Unity and Rome

Front matter

Book

CQEXRIGRT DEPOSFT.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

Preface

The author, in undertaking the present volume, has had in mind the varying reception with which the terms of re-union, as recently proposed at Lambeth, have been received — a lack of agreement voicing itself on both sides of the ecclesiastical fence. Denominational Christians, who threw off government by Bishops at the Reformation, are quite naturally refusing to accept now what they rejected then. The general attitude of the reformers, however, went further than a mere rejection of "prelacy.'^ Their position included some very radical changes regarding the nature of the ministry itself. They rejected priesthood and sacrifice in the Catholic sense, substituting for them the prophetical, or preaching, office. From their side of the fence, accordingly, have been heard numerous refusals to accept re-ordination at the hands of Anglican Bishops.

On the other hand within the Anglican Communion, including of course the Episcopal Church in the United States, the opinion has been expressed that too much concession to the Sects contains elements of danger, and will defeat the goal aimed at. Every lover of Unity must respect the good intentions of the Lambeth Fathers. The need of a re-united Church is very great. As we understand it. Unity is the will of Christ, as expressed by those words, ^Tather, I pray that they may be One, even as we are One."

The crux of the matter then seems not to lie in the noble aspiration for Unity, but rather in the way and means to this end. Anything less than a real Unity will

vii

Vlll PREFACE

be a contradiction in terms and without value in the sense of producing that Oneness meant by the Nicene Creed, ^^And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.'^

The language just quoted from the Creed "throws the cards upon the table,'^ if one may be permitted to apply to the discussion of Unity words very popular in world politics at the present time. That is to say, the Unity aimed at must be a Catholic Unity.

At the present stage of education on the subject it is very doubtful whether among the rank and file of Protestant Christians there is any definite understanding of what Unity means, or any general recognition of its necessity or value. If one may judge from the official replies made thus far by the Denominational Bodies since the Lambeth Conference, the conception of Unity, even on the part of their leaders, does not rise above some sort of an Alliance, or Confederation, of the Sects, which will manifest itself in closer cooperation but without loss of identity on the part of any one of the differing Denominations. It need scarcely be said that any perpetuation of present Protestantism in its manifold phases can never result in Unity. It is the nature of Protestantism to fly apart into individualism.

The opposite of individualism is Catholicity. The goal of Unity to be aimed at lies in this direction, and a study of the nature and meaning of Unity would seem to be the natural and logical procedure. As one pursues the study of Unity, there will be found along the road certain sign-posts, — scriptural, ecclesiastical, and historical. One will look in vain for the source, as well as the principle, of Unity among those who left the historic Church in the sixteenth century. They may return to Unity, but it is not found of them, nor in them. Its source lies elsewhere.

The question very naturally arises. Has the Lambeth Conference, in its offer of "the historic episcopate" to

PREFACE IX

the Denominations, found the solution of the problem of a divided Christianity? In other words, does the Anglican Episcopate contain in itself the necessary matter for Unity ? A number^ of Anglicans in England, Canada, and the United States have declared that the re-ordination of Denominational ministers by Anglican Bishops without requiring of the re-ordained a full acceptance of the Creed would only make confusion worse confounded. Let us suppose, however, that the Denominational! sts accepted Anglican statements of doctrine along with their re-ordination, but retained, as agreed, the identities of their present organizations. The world would then behold a spectacle, stranger from a Christian standpoint, than the present divisions. Upon one corner of our streets we should see the church of the Methodists (Anglican-Episcopated), upon another the Baptists (Anglican-Episcopated), across the way the Presbyterians (Anglican-Episcopated), and down the avenue the Congregationalists (Anglican-Episcopated) of course, and so on along the line of the many and various Sectarian Bodies. It would be a rare and wonderful sight, naturally quite a cause of edification and mutual congratulation to the proponents of such a kind of unity, if there are any. Yes, it would be all this and more, but it would not be Unity.

