St. Cyprian of Carthage on the Papacy

[Quis_UtDeus]

So I was reading Stephen K. Ray’s book Upon This Rock and found St Cyprian of Carthage’s quote regarding the Papacy

The Lord speaks to Peter, saying, I say unto you, that you are 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 you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And again to the same He says, after His resurrection, Feed my sheep. And although to all the apostles, after His resurrection, He gives an equal power, and says, As the Father has sent me, even so send I you: Receive the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins you remit, they shall be remitted unto him; and whose soever sins you retain, they shall be retained; John 20:21 yet, that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity, as beginning from one.

but then in the next passage of the original text and not mentioned in the book say

Assuredly the rest of the apostles were also the same as was Peter, endowed with a like partnership both of honour and power; but the beginning proceeds from unity. Which one Church, also, the Holy Spirit in the Song of Songs designated in the person of our Lord, and says, My dove, my spotless one, is but one. She is the only one of her mother, elect of her that bare her. Song of Songs 6:9 Does he who does not hold this unity of the Church think that he holds the faith?

I heard that here it argues that Peter is pu on the same level and status as the apostles and thus disproving the papacy.

Is there an explanation for this? I imagine there is but I can’t think of one

 

[Todd_Easton]

St Cyprian’s treatise, “On Catholic Unity,” is discussed in the Catholic Encyclopedia article, “St. Cyprian of Carthage,” in the section entitled, “Church unity.” It might help.

 

[Quis_UtDeus]

Thank you for the link but it really refers more to some disputed sources and not the passage itself

 

[Crocus]

I found this, he talks about Cyprian on pages 110-134, your specific quote is on page 113.

https://www.catholicbridge.com/downloads/papacy-early-fathers-debate.pdf

Steve Ray Responds to Bill Webster’s “Rebuttal” of his Book UPON THIS ROCK and Critiques Bill’s Use and Abuse of the Patristic Witness regarding the Primacy of Peter and the Petrine Primacy of Rome

A bit complex, but worth the read. The simple conclusion winds up on page 133.

I can paste that bit if you want. This is the very short version

As Cyprian puts it: “Indeed, the others were what Peter also was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair.”
“By this “one Chair,” Cyprian is referring to the teaching authority of the Church.

 

[po18guy]

For the past 501 years, various self-appointed ego-driven “leaders” have simply made up excuses to deny Peter - and then they deny the rest of the Apostles as well!

After denying the Church fathers in toto they will allow one who ‘appears’ to agree with them. Then they go on to disagree with that same father everywhere else.

This is ego-driven cherry-picking at its worst - warping and distorting revealed truth to suit their own purposes.

Do not listen to them. They are the ones making the absurd claims. Let them provide the proof. Put them on the defensive.

Consider watching former Lutheran theologian Dr. William Marshner convincingly, absolutely, irrefutably deconstruct the ‘reformation’ and identify the early Church.

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

but the beginning proceeds from unity.

Meaning that “like partnership of honor and power” is contingent on those other apostles being in union with Peter, without which those apostles (and their episcopal successors) have no power. I don’t see how this disproves the papacy. If anything it reinforces it.

 

[Hodos]

What it does is demonstrates that you cannot look at the papacy through an anachronistic lens.