Absentis: St Peter, the Disputed Site of His Burial Place and the Apostolic Succession

By PETER J H BARRATT

This was not an easy book to write because, for many people, it may contradict their long-held beliefs. Intense feelings are invoked in almost all discussions of biblical interpretation. Catholics will probably accuse the author of trying to take Rome out of Roman Catholicism. In a more simplistic sense it might be likened to spitefully informing a minor that there is no Santa Claus. Worse, it is purports to suggest that over a billion people are wrong in their beliefs and the author is right. Perhaps, it might be argued, it would be better if the subject matter, which may be harmless tradition and an edifying myth, is best left undisturbed. After all, it is always possible we are missing one vital piece of information that would prove the Catholic Church was correct all along in believing that St Peter was martyred in Rome. However, the facts would seem to suggest strongly otherwise.
Then there is the matter of the belief in a continuing apostolic succession which is exceptionally difficult to prove (unless the unsatisfactory defense is tradition and blind faith). Thus the battleground of this contentious enquiry rests mainly on tradition and faith versus (only partially verifiable) facts. So, in the end, it is doubtful the enquiry will change many minds. But, if it states its case, pro and con, honestly enough to let people judge for themselves, then that is probably sufficient.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493168392

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Copyright © 2014 by PETER J H BARRATT.

ISBN:          Softcover          978-1-4931-6838-5

                   Ebook              978-1-4931-6839-2

All rights reserved. The author has made every effort to trace the copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the author will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements to correct the oversight at the first opportunity. No part of this book whatsoever may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Images are included in the book under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License or are in the public domain via WikiCommons.

Also by Peter Barratt:

Chronicles of Angels

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Grand Bahama

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Stackpole Books, IM Publishing

Freeport Notebook

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 02/20/2014

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Sanctus Petrum eram nunquam Romae

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

A BRIEF LIFE STORY OF SAINT PETER

Early Life

Peter after the Resurrection of Christ

Peter, Paul, and James

The Jerusalem Tomb of St. Peter

EARLY CHURCH

Apostolic Succession

Peter in Rome—Statement and Response

The Early Church in Rome

Rome of the East

The Early Papacy

SCHISMS, DISPUTES, AND COUNCILS

The Donation of Constantine

The Wicked Popes

COUNCILS, SCHISMS, AND COMMENTARY

Church Ecumenical Councils

The Great Schism and Its Aftermath

Apostolic Succession in non-Catholic Churches

Brief Commentary on Catholic Beliefs and Papal Privilege

SUMMARY

APPENDIX

A. Timeline—St. Peter and St. Paul

B. An abridged Version of a Report on the Possible Finding of St. Peter’s Tomb in Jerusalem

C. Popes Of The Early Latin Church (Ca. Ad 32-401)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ILLUSTRATIONS

Cover illustrations

(front) St. Peter painted by Guido Reni and photograph of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome

1.     Facial portrait of St. Peter painted by Guido Reni

2.     St. Peter severs an ear of the High Priest’s servant (anon)

3     The Mission of St. Peter painted by Jacob Jordaens

4.     St. Peter released from prison engraving by Gustave Doré

5.     Crucifixion of St. Peter painted by Caravaggio

6.    Map of the Eastern Mediterranean

7.     Saints Peter and Paul painted by El Greco

8.     Statue of Roman Emperor Constantine (in York)

9.     Old Saint Peter’s Basilica (artist’s reconstruction, AD 312)

10   Santa Sophia Constantinople, constructed in AD 532-537

11.   Pope John XII (ca. 930/937-964)

12.   Pope Urban VI (1378-1389)

13.   Pope Alexander VI (1431-1503)

14.   Sale of Indulgences, woodcut Augsburg (ca. 1530)

15.   Jerusalem—the Holy City (this page)

Holy%20City-new.jpg

To a departed friend, Father Gerald Groves, a

former Trappist monk who, embraced ecumenism,

the monastic and eremitical life.