To return to the present attitude of mind among Protestants generally, there does not appear to be any consciousness (as a vital part of Christianity) that Christ founded the Church in one definite way, and that the Apostles and their successors continued this closely welded Society in the form of a Visible Unity. Nor do Protestants seem to understand that these Apostolic men believed such foundation to be of the essence of the Church, and that they themselves, having been chosen by Christ and endued with power from on high by the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, were the lawfully appointed officers of the same. Further it may be said that "the new

X PEEFAOE

learning'^ of the sixteenth century in its break with the historic Church appears to have lost the sense of authority, which belonged to the Church from the beginning, and with this loss has thrown overboard in large measure the Orders of Ministry, Sacraments, and Creeds of the Ancient Church.

The approach to Unity, therefore, would seem to demand the learning afresh on the part of Protestant Christianity the lesson of the authority of the Catholic Church. The futility of Anglican re-ordination of Protestant ministers while retaining their present religious affiliations is easily apparent. Also, one is reminded in this connection that the Anglican Church has never claimed to be more than a Via Media, in other words, a way back to Unity. Anglicanism does not claim to be the center and source of Unity itself, and accordingly acknowledges that her program of a World Conference on Faith and Order does not mean that she hopes to make Anglicans or Episcopalians of the DenominaHonal Christians. At best Anglicanism cannot be more than a lighted candle set in the midst of Protestantism, its flame reminding the separated brethren of the ancient order and the way home.

The world is weary of divisions among Christians. The rivalries of the Sects are not edifying. The outside multitudes look on amazed and scornful. Meanwhile the Church is sorely hindered in her work. Which way lies Unity? In what does its peace-producing principle consist? Christianity is, or should be, seeking that much desired answer. Does Unity consist in a set of principles like, for example, the Lambeth Quadrilateral of some years ago ? Or will this newest offer of re-ordination by Anglican Bishops produce the end sought for? Judging by past and present results, the answer to these questions must be ^^no.'^ Regretfully one is obliged to say this, remembering the high character of the gathering at Lambeth and its solemn, eloquent plea for Unity. The fault certainly did not lie in the good intentions of the Bishops

PEEFAOB XI

assembled under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Something was lacking. What?

Let us examine this matter a bit further. Even so august and representative a body as the Lambeth Conference admits that it has no power of legislation. Lambeth advises, recommends. It can do no more. Why? Because of its conscious lack of power. Canterbury, whose Archbishop presides at the Lambeth Conference, is not an Apostolic See, and has no authority over Christendom as a whole. Canterbury is not, and has never claimed to be, the Center of Unity. Its Archbishop is Primate of England, but there his authority ends.

Where then is the Center and Source of Unity? As far as the author knows, only one See has claimed jurisdiction over the universal Church. Rome, as the See of Peter, to whom Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven, has no rival in its peculiar primacy. From time to time, and in various places, the authority of Rome has been contested, and in some cases thrown off, but so far as we know no other See or Bishop has made the like claim of Universal Primacy. At any rate (without going into the merits of the case) the reforming bodies of the sixteenth century broke away from Rome, and so destroyed the Unity of Western Christendom. It would seem, therefore, to be obvious that Rome cannot be left out of any program for Unity. In brief that is the thesis, which the present writer has set out to establish in this volume, the necessity of drawing Rome into the scheme of Reunion, because without her there can be no Unity in any real sense.

One may very properly at this point (and doubtless will) say, "But don't you know that Pope Benedict XV. expressed his inability or unwillingness to take part in the World Conference on Faith and Order?'' Oh, yes, that is quite well known to the writer, but what of it ? The answer of Pope Benedict was not necessarily infallible and final. Another Pope may take a different atti-

Xll PREFACE

tude. He will change, if it is the will of God that Visible Unity shall come about. The Conference, to which the American Commission invited the Pope, was after all only the Preliminary Conference at Geneva. A great deal may happen between now and the meeting of the Conference itself. We should not despair of the future. If our Christianity is vital, we should remember what great things are possible to faith.

