What is the Holy See?
The "Holy See" is the title used for the seat of authority of the bishop of Rome — the papacy. Commentators in this collection treat it as a claim to be tested by Scripture rather than a neutral piece of history, so the questions are: where did the name come from, what does it claim, and does the Bible support it?
The Name and Its Origin Story
The title rests on a tradition that the apostle Peter settled in Rome and passed on an office there. One writer sets out that tradition and rejects it outright:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinIt is claimed that Peter was Bishop in Rome for 25 years and founded what is called "the Holy See," which later developed into the abominable papacy with its lies. Peter never saw Rome. As we shall show later in this introduction, there is enough Scriptural authority to contradict this legend.
Three Claims Stacked on Each Other
The system is built out of separate assumptions, each of which has to hold for the next to stand:
Church History from A.D. 500 to the Time of the ReformationAs is well known, Rome lays its claims upon these assumptions: 1, That the apostle Peter was once bishop of Rome; 2, That a certain supremacy was given to Peter over the other apostles; 3, That this supremacy was handed down to the bishops of Rome who succeeded Peter, and from them onward to the present day by what is known as apostolic succession. These three things combined are declared to prove the church of Rome to be the true church, and consequently all others to be false.
The Rock in Matthew 16
The whole structure leans on one sentence of Jesus to Peter. Writers here point out that the Lord distinguished between the man and the foundation:
W. T. P. WolstonHe confirms Peter in his new name, a stone. But where was this stone to be built? On the rock. "Upon this rock I will build my church." Rome has tried to make out that Peter was the rock. A poor rock Peter would have been! Peter was far too much like you and me. No, no, Peter was a stone, but Christ was the rock, Christ, according to the confession of Peter here, the Son of the living God.
What the See Claimed Inside the Church
Over time the claim grew from a place of respect into a system of government. One survey lists the powers asserted:
Church HistoryShe maintained that Peter was primate among the apostles, and that his primacy is inherited by the bishops of Rome... Ecclesiastically she maintained, 1, that the bishop of Rome is the infallible judge in all questions of doctrine; 2, that he has the inherent right to supreme government in assembling general councils, and presiding over them; 3, that the right of making church appointments belongs to him; 4, that separation from the communion of the church of Rome involves the guilt of schism.
A speech by a Catholic bishop, reprinted in this collection, argues that the early councils never granted such a thing:
The Bible TreasuryThat the Councils of the first four centuries, while they recognized the high position which the Bishop of Rome occupied in the church on account of Rome, only granted him a pre-eminence of honour, never of power or of jurisdiction.
What It Claimed Over the Nations
The Holy See also became a political power, negotiating with kings and holding land. The reasoning behind that was simple, and writers here answer it with the Lord's own words:
History of the ChurchIf the pope is Christ's vicar on earth, then whatever comes under the rule of Christ comes under the rule of the pope: but Christ's kingdom extends over all, therefore the whole world is under the jurisdiction of the pope. It would be interesting to know what Adrian would have made of those words of the divine Founder of Christianity, "My kingdom is not of this world."
What the Apostles Left Instead
If no office of succession was set up, what did the apostles leave behind for the safety of God's people? One writer answers from their own last words:
J. N. DarbyThe apostles as instruments were the security then, and when they were going they did not commend to successors as a security; but Paul commends the elders and flock to God, and the word of His grace as enough. And Peter takes care that, by his writings, they should have the truth in remembrance.
A Caution About Overstating the Case
Not every criticism is a fair one. One writer warns against loading the papacy with every dark prophecy in Scripture:
William KellyThe effort to find out the hardest things that can be found in the Bible, and to apply them blindly to an object that you justly censure, is a serious moral wrong. Whatever then the demerits of the papacy, the apocalyptic beast from the sea is really a quite different evil altogether.
Commentators differ on how far prophecy touches the papacy at all; Kelly links it more to the woman of Revelation than to the beast, while others speak of it in stronger terms.
Summary
- Claim. The Holy See is the seat of the bishop of Rome, said to be founded by Peter and handed down by succession.
- Foundation. That claim rests on Matthew 16, where the church is built not on the man Peter, a stone, but on Christ, the rock Peter confessed.
- Growth. From a recognised pre-eminence of honour it grew into asserted power over doctrine, councils, appointments and communion.
- Reach. From the church it reached to the nations, claiming rule over kings — against Christ's own word that His kingdom is not of this world.
- Security. The apostles left no successor as a safeguard; Paul left the flock to God and the word of His grace, and Peter left his writings.