Peter%20by%20Guido%20Reni.jpg

St. Peter, possessor of the keys to heaven, painted by Guido Reni

INTRODUCTION

It is commonly believed that St. Peter was the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The over one billion people who profess the Catholic faith and most Protestants accept that St. Peter was martyred and buried in Rome. Yet, despite the impressive number of believers, it is anything but a proven fact. It may come as a surprise to many to discover there is almost no evidence to support this popular assertion from either history or the scriptures. For despite the compelling tradition of the Church concerning St. Peter, there is actually not a great deal that can be positively verified and corroborated from the Bible or independent and impartial historical sources as to his connection with Rome. Indeed, to address this enquiry, it has been necessary to glean most of the evidence from just a few historical sources and (dare we say) the not totally objective Catholic Encyclopedia that asserts, "It is an indisputably established historical fact that St. Peter laboured in Rome during the last portion of his life, and there ended his earthly course by martyrdom."

The life, the mission, and the place of death of the first leader of the Christian community is fraught with controversy. This is because, not only is his position as the first pope in question, but following his death, an apostolic succession assumed that the mantle of Peter was passed down through history to his successors irrespective of their character or behaviour. This meant that all the inheritors of the title pope and associated bishops are blessed with the Holy Spirit and have charge of the spiritual life, faith, and morals of the Universal Church, a dogma accepted by all Catholics. Further, if it is true that the leaders of the church are divinely appointed, then they are empowered to admit or deny their flock into communion with Christ. As will be seen, the papacy, a fallible human institution, has over the centuries succumbed to some very human failings negating (it must surely be agreed) any possibility of an on-going divine-sanctioned apostolic succession.

It is well known that the Vatican, for whatever reason, is very slow to admit its mistakes. One only has to think of the near-execution of Galileo for his scientific observations, the spurious Donation of Constantine supposedly giving Rome authority over the church and making Roman popes both pontiffs and monarchs, and even more damning, the Inquisition and the acceptance of the enslavement of the native peoples of the New World. It took about five hundred years for the church to admit to these errors. But another more serious matter still is the Vatican’s refusal to even consider that St. Peter did not found the church in Rome even though there is compelling reason to believe Peter never visited Rome. Though there is overwhelming evidence to support this contention, for the church to refute it simply on the grounds of tradition, in this day and age, is irrational. Tradition is different from faith. Tradition can be a great spiritual force, but it should be verifiable to deserve veneration. It may be observed that two important and contradictory elements in ascertaining the truth work against each other; as the historical record gets weaker with time, so tradition appears to get stronger with time.

If—and it is a big if—the Church of Rome admitted they do not have absolute certainty that Peter was martyred in Rome, they would have to contend with the disillusionment of literally millions of the faithful through the ages whom they have misled. But their admission could be provisional and couched in terms like absolute proof is, of course, impossible and leave it at that. They would not have to contradict themselves. However, it is more likely they will tough it out and continue to rely on the shaky concept (and perhaps the inexactitude) of sacred tradition.

After all, that has worked for two thousand years.

Editorial note: The title saint (abbreviated to St.) has been mostly omitted from here onward except where confusion as to the person referred to might occur. The designation of saint is disputed by many people, but it seems reasonable to at least allow that Peter and the apostles are saints. And another point of syntax, the word pope is capitalized only when it refers to an actual pope. The same rule applies to the words emperor, king, and so on. Fathers, where cited, is capitalized throughout and refers to the early church Fathers. No footnotes have been included since, in most cases, it should be clear from the text from where the information originates.

A BRIEF LIFE STORY OF

SAINT PETER

Early Life

Since the Bible states (referring to St. Peter) On this rock I will build my church, it must be deduced that any religion that can claim Peter as its first leader must therefore be, ipso facto, the rightful Christian religion. Further, it might claim that all priests ordained by Peter’s successors are the only rightful persons to carry forward the Christian message. This explains why the Church of Rome has been ever solicitous to claim that the Catholic Church is both literally and figuratively built upon the apostle Peter and his assumed presence in Rome as pope (literally because the principal Church of Rome is supposedly built over the burial site of Peter).

According to the four gospels, there can be little doubt that Peter soon became conspicuous among the twelve apostles. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that initially Peter comes across as a person rash alike in word and deed, and though full of zeal and enthusiasm, he is easily accessible to external influences and intimidated by difficulties. The Encyclopedia further notes he was of irresolute character culminating in the three-time denial of Christ. And at one time, Christ said to Peter, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? and also Get thee behind me, Satan though Christ was, of course, speaking metaphorically.