Another thing that might be said, and unfortunately with considerable truth, is that the antipathies aroused during the Reformation Period are still alive. Of course they are. A divided Christendom keeps the embers of that unhappy conflagration still glowing. We know, however, that religious bigotry and hatred are wrong. The law of Christ is love. A better understanding is under way. Men of all faiths are drawing closer together. The time is ripe, or almost so, for Christlike charity to prevail. Let us clear the way for this by practicing universal brotherhood in the various churches and in our individual lives.

The author's insistence, that Rome must be drawn into any plan of Unity that is really such, may not unnaturally lead to the inquiry, ^'How comes it that you, a priest in Anglican Orders, are laying so much stress on Rome's part in the coming Unity ? Don't you know that your loyalty to the Communion whose Orders you bear will be questioned ?" Yes, my Episcopalian or Anglican or Protestant brother, as the case may be, one does incur the danger of suspected loyalty, but what matter, in the last analysis, if the suspicion is incurred in a good cause ? The writer confesses that he values the Unity of Christ's Holy Catholic Church even above the separateness of any branch of Christianity. Bigotry has had its day. At least we know that divisions in the Church are wrong. Unity is the biggest issue in the Christian World to-day. There should be hereafter no need for any man to apologize or fear for speaking plainly, provided only he speaks

PEEFAOE xiii the truth in a spirit of love. To-day the call is to mutual understanding. This can come about only through fair and fearless discussion.

As the average reader has not easy access to the writings of the ancient Fathers of the Church, the author hopes that the brief sketches of a biographical nature prefixed to the quotations from each Father will not come amiss. It was thought that the setting in time and circumstance would give an added value to the writings themselves.

In conclusion the author begs to say that nothing in the present volume should be construed as disloyal to the Church whose Orders he bears. He is looking beyond Episcopalianism and Anglicanism to the broader vision of a re-united Church. It is not that he loves and honors the Episcopal Church less, but that he loves and reverences the Catholic Church throughout the world more. Even as the pages of this Preface are being written, there is sitting at Washington the Conference for Disarmament, in the interest of International Peace. For diplomats and statesmen of the various nations to meet in this way and for these purposes is a unique attestation of the influence of Christianity among all peoples. Shall the churches, whose special duty and high privilege it is to follow the example of the Prince of Peace, do less ?

E. S. M.

Pre-Lent, 1922.

PART I The Question Before the Court

CHAPTER PAGE

I. The Movement Towards Unity . . • 1

II. Some Eecent Proposals ..... 5

III. The Basis of Unity . . . . . .12

IV. Unity in the Gospels 18

V. The '^'Via Media" 25

VI. Grounds for the Via Media Position . . 34

VII. Grounds for the Via Media Position (Cont.) 42

VIII. Debatable Ground 48

IX. The Primacy of Peter 53

X. The Continuity of the Primacy ... 62

XI. The Claims of Rome 66

XII. Home and the Validity of Orders ... 74

XIII. Denominational Christianity .... 81

XIV. Anglicanism in the Future . . . . 87 XV. Eome's Opportunity 91

PART II The Evidence in the Case (Testimony of the Ante-Nicene Fathers)

Clement of Rome to Ignatius of Antioch

Justin Martyr — Irenaeus — Hermas

Clement of Alexandria — Tertullian - Origen — Cyprian . . . .

97 106

XV

XVI CONTENTS

(Testimony of the Post-Nicene Fathers)

CHAPTER PAGE

IV. Augustine 124

V. Chrysostom and Socrates .... 133

VI. Athanasius and Jerome 142

VII. Cyril of Jerusalem — Basil — Theodoret . 150 VIII. Hilary of Poitiers — Ambrose — ^Vincent of

Lerins — Cassian 156

IX. Leo the Great — Gregory the Great . . 164

X. Apostolic Constitutions and Early Liturgies 173

XI. The General Councils — Introduction . 177

XII. Ecumenical Principles 185

XIII. '^ Unity'' in the General Councils . . 191

XIV. '* Unity'' in the General Councils {Cont.) 203 XV. Ecumenical and African Canons . . . 212

PART m

Corroborative Argument

The Threefold Ministry

I. Some Fundamentals of the Faith . . . 225

II. The Ministry Under the Apostles . . 228

III. The Ministry in the Sub- Apostolic Age . 240

IV. The Ministry from Irenaeus to Cyprian . 250 V. The Ministry in Canons, Councils, Liturgies, Ordinals, and Constitutions. Conclusion 262

