Rome stating their purpose.
Canon 138 (Bruns)Anonymous · 401–424 (collection of 419) · The African council's letter to Pope Celestine on the case of Apiarius: it reports his confession, asks Rome not to receive those excommunicated in Africa or to entertain appeals overseas, and denies that the Nicene canons allow Roman legates in such cases.
Letter 1Innocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent announces his election to Anysius of Thessalonica and confirms the authority over the churches of the region that his predecessors Damasus, Siricius and Anastasius had entrusted to him.
Letter 2, inscription and introductionInnocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent sends Victricius of Rouen a book of Roman rules for church discipline, not as new laws but as apostolic tradition that some have neglected.
Letter 2, chapter 3Innocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Disputes among clerics are to be settled by the bishops of the province, with greater cases referred afterwards to the apostolic see.
Letter 17, inscription and introductionInnocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent replies to the Macedonian bishops, whose letter seemed to call into question rulings of the apostolic see.
Letter 25, inscription and introductionInnocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Writing to Decentius of Gubbio, Innocent argues that the Western churches, founded by Peter or his successors, must follow Roman liturgical custom.
Letter 29, chapter 1Innocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent praises the African bishops for referring the case of Pelagius and Caelestius to the apostolic see, which, he says, confirms the judgments of all the churches.
Letter 30, chapter 2Innocent I, bishop of Rome · 401–417 · Innocent says that questions of faith are rightly referred to Peter’s see and that its sentence on the authors of the new heresy will benefit the whole church.
Apology against Rufinus 2.2Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome mocks Rufinus's excuses to Anastasius for not coming to Rome and his claim to be approved in faith and love.
Apology against Rufinus 2.10Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome scorns Rufinus's professed ignorance on the origin of the soul as an evasion meant to avoid condemning Origen's doctrine of pre-existence.
Apology against Rufinus 3.12Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome repeats that he found at Caesarea the six books of Eusebius's Apology for Origen, of which Rufinus's "Pamphilus" is the first, and urges Rufinus to retract the attribution to spare the martyr's name.
Apology against Rufinus 3.20Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome challenges Rufinus, who doubts Anastasius's letter against him, to verify it in the Roman archives or answer Anastasius himself.
Apology against Rufinus 3.21Jerome · ca. 401–402 · Jerome mocks Rufinus's reliance on Siricius's letter and his flight from Roman judgment, and resents his hints about Jerome's departure from Rome.
Apology against Jerome 2.33Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 401 · Rufinus protests that Jerome's version drops Susanna and the Song of the Three Young Men and sets one man's work against the Septuagint and the books handed down by Peter at Rome.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 7.14Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ changed Simon's name to Peter, from 'rock', so that in Peter the Church built on the rock might be figured; only those who both hear and do Christ's words build on the rock and withstand the floods, such as the day's festival.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 47.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Augustine enters to his hearers through Christ the door; the good shepherd's laying down of his life is shared by his members, as John urges and as Christ foretold of Peter.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 50.12Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · "Me you will not always have" was said to Judas as the figure of the wicked in the Church, as Peter, receiving the keys, figured the Church of the good.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 118.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · The four parts of Christ's garments figure the Church spread through the world, and the seamless tunic its unity in love, as Peter answered and received the keys in the name of all.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 123.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ asks Peter three times whether he loves him, gives him his sheep to feed, and foretells his martyrdom, by which Peter fulfils his earlier rash promise.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 124.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Peter, who bore the person of the Church, figures the present life of faith, action, and suffering, which follows Christ; John figures the future life of contemplation, which waits for his coming.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 5.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · Christ asked Peter to repay his love not by serving him, as Zacchaeus and the widow served God's servants, but by feeding his sheep and being ready to die for them.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 10.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · To believe that Jesus is the Christ is to believe with love, as Peter did, whose confession is the rock on which the Church is built; the demons confessed the same words without love.
Apologetic Book 6.5Orosius · ca. 415–416 · The matter is referred to Pope Innocent.
Seven Books of History against the Pagans 7.6.2Orosius · ca. 417–418 · Peter comes to Rome.
Seven Books of History against the Pagans 7.6.8Orosius · ca. 417–418 · Peter's coming checked civil war.
Seven Books of History against the Pagans 7.7.10Orosius · ca. 417–418 · Nero's persecution; Peter and Paul are killed.
