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To: Uncle Chip
As I have said before-There is more writings to suggest Peter was in Rome, that coupled with the fact that No one (as far as I can tell challenged this until about 1400 years) leads me to use simple logic and believe Peter was in Rome.

Here are more genuine historical writings attesting to the fact that Peter was indeed in Rome, and that he died there...

St Irenaeus, "Against Heresies", 3,1,1, 180 A.D., J208
"...in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were evangelizing at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church."
St Irenaeus, "Against Heresies", chapter III,
"...the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops."

Eusebius, "History of the Church", 2,14,6, 300 A.D., J651dd
In the same reign of Claudius, the all-good and gracious providence which watches over all things guided Peter, the great and mighty one among the Apostles, who, because of his virtue, was the spokesman for all the others, to Rome."

Tertullian, "The demurrer against the heretics", chapter XXXII,1,
"...like the church of the Romans where Clement was ordained by Peter."

Who has the authority to ordain priests? Only Bishops do. Clement was ordained by the Bishop of Rome, Peter.

Saint Peter of Alexandria, "The Canonical Letter", canon 9, 306 A.D.
"Peter, the first chosen of the Apostles, having been apprehended often and thrown into prison and treated with ignominy, at last was crucified in Rome."

Eusebius, "The Chronicle" Ad An.Dom 68, J651cc
"Nero is the first, in addition to all his other crimes, to make a persecution against the Christians, in which Peter and Paul died gloriously in Rome."

Eusebius, "History of the Church", 3,2, 300 A.D., J652a
"After the martyrdom of Paul and Peter, Linus was the first appointed to the Episcopacy of the Church at Rome."

Lactantius, "Of the manner in which the persecutors died":
This letter is addressed to Donatus. It not only shows that Peter was actually in Rome, but that he died there also at the hands of Nero. Chapter II. "His apostles were at that time eleven in number, to whom were added Matthias, in the room of the traitor Judas, and afterwards Paul. Then were they dispersed throughout all the earth to preach the Gospel, as the Lord their Master had commanded them; and during twenty-five years, and until the beginning of the reign of the Emperor Nero, they occupied themselves in laying the foundations of the Church in every province and city. And while Nero reigned, the Apostle Peter came to Rome, and, through the power of God committed unto him, wrought certain miracles, and, by turning many to the true religion, built up a faithful and steadfast temple unto the Lord. When Nero heard of those things, and observed that not only in Rome, but in every other place, a great multitude revolted daily from the worship of idols, and, condemning their old ways, went over to the new religion, he, an execrable and pernicious tyrant, sprung forward to raze the heavenly temple and destroy the true faith. He it was who first persecuted the servants of God; he crucified Peter, and slew Paul: nor did he escape with impunity; for God looked on the affliction of His people; and therefore the tyrant, bereaved of authority, and precipitated from the height of empire, suddenly disappeared, and even the burial-place of that noxious wild beast was nowhere to be seen."

Saint Damasus I, "The Decree of Damasus" 3, 382 A.D., J910u
"The first see, therefore, is that of Peter the Apostle, that of the Roman Church, which has neither stain nor blemish nor anything like it."


Saint Augustine, "Letter to Generosus", 53,1,2, 400 A.D., J1418
"If the very order of episcopal succession is to be considered, how much more surely, truly, and safely do we number them from Peter himself, to whom, as to one representing the whole Church, the Lord said: "Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer it."
194 posted on 10/29/2006 4:59:51 AM PST by stfassisi ("Above all gifts that Christ gives his beloved is that of overcoming self"St Francis Assisi)
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To: stfassisi
Thank you for the quotes from Irenaeus. I will include them in my treatise, as his words show that he believed that Peter had been in Rome with Paul even though Catholic scholar F. A. Sullivan questions his credibility on this matter.

Does Irenaeus say anything about: 1]when Peter and Paul were in Rome together and how long --- before or after Paul's Epistle to the Romans in about 56 AD in which he states that no Apostle had been there to Rome yet but he was on his way. He didn't say "We" just "I". 2] that legendary 25 year reign of Peter 3] that Peter was Bishop 4] that Peter was martyred there under Nero crucified upside down.

I haven't found anyone in these early Ante-Nicene Fathers to affirm these claims of Jerome and Eusebius --- but I am diligently searching.

And can you find anything in the writings of Clement of Rome or Justin Martyr about Peter in Rome. I have searched thus far and have been unsuccessful. Their testimony on this matter would be quite helpful to my treatise.

And thank you for the later writings. I will look into them when I get there. Peter of Alexandria? Was he an Ante-Nicene Father of the Church?

197 posted on 10/29/2006 5:46:44 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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To: stfassisi
"St Irenaeus, "Against Heresies", 3,1,1, 180 A.D., J208
"...in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were evangelizing at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church." "
_____________________
As I read your post this is the earliest reference and here he is only saying Peter evangelized in Rome, not that he stepped in and was the Bishop for 25 years.
212 posted on 10/29/2006 8:26:37 AM PST by wmfights (Psalm : 27)
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