PAET I THE QUESTION BEFORE THE COUKT

CHAPTEE I

THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS UNITY

THE greatest question before Christendom to-day ia the Unity of the Church. It is so wide-reaching in its consequences that the whole structure of the Church — root and branch — is affected. Its vital importance can best be realized by the evils that the loss of Unity has brought about. The spectacle of a divided Christianity is sad enough, but the chaos, uncertainty, and inefficiency following in its train have gradually forced men to consider its practical side. No one in his sound senses wishes to tie up for any length of time to a concern conducted on wrong principles, and it is beginning to be seen that a divided Church comes under this head.

There is, however, another and higher aspect of this question. It has to do with the mind of God. "What is the will of Christ concerning His Church? If the wiU of the Head of the Church is Unity, it is a manifest contradiction for any of its members to act contrary to the Divine Purpose. In a certain and very real sense it is sin for the followers of Christ to live in disunity, although we believe that Almighty God in His mercy and understanding of human frailty pardons the misguided actions, which proceed from invincible ignorance. Opinions which shaped themselves, and self-confidence which assumed unwarranted authority, in the heat and strife of the Reformation struggle, have now had abundant opportunity to test themselves in the light of experi-

2 tri^ITY ANB EOME

ence and practical results. As men look backward aided by the perspective of several centuries misgivings are beginning to arise in many quarters. Under God this growing doubt and dis-satisfaction with church conditions are turning the thoughts of men towards Unity — its desirability, nay, its necessity.

Lovers of Unity see in the movement now under way the finger of God. They think of the Spirit of God brooding over the waters at Creation — bringing order out of chaos. Another chaos has invaded the world — this time the Christian world — seeking to rend the Church against which Christ has promised the gates of hell shall never prevail. Once more the Spirit of God — ^this time in His divine capacity as the Spirit of Truth — is brooding over the waters, enlightening men^s understanding, recalling to their minds the will of Christ, showing them the evil results of going contrary to that will, holding out before them the blessings that wait on Unity. Almighty God is waiting to say of the work of His Son — as He did at Creation — that it is "good.''

God is using various agencies to bring about this end. The Lambeth Quadrilateral put forth by Anglicans in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the World Conference on Faith and Order instituted by the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Concordat signed between the Eastern Churches and the Anglican Communion, the proposed Concordat between Congregationalists and Episcopalians, the Inter-Church Movement among the Protestant Denominations — as well as the reunion between different bodies of certain of these Denominations — are all evidences of an increasing interest in the subject of Unity.

Besides these official actions of bodies of Christians, there is another powerful agency at work, namely, prayer — the most potent of all because behind it is the faith that moves mountains. Thousands of individual souls throughout the world are praying for Unity. Bishops, clergy, inmates of religious houses, the Pope, are daily praying

THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS UNITY 6

that the will of Christ regarding His Church may be fulfilled. Each year on the 25th of January — ^the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul — and during the Octave, the Holy Sacrifice and the prayers of the faithful are offered for this intention. God is not unmindful of the prayers of His saints. This great moving force — ^the work of the Holy Ghost — is gradually illumining the hearts and minds of men, impelling them to definite action towards Unity. The Spirit of God is brooding over the waters.

Two things are necessary precursors to real Unity — the spread of Christ-like charity and the intelligent understanding of the Catholic principles upon which alone Unity must rest. It is with these considerations that this volume has to do.

Among Protestants probably the aspiration for Unity has not advanced in most cases beyond the conception of Inter-denominational Alliance. Thus far judging from the utterances of their leaders, they are concerned with some sort of a Confederation of Churches, in which they are to retain their Denominational names, but will cooperate in religious work — ^with interchange of pulpits. Of course this would not be Unity in the Catholic sense. It would not be Unity at all, so long as they insist on perpetuating their Denominational differences. Our Protestant brethren, however, are building better than they know. The fact that they are considering Unity at all is the encouraging feature. They are beginning to open their minds and widen their vision. The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, can be trusted to complete the work of leading them into all truth.