Letter 1, chapter 1Zosimus, bishop of Rome · 417–418 · Zosimus rules that clerics from Gaul travelling to Rome or elsewhere must carry letters of credence from the bishop of Arles.
Letter 12, chapter 1Zosimus, bishop of Rome · 417–418 · Zosimus asserts the authority of Peter’s see, which no one may reconsider, but says he consulted the Africans about Caelestius out of courtesy.
Letter 14Zosimus, bishop of Rome · 417–418 · Zosimus tells his legates that the Roman presbyters who appealed against him to the imperial court are excommunicated and that their supporters will be dealt with later.
Letter 15, chapter 1Zosimus, bishop of Rome · 417–418 · Zosimus instructs his legates to Africa and quotes, as a canon of Nicaea, the canon allowing a deposed bishop to appeal to the bishop of Rome.
On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin 2.7Augustine of Hippo · 418 · Pope Zosimus dealt gently with Caelestius, who had professed himself ready to be corrected by the apostolic see.
On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin 2.8Augustine of Hippo · 418 · Zosimus asked Caelestius to condemn the charges and accept Innocent's letter; he refused the first but promised the second, was given two months, and was later condemned.
On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin 2.9Augustine of Hippo · 418 · Pelagius deceived the Palestinian synod but not the Roman church, where he was well known; Zosimus followed Innocent's judgment of the Palestinian proceedings.
On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin 2.10Augustine of Hippo · 418 · Innocent replied to five African bishops that he could neither approve nor blame the Palestinian judgment, since Pelagius seemed to have evaded the charges rather than cleared himself.
On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin 2.18Augustine of Hippo · 418 · Councils, the apostolic see, the Roman church, and the Christian empire have rightly acted against Pelagius and Caelestius, in hope of their repentance and for the sake of their followers.
Letter 3, chapter 2Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface orders a Gallic synod before 1 November to try Maximus of Valence, in his absence if he does not appear, and reserves confirmation of the verdict to Rome.
Letter 4, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface opens by saying that Peter rejoices when his sons keep the peace of the see founded on the spiritual rock.
Letter 4, chapter 2Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface reminds Rufus that he holds Rome’s commission over the churches of Macedonia and Achaea and informs him of a case from there.
Letter 5, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface praises Rufus for reporting resistance to Rome’s rulings and reminds him that Peter, shepherd of the whole church, watches over his office.
Letter 5, chapter 2Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface entrusts Rufus, as vicar of the apostolic see, with the care of the churches and with judging disputes between bishops.
Letter 7, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface asks Honorius to protect the Roman church against renewed disturbance by the rival party of Eulalius, sending legates to plead its cause.
Letter 13, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface urges Rufus, Peter’s vicar in Illyricum, to resist with confidence those who seek to break away from Thessalonica’s jurisdiction.
Letter 13, chapter 2Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface tells Rufus he has rebuked the Thessalians and forbidden a synod at Corinth to reopen the case of Perigenes, since the apostolic see’s decisions cannot be reconsidered.
Letter 14, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface tells the Thessalian bishops that the universal church began from Peter’s honour and that the Roman church is the head from which no one can separate without leaving the Christian religion.
Letter 14, chapter 2Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface condemns bishops who seek to leave Rome’s jurisdiction by appealing to another see that the canons gave no such power.
Letter 14, chapter 3Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface warns the Thessalian bishops that Peter can correct with gentleness or with the rod, quoting 1 Corinthians 4:21.
Letter 15, chapter 1Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface writes that Peter, on whom the church is founded, cares for all churches, and expresses astonishment at a new attempt against the fathers’ order in Illyricum.
Letter 15, chapter 4Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface warns that pride against Peter, to whom Christ gave the keys, excludes from heaven, and urges humility.
Letter 15, chapter 5Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface protests that a synod would put Perigenes’s confirmed status in doubt, and appeals to the canons ranking Rome, Alexandria and Antioch, whose bishops defer to the apostolic see.
Letter 15, chapter 6Boniface I, bishop of Rome · 418–422 · Boniface cites Athanasius, Peter of Alexandria, Meletius and Flavian of Antioch, Theodosius on Nectarius, and the Eastern reconciliation under Innocent as proofs that the East consulted Rome.
Canon 2Anonymous · 419 · The Roman legate Faustinus asks that the instructions of the apostolic see on the Nicene canons be read and answered point by point.
