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jsking1964
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| Joined: | Sat Dec 15th, 2007 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 58 |
| First Name: | Benedict | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Basically I have been a Christian all my life, and ... |
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Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 09:35 pm |
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| Why is it that the head of the Catholic Church is in Jerusalem or someplace of biblical sugnificance? Jesus was not born in (nor did He die in) Rome. It seems to me, given the circustances, that the Catholic Church could have had a place that was spoken of in the Bible as being the place where Christ actually was born or died. Instead we see these places almost filled with war.
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JS Benedict
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemed. Mark 16:16
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 1665 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical (1977): Diverse Protestant Influences / Catholic in 1990 |
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Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 09:56 pm |
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Hi Jason,
I think the usual reason given for the headquarters in Rome is that Peter and Paul were martyred there. This Church had a preeminence from the beginning.
Also, in God's providence, He saw fit to have the head Church be in Rome because it was the capital of the Roman empire at that time, and hence, in position to transform that same empire. It took some time (till 313 at least) but it did happen.
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2000+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 11:06 pm |
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To amplify on what Dave said …
Suppose you wanted to spread a philosophy today. Would you go to Minot, North Dakota, or New York City, the media capital of the world and the headquarters of the United Nations? Would you head for Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, or Washington D.C., the political capital of the world? Would you seek to convince and convert a coffee shop owner in Amite, Louisiana, or the people around the governor of California? (Nothing against Minot, Truth or Consequences, or Amite. Amite is a very nice town; I've never been to the other two, but I'm sure they're nice, too.)
To the Romans, Judea was a backwater province. It was rebellious and impoverished, and contributed little to the Empire. It cost a fortune to keep in check, and it's only through brutality that someone like Pontius Pilate was able to keep some semblance of order. Rome probably would have abandoned it gladly, except that it was the primary route to Arabia and Africa. Typically, Rome named puppet kings to rule their provinces, like King Herod in Galilee, but Judea was much too turbulent for a puppet regime. It had to be controlled directly, especially after the rebellion recounted in the Book of Maccabees. Pilate accepted the governorship because he was convinced he could beat them into submission and thus gain fame in the empire. He failed. The ultimate result was the virtual destruction of the country in about 70 A.D., including the destruction of the Temple. The only part of that magnificent building to survive is the western wall, known today as the Wailing Wall.
By making inroads into the media and political structure of the most powerful nation on earth, your message would spread much more quickly. Peter and Paul knew that if their message was to spread, they had to convince the Greeks and the Romans, the Persians and the Indians, the Spaniards and the English. So the 12 apostles spread throughout the known world, from Rome to Byzantium to Antioch, to Africa and India, to carry the message to the capitals of the world. Rome, as the primary city of the known world, was by far the dominant center of the Empire ("all roads lead to Rome") and so the message brought there by the first pope, Peter, was carried by the Roman legions, and eventually by the Roman officials. Once Christianity became the official religion of the Empire, Roman armies took missionaries with them to convert Ireland, England, Germany, northern Africa, and all of the known world.
Paul was a Roman citizen, so he had rights in Rome that no other apostle could claim. He could preach the gospel message throughout the empire without fear, and when he eventually was arrested, he could claim the right of citizenship which allowed him to be taken to Rome and tried as a citizen. Peter was not a citizen, but he went to Rome for the same reason. And since Rome was the see of Peter, it became the predominant bishopric of the Christian world and Peter's successor was given primacy of honor by the patriarchs of the other apostolic Churches.
One of the root causes of the Great Schism of 1054 is that Rome had lost its preeminent position to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople and now known as Istanbul) and many in the east felt that the primacy should have transferred to the east. Had that been allowed to happen, the seat of the Church would probably be in Washington, D.C. today, and the Church would be subservient to the politics of the era. Instead, the seat of the Church remained in Rome and it retained its prominence in the world as the seat of the Catholic Church, and the Church eventually overcame political domination and became the guiding force in the world through the Dark and Middle Ages. Had the seat of the Church moved, there is an excellent chance western Europe would have descended into total chaos, and most of the treasures of the western world would have been lost like the great Library of Alexandria.
It can be objectively argued that if the seat of the Church had not remained in Rome, the world as we know it would not exist today. Much of the knowledge of the ages would be lost, entire peoples would have died from diseases like the plague, and there would have been no great missionary thrust to cause the exploration of the New World.
And if the seat of the Church had remained in Jerusalem, the Church would have been snuffed out within a century by the combined forces of Jewish and Roman authorities. And the gates of hell would have prevailed.
This is, of course, a gross oversimplification of an extremely turbulent region of the Roman Empire, and two millennia of history. It is from memory of things I studied years ago, so some of the details might not be exactly right, but it represents the conditions in the region at the time fairly accurately. Had Christianity remained in Jerusalem, it would have remained a sect of Judaism and been crushed by the Romans. It was the move to Rome, watered by the blood of the martyrs (and certainly by the Precious Blood of our Savior), that allowed Christianity to rise from the ashes of the Empire to become the predominant religion in the world today, and the Catholic Church to be the largest and most successful organization that has ever existed.
In spite of what some Protestants would have you think, today there are more Catholics than all other Christians (including Orthodox) combined. And the number of Catholics is increasing, while the number of Protestants and Anglicans is shrinking.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Peter and Paul did the right thing.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 1665 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical (1977): Diverse Protestant Influences / Catholic in 1990 |
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Posted: Fri Dec 21st, 2007 04:33 am |
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Very eloquently stated, Rick.
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2000+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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