It is a part of the author's present task to examine the proposals for Unity referred to above, and compare them with what the Church in the past has set forth as the necessary conditions of Unity. The study of our Catholic heritage — the Fathers, the General Councils, the Creeds, should enable us to arrive at a clear understanding of what the essentials of Unity are. It may sometimes

ITNITY AND ROME wound our pride to do this, and test our courage to accept results arrived at, but fearlessness accompanied by charity and humility, accomplishes much when attended by the blessing of God.

CHAPTEE II

SOME RECEIPT PROPOSALS

THE word "recent" in the heading of this chapter is intended to include the proposals directed towards Unity made at any time during the last half century, as well as those now in process. These overtures for Unity deserve respectful consideration because of their praise-worthy intention, if for no other reason. They are to be examined, in what seems to the author the only light, namely, that of Catholic faith and practice. There must be some standard of judgment, and as one hears on all sides only of a Catholic Unity, it is reasonable to set up a Catholic standard of judgment. Indeed, it would be difficult to do otherwise, because Protestant standards are so various and rest upon the individual opinions of different men.

It may be well in opening this discussion to quote a few sentences from the Encyclical put forth by the Lambeth Conference of 1920. "The foundation and ground of all fellowship is the undeflected will of God, renewing again and again its patient effort to possess, without destroying, the wills of men. And so He has called into being a fellowship of men. His Church, and sent His Holy Spirit to abide therein, that by the prevailing attraction of that one Spirit He, the one God and Father of all, may win over the whole human family to that fellowship in Himself by which alone it can attain to the fullness of life."

"This, then, is the object of the Church. In the prosecution of this object it must take account of every fellowship that exists among men, must seek to deepeii and

6 UNITY AND BOMB

purify it, and above all, to attach it to God. But in order to accomplish its object the Church must itseK be a pattern of fellowship. It is only by showing the value and power of fellowship in itself that it can win the world to fellowship. The weakness of the Church in the world of to-day is not surprising when we consider how the bands of its own fellowship are loosened and broken."

In this formal declaration of the two hundred and fifty-two Anglican Bishops gathered from all parts of the world several truths are voiced with no uncertain sound. First, the will of God is recognized as the ground of the Church. Second, it is the will of God that all men should be won into the one fellowship, His Church. Third, the failure of the Church to do this is owing to its divided, and consequently weakened, condition.

The Encyclical says further, referring to the lessons learned from the great war, "Men in all communions began to think of the reunion of Christendom, not as a laudable ambition or a beautiful dream, but as an imperative necessity. Proposals and counter-proposals were made, some old, some new. Mutual recognition, organic union, federation, absorption, submission — ^these phrases indicate the variety of the programs put forward."

Since the undeflected will of God is the foundation and ground of the Church, Christendom is confronted with the question, wherein lies the will of God ? Surely the answer to that question will bring the Church to the attainment of the purpose of its Divine Founder. Our study then must be to discover the will of God.

The third Lambeth Conference, held in 1888, put forth a fourfold basis of reunion known as the Lambeth Quadrilateral. The four points proposed for acceptance were (1) The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God; (2) The Creeds (Apostles^ and Nicene) ; (3) The two Sacraments, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord, as instituted by Christ; (4) The historic Episcopate.

SOME RECENT PROPOSALS 7

How shall we account for the slight impression made upon divided Christianity by this platform for Unity? The four points advanced by the Anglican Conference are undoubtedly essential elements of the Catholic Faith, although the last two from a Catholic standpoint are understated. The undivided Church has always accepted seven Sacraments, and the Episcopate does not rest its authority upon its historicity but upon its Apostolicity. Was the failure of the Lambeth Quadrilateral to effect reunion due to the unreadiness of the Protestant world to accept Unity, or was it because the proposed basis lacked a sacred, compelling character? The first was certainly the case, the second, probably so.

