the most true reprover of heresy? … We know that thou wast the foundation of bishops, pillar of the Orthodox Faith, teacher of religion. … Thou didst adorn the divine See of Peter, and since thou from this divine Rock didst guard the Church unmoved, so now with him (St. Peter) art thou glorified."[1] On St. Gregory the Great's feast they have even more to say about the Roman See: "Most sacred Pastor, thou art the successor of the see and also of the zeal of the first one (τοῦ κορυφαίου, St. Peter), cleansing the people and bringing them to God. Successor of the throne of the prince of the choir of disciples, whence thou dost by thy teaching as with a torch enlighten the faithful, oh Gregory! When the first of Churches embraced thee, she watered all the earth that is beneath the sun with divine teaching. Hail, torch of religion, who dost light up all the world with the glory of thy words! lighthouse, who dost call back to the shore those who are tossed among the waves of error! Instrument sounded by the breath of the Holy Ghost!"[2] They have a great devotion to St. Gregory Dialogos, as they call him; and both hymns are an example of a very honourable conservatism, that will not alter their venerable office, in spite of later quarrels against the "divine See of Peter," the "first of Churches."
These Greek Fathers, however, not only looked to Rome in cases of Church government; Rome was also the last Court of Appeal in questions of faith. When other bishops disagreed about some point of doctrine, when there was no opportunity of summoning a general council (they could not make bishops come together from every part of the Empire to settle each dispute); then they asked what was the teaching of the first of Churches, in which St. Peter, the rock and foundation of all, still lived and taught. Sozomen says of the heresy of Macedonius: "When this question was moved, and when the quarrel grew from day to day, the Bishop of the City of Rome having heard of it wrote to the Eastern Churches that they must confess the Trinity, consubstantial, equal in honour and glory, just as the Western bishops do. When he had done
