' It may be useful to the general reader if we indicate briefly the present state of the controversy in regard to Peter's residence in Rome. The opinions in regard to his connection icith it may be reduced under three divisions. Some ascribe to him a lengthened lesidence in Rome, dm-ing which he acted not merely as bisliop of the church in that city, but exercised a species of primacy over the rest of the apostles. This view, which the church of Rome generally is disposed to uphold, is exhibited by the following writers : — Baronius, in his "Annales," A.n. 44-46, 56, 69; Bellarmine, " Do llom. Pontif.," lib. ii. ; and Cortesius, " De Romano itinere gestisque Principis