This second statement brings us face to face with the crux of the whole matter. Can Unity be brought about by the acceptance of cardinal principles or dogmas ? Did the Unity of the Early Church rest upon such a foundation ? Let us look into this matter carefully. For example, if the different countries accepted the basis proposed by the Lambeth Conference, would it result in more than so many national Churches — each independent and reserving to itself the right to go its own way? Or again, if the various Denominations in any one country, as in America for example, could be brought to accept the four points of the Lambeth Quadrilateral, would we have any more than so many Episcopal bodies retaining in each case its peculiar character in other respects ? Would not such a condition result in more accentuated rivalries, if each Denomination was fortified by a ministry admitted equally valid by their differing brethren? Would this be Unity in a Catholic sense ? Would this be the Unity prayed for by our Lord?

The proposed Concordat between the Episcopalians and Congregationalists does not rise to a higher level than that just indicated. As for the Inter-Church Alliance, or Confederation of the various Protestant Denominations, j;here can be no serious question that such an arrangement would not be Unity. It would be what the name indicates and no more.

The recent overtures made by the Anglican Communion, particularly by the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, to the Eastern Churches, and their sympathetic reception of these advances, carry the movement towards TJnity clearly to a higher level. It is a higher level because of the historic and Catholic character of these Churches. In the case of the Eastern Churches even Rome admits the validity of their Ministry and the orthodoxy of their faith. Their separation from Rome was due in the first instance to their rigid adherence to the Nicene Creed as finally ratified by the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Rome and the West permitted the introduction of the filioque clause into the Creed, and so the conservative East withdrew from the Western Church.

A curious ecclesiastical wrinkle manifests itself in this connection with respect to the Anglican Communion. Rome admits the validity of the Orders of the Ministry of the Eastern Churches and the Catholicity of their Belief, receiving them without re-ordination of their Priesthood, simply upon submission to the Pope. On the other hand, while the Eastern Churches are inclined to accept the Ministry and Faith of the Anglican Church as Catholic and Apostolic, the Church of Rome does not. ITotwithstanding these differences with Rome, however, the efforts towards TJnity of Communions claiming alike Apostolic character lifts the matter manifestly to a higher plane.

In the case of the Protestant Denominations, however, all the historic and Catholic Churches believe that the bodies which sprang up in the Reformation period, and later, lack something in the way of a valid Ministry and I Catholic Faith. The Denominations have lost something which the Catholic Church holds essential, and woul(^ >

give them through a genuine TJnity. *

SOME RECENT PROPOSAIiS •

This brings us to the consideration of the proposed World Conference on Faith and Order — certainly the most extensive and hopeful movement towards Unity since the Reformation.

What are the possibilities of the World Conference on Faith and Order? What is its probable outcome? At the outset two possible conditions are to be considered. First, what may happen if Rome — as is her present determination — stays out? Second, what might be the result if Rome should take part in the World Conference? In either case, what could be accomplished in the way of Unity?

Let us consider the former category first. With Rome out and maintaining her present position as Mother and Mistress of all churches, there would still be the great Roman Catholic Church over against whatever might be the rest of Christianity. What then of the bodies taking part in the Conference? What might be the result of their deliberations ? There are three possible outcomes. First, and what seems most unlikely in the present temper of the divided churches, the Conference might decide for a genuine Unity, and acknowledge the Supremacy of the See of Peter. Second, the Denominations might realize the value of the Ministry and Faith departed from at the Reformation, and unite with the Anglican and Eastern Churches as against Rome. Third, the Denominations might insist upon retaining their present sectarian character, and form some sort of Protestant Confederation.

In any of these cases the World Conference would not result in Unity unless Rome was included. Without Rome there would be at best a Duality, or even a Trinity. Christ, however, prayed for the Unity of His Church, and unless the Conference reaches a result in conformity with the undeflected will of Christ its work would be, if not vain, at least incomplete. The World Conference would be — it is hoped — an encouraging advance towards Unity, and yet it would fall short of its most blessed result.