Papacy (Political Science)

This page is all about the Papacy. (312 AD-Present).

10 Political Science Objects/Documents:

1. Portrait of St. Peter












The Catholic Church states that St. Peter was appointed by Jesus to be a single leader over the entire Catholic Church and to treat it as one body. The Church sites the bible for this claim, quoting the scripture's verses, "there [would] be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:16). This not only is used to strengthen their claim, but also puts down protestants in saying that because they do not have a unified church inherently results in them being inferior.

2. Mosaic of Theodoric the Great












After the fall of Rome, the Papacy shifted from the position of pope acting as the Roman Emperor and the leader of the Catholic Church to just the religious aspect of it. A papal election was held in March of 438 to decide the next pope. This led to a period of different papacies being influenced by the many states that ruled during that time. The mosaic shown above was the leader during the Ostrogothic Papacy that lasted from 493-537 AD. His name was Theodoric the Great and he was strongly influenced by the Ostrogothic Kingdom, as he was king.

3. Mosaic of Justinian I












As the next empire came about, so did the next period of the papacy. The Byzantine Papacy lasted from 537-752 AD and was a period of Byzantine domination, where popes had to go to the Byzantine emperor for the ordination of new bishops and other simple tasks. Many popes, including the one shown in the mosiac above (Justinian I) were inhabitants of Byzantine Greece, and Justinian was even able to appoint the next three popes after himself.
Source: http://archive.armstrong.edu/Initiatives/history_journal/history_journal_the_death_toll_of_justinians_plague_and_its_effects_on

4. Bishop Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Trallians

"In like manner, let all reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as the Sanhedrin of God, and assembly of the apostles. Apart from these, there is no Church."

This quote, from the letter sent form Bishop Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Trallians, is an example of some of the pope's theological conflicts. This happened later on in the Byzantine rule, being fueled by Pope Gregory I's (590-604 AD) assertions of papal primacy and the urge to stick to tradition. He not only gave impetus to missionary activity in the north, including England, but also led to the leaders of the Byzantine Empire at the time calling the pope "the soul of opposition".
Source: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0106.htm

5. Pope Gregory II












After taking much of the pope's previously controlled land, the Byzantines finally gave the Castle of Sutri to Pope Gregory II "as a gift to the blesses Apostles Peter and Paul". For a short period of time, it seemed as if there would be peace between the Byzantine Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. They seemed to have forgotten their differences in theological belief. Then in 738, a Byzantine ruler took back the castle, until Pope Gregory II paid a large payment to restore the castle back to papacy control. Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06787a.htm

6. Pope Stephen II wearing a really cool hat












When the King of the Lombards threatened Rome in 751, the Pope at the time, Pope Stephen II, went to the Alps to visit the Frankish king, Pepin III for help. In 754, and again in 756, Pepin and his two sons, Charles and Carloman invaded northern Italy, effectively driving out the Lombards. Instead of giving this territory to its rightful owner, the Byzantines, Pepin III gave large portions of central Italy to the pope and his successors. Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14288c.htm

7. Charlemagne being crowned emperor by Pope Leo III










The next ruler of the Lombard kingdom, King Desiderius, once again attacked Rome. This led Pope Adrian I to enlist his support in a new ruler, Charlemagne. This ruler defeated the Lombards and added their kingdom to his own. The next Pope, Pope Leo III became close friends with Charlemagne after being attacked by his enemies and fled to the Alps to meet with him in 799. The next year, as seen in the picture, the pope placed a crown on his head and acclaimed him as the emperor. The public alliance between the pope and the ruler of Germanic tribes illustrated the Change in power in Europe during this time. Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09157b.htm 

8.  Portrait of Pope Sergius III
The ruling of Pope Sergius III, starting in 904, led to a period of sixty years that some historians call this the "dark age" or the "lowest point of the papacy". During this time, the popes were controlled by a powerful and corrupt aristocratic family, the Theophylacti. Pope Sergius wasn't even supposed to be pope, as the only reason for actually becoming it was that the previous pope, Pope Christopher, was thrown in jail by the Romans.

9. Mosaic of Otto I
After Otto I invaded Italy, it became a constituent kingdom of the Holy Roman Empire in 962 AD. This sparked a large amount of conflict between the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor at the time. The next pope was to be Pope Clemont II, as chosen by Henry III, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at that time. The papacy from 1048 to 1257 AD marked a time of constant disagreement between the two. Much of this was due to the fight over who could appoint Bishops within the empire - the emperor or the pope.

10. Portrait of Pope Urban II
As the people living on either sides of the Christian spectrum- Orthodox Christianity or Roman Catholicism began to focus on each other's differences, the divide between them grew larger and larger. Then, the crusades came about, a breaking point in the conflict over European theologies. The amount of differences in not only belief, but society as well led to people on both sides being excommunicated and resented. Pope Urban II finally called for the first crusades, causing more issues.

2 comments: