Folio 100

St. Gelasius I, 492-496

printed p. 68 · pdf p. 100

Then follows:

The Primacy of the Roman Pontiff and the Patriarchal Sees1

[From the same epistle or "Decretal," in the year 495]

163. (1) After (all these) prophetic and evangelical and apostolic writings (which we have set forth above), on which the Catholic Church by the grace of God is founded, we have thought this (fact) also ought to be published, namely that, although the universal Catholic Church spread throughout the world has the one marriage of Christ, nevertheless the holy Roman Church has not been preferred to the other churches by reason of synodical decrees, but she has held the primacy by the evangelical voice of the Lord and Savior saying: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven [Matt. 16:18 f.]. There is added also the association of the most blessed Paul the Apostle, the vessel of election, who not at a different time, as the heretics say, but at the one time, on one and the same day, while contending for the prize together with Peter was crowned with a glorious death under Caesar Nero in the City of Rome; and equally have they consecrated the above-mentioned Church of Rome to Christ the Lord and have raised it above all other cities in the whole world by their presence and their venerable triumph.

Accordingly the see of PETER the Apostle of the Church of Rome is first, having neither spot, nor wrinkle, nor anything of this kind [Eph. 5:27]. But the second see at Alexandria was consecrated in the name of blessed PETER by Mark his disciple and evangelist . . . but the third in honor is considered the see of the most blessed Apostle PETER at Antioch. . . .

The Authority of the Councils and the Fathers2

[From the same epistle or "Decretal"]

164. (2) And although no one can lay a foundation other than that, which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus [cf. I Cor. 3:11], nevertheless for the purpose of instruction the holy, that is, the Roman Church, does not

  1. C. H. Turner: The Journal of Theological Studies I (1900) 560. Th 454 ff.; ML 59, 159 B f.; Msi VIII 147 B ff.; BR (T) I 122 f.—There are those who even wish this part of the "Decree of Gelasius" to be attributed to DAMASUS, as for example, Turner and Schwartz: see n. 83 ff.; cf. Bar(Th) to 382 n. 19 (5, 492 b). ↩

  2. Th 456 ff.; ML 59, 159 ff. ↩