received the building up of the Church to himself."[1] St. Ephrem († 373) represents our Lord as saying to St. Peter: "Simon, my disciple, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I have called you a Rock because you shall hold up all my building. You are the inspector[2] of those who build my Church on earth; if they want to build anything badly you as the foundation shall restrain them, you are the Head of the fountain of my teaching. … Behold, I have made you lord over all my treasures."[3] St. Cyril of Jerusalem († 386) calls him: "Peter, Prince of the Apostles and Supreme Herald of the Church," "Key-bearer of the Kingdom of Heaven." St. John Chrysostom († 407) seems to never mention St. Peter without adding the strongest expressions of his dignity. No one of the Fathers, either Greek or Latin, so constantly refers to the Primacy of St. Peter, or gives him such splendid titles, as St. Chrysostom. St. Peter is the chief (κορυφαῖος) of the Apostles,[4] the first Apostle, head of their company,[5] first in the Church, the unbreakable Rock and immovable basement, &c.[6] He is the column of the Church, firmament of faith, fundament of the confession, fisherman of the whole world,[7] head of the brotherhood, president of all the world, foundation of the Church.[8] But it is needless to multiply examples of what no one who at all knows St. John Chrysostom will deny. Let any one open a volume of his sermons by chance and look for the first mention of St. Peter; he will almost certainly find such titles as these after it. St. Gregory of Nazianzum († c. 390),[9] St. Gregory of Nyssa († c. 395),[10] St. Epiphanius († 403),[11] St. Cyril of Alexandria († 444),[12] all have the same thing to say: St. Peter was Prince of the Apostles, the foundation on which our Lord built his Church, and the Shepherd of the whole flock. To this day
- ↑ Adv. Eunom. M.P.G. xxix. 579.
- ↑ Bochūra (Bachr, to examine). This is the word he uses for bishop, otherwise they can only say "Efisqaufa."
- ↑ Sermo de pass. et resur. 4, i; Lamy, i. 412.
- ↑ De Sac. II. i. M.P.G. xlviii. 631.
- ↑ Hom. 88 in Joh. i. p. 478.
- ↑ De Poen. hom. iii. 4, 298.
- ↑ De 10,000 tal. deb. 3, 20.
- ↑ Hom. in Hoc scitote, 275.
- ↑ Or. 32, de mod. in disp. 18, p. 194.
- ↑ Laud. II. S. Steph. p. 734; De Castig. p. 311.
- ↑ Hæres. 59, p. 1030.
- ↑ In Mt. 16, 18, p. 423.
