I got into a discussion with a guy about papal authority and he brought up a situation that took place betweetn St Anicetus and St Polycarp relating to a disagreement between them and he was trying to use it to disprove the authority of the Pope.
Can someone give me some more information on this and help on formulating a response.
This event actually supports Papal authority.
Polycarp, at the age of 80, traveled about 1200 miles to get permission from Pope Anicetus to celebrate Easter on a day other than Sunday. The eastern custom started by the apostle John was to celebrate Easter according to the Jewish calendar which meant Easter could fall on any day of the week. In the west they followed the custom of Peter and Paul and celebrated Easter only on Sunday. For the sake of unity no decision was made by Pope Anicetus.
In Eusebius *Church History *Book 5 he says this quoting from Irenaeus “they parted from each other in peace and peace in the whole church was maintained by those who observed and those who did not.”
The question to ask is why did Polycarp at age 80 feel obligated to travel 1200 miles to speak to Pope Anicetus over this matter?
30 years later another eastern Bishop named Polycrates sent a letter to Pope Victor asking permission to celebrate Easter on a day other then Sunday. Pope Victor excommunicated all eastern Churches that did not celebrate Easter on Sunday. Eusebius tells us this “Not all bishops were pleased by this and they requested instead that he pursue the cause of peace, unity and love.”
Irenaeus urged Victor not to excommunicate all the eastern Churches and for the sake of unity Victor agreed to do so. No Bishop denied the Pope’s authority to excommunicate which proves that as early as AD 185 the Pope was recognized by all the Churches as the successor of Peter.
The final decision on the date for Easter was made in AD 325 at the Council of Nicaea.
