Monday, October 12, 2020

Laurent Cleenewerck on Other Churches Apart from Rome Reprimanding Other Churches in Early Christianity

 

 

We find other bishops writing strong reprimands to other Churches. Bishop Dionysius of Corinth wrote to the Athenians “censuring them” and to Bishop Palmas of Amastris he “directs” a policy on repentance (Eusebius, The Church History [trans. Paul Maier; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel, 1999], p. 159). We should also mention the many bishops who “sharply rebuked” Bishop Victor of Rome in the affair of the Asiatic Churches (Ibid., p. 198). The relationship between Rome and Corinth was that of capital and colony. As a result, the Roman Church could certainly write that refusal to reinstate the legitimate clergy was a serious offence. In short, a comparison of Clement’s letter with similar correspondence yields nothing in favor of ‘an early Papal decretal.’ (Laurent Cleenewerck, His Broken Body: Understanding and Healing the Schism Between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches (An Orthodox Perspective) [Washington D.C.: Euclid University Consortium Press, 2007], 150)