Canon 3Anonymous · 419 · Zosimus's instruction is read, citing as Nicene a canon on bishops' appeals to Rome; Alypius replies that the Greek copies of Nicaea lack it and asks that authentic copies be sought from Constantinople, Alexandria and Antioch.
Canon 5Anonymous · 419 · Faustinus asks that the question be referred to the bishop of Rome to avoid conflict; the council agrees to write to Boniface.
Canon 8Anonymous · 419 · Faustinus asks that the bishop of Rome be consulted on the disputed rule about appeals of the lower clergy.
Canon 11Anonymous · 419 · The African council writes to Boniface of Rome: Apiarius is restored but moved from Sicca; the rules on appeals cited as Nicene will be kept provisionally until authentic copies of the Nicene canons arrive from the East.
Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 2.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 420–421 · Augustine defends the Roman clergy and Pope Zosimus against the charge of changing their judgment, explaining that Zosimus never approved Caelestius's doctrine but gave him time to correct himself.
Retractations 1.20Augustine of Hippo · 426-427 · Reviewing his lost Against the Letter of Donatus, Augustine leaves the reader to choose between two interpretations of the rock in Matt 16:18 and corrects several historical statements about Donatus.
Celestine, ACO I.2, letter 1.8Celestine I, bishop of Rome · 430-432 · Celestine commissions Cyril, in the name of the Roman see, to give Nestorius ten days to recant in writing, or else to depose him.
Celestine, ACO I.2, letter 8.1Celestine I, bishop of Rome · 430-432 · Celestine instructs his legates to follow Cyril's counsel, guard the authority of the apostolic see, judge rather than debate, and deliver his letters to the emperor.
Celestine, ACO I.2, letter 26.4Celestine I, bishop of Rome · 430-432 · Celestine warns that Nestorius, returned to Antioch, is still dangerous there and urges the council to have him removed far away.
Letter to Sixtus III (with Helladius of Tarsus)Eutherius of Tyana · ca. 431-433 · Eutherius and Helladius appeal to Pope Sixtus III against Cyril's Twelve Chapters, the condemnation of Nestorius at Ephesus, and John of Antioch's reconciliation with Cyril.
Chapter 21Prosper of Aquitaine · ca. 432-433 · Prosper recalls the condemnations of Pelagianism by Innocent, Zosimus, Boniface, and Celestine, cites Celestine's letter praising Augustine, and urges Pope Xystus to drive out the hidden Pelagians.
Letter 3, chapter 3Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus reports that the news was heard at Saint Peter’s by a synod gathered for his anniversary, over which Peter himself presided in spirit.
Letter 4, chapter 5Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus urges John to proclaim the restored unity and to hold the simple faith that Peter received from Christ and hands on through his successors.
Letter 5, chapter 1Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus reminds Proclus of Constantinople that Rome supported his ordination and gently reproves his attempt, now settled by Roman legates, to extend his jurisdiction.
Letter 5, chapter 2Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus tells Proclus to respect the traditional authority of Anastasius of Thessalonica over Illyricum, as Rome supported Proclus himself.
Letter 6, chapter 1Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus confirms the authority of Anastasius of Thessalonica over Illyricum: metropolitans ordain in their provinces only with his knowledge, and greater cases go to him.
Letter 8, chapter 2Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus places all Illyrian churches under the bishop of Thessalonica, who is to hold councils and report to Rome for confirmation.
Letter 8, chapter 3Sixtus III, bishop of Rome · 432–440 · Sixtus tells the Illyrian bishops that only the doctrinal decisions of the Eastern synod bind them and that disputes go to Anastasius as papal vicar, or else to Rome.
Commonitory 6Vincent of Lérins · 434 · Pope Stephen's resistance to the rebaptism of heretics shows that the church keeps what was handed down and rejects novelty, even when its advocates were great men like Cyprian.
Commonitory 32Vincent of Lérins · 434 · Vincent adds the judgments of the Roman bishops Sixtus III and Celestine I against any novelty that attacks the ancient faith.
Part 1, chapter 30Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · Joseph’s brothers coming to buy grain from the brother they sold, his demand for Benjamin, and Simeon’s binding figure the Jews who crucified Christ coming to repent, Paul of Benjamin, and Peter’s power to bind and loose.
Canon 28Anonymous · 451 · The council confirms Constantinople's privileges as New Rome, second after Rome, and gives its archbishop the ordination of the metropolitans of Pontus, Asia and Thrace.