PeterSwordCropped.jpg

St. Peter severs an ear of the High Priest’s servant

Certainly, in this early phase, Peter was not a person qualified to head a Universal Church. When Jesus was arrested, Peter cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest (it seems strange indeed that one of Christ’s companions would be armed with a sword!). It is doubtful the sword stroke was intended to surgically cut off the ear; more likely, it was intended to mortally wound the receiver, thus making Peter guilty of attempted murder! Luke, referring to the incident, adds that Jesus touched the ear and miraculously healed it, and this healing of the servant’s ear is the last of the thirty-seven miracles attributed to Jesus in the Bible. Reza Aslan, in a recent controversial book, suggests that Christ, in his earthly lifetime, encouraged an insurrection against the Roman province of Judea, and he used this incident and others to justify his assertion. Yet despite Peter’s faults, the Catholic Encyclopedia states that Peter later clings with the greatest fidelity, firmness of faith, and inward love of his Saviour. The Encyclopedia notes that the more prominent the apostles become in the evangelical narrative, the more conspicuous Peter appears as the first among them. Though it must be noted, this prominence diminishes almost completely after St. Paul (ca. AD 5-67) commenced his ministry.

What more is there to know about Peter? Christian iconography invariably shows Peter as an old man with a graying wispy beard (the painting by Goya even suggests blue eyes). He is sometimes portrayed as being heavyset with the stern face of an Old Testament prophet. The Bible tells us enough about his character, that we know he was impulsive and, on one occasion at least, could turn violent. From his background in Galilee in northeastern Judea, he must have received minimal education. It would be easy to conclude that he was illiterate, except that when an old man, he purportedly wrote an epistle in two parts. He spoke Aramaic, and as a good Jew, he probably had some knowledge of Hebrew. It is doubtful he spoke Greek, the universal language of the Levant at the time, and almost certainly no Latin. His dress would have been a homespun woollen garment that also served as bedding. Often barefoot, he would have possessed simple sandals as occasional footwear. In economic terms, he was probably a little better off than his peers since he almost certainly owned a boat used for fishing in Lake Galilee. This, and his seniority, gave him some gravitas among the other disciples.

Unassailable historical evidence of Peter’s existence is fairly limited, though indisputably, a man with Peter’s credentials lived almost exactly two millennia ago. Jesus Christ had twelve disciples who were drawn mainly from the lower social strata of Hebrew society, most of whom lived near to remote Lake Galilee. Several of the apostles were fishermen like Peter and gained their livelihood from the nearby lake. Simon Peter (later known as Peter or, in the original Aramaic, as Kephas) was possibly the first to associate with Jesus at Nazareth, a community near the lake. The passage in Matthew 16:16-18 tells us that Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter (almost always in scripture, such a name change denotes an upward change in status, e.g., Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, and Saul to Paul). Perhaps his elevation was because of his seniority, but there can be little doubt Peter was appointed by Jesus as the premier apostle.

The Catholic Encyclopedia, in arguing the supremacy of Peter, states that on various occasions he speaks in the name of the other apostles (Matthew 15:15, 19:27; Luke 12:41; etc.). When Christ’s words are addressed to all the apostles, it is Peter who answers in their name (e.g., Matthew 16:16). Frequently Christ turns especially to Peter (Matthew 26:40, Luke 22:31). When, for instance, he says, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [Greek, Petros] and Upon this rock [Greek, petra] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." Christ here must have been speaking metaphorically as when he called Peter ‘Satan’. Jesus was making a reference to petra (rock) as a pun that the disciples would readily have understood (the pun with rock also works in Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese). Jesus, in his preaching, made great use of parables, metaphors, similes, and even, on rare occasions, puns.

In the Eastern Orthodox church, the passage concerning Peter’s status is interpreted as not implying a special prominence to the person of Peter but to his position as representative of the apostles. Some linguistic experts have exactingly argued the word used for rock (petra) grammatically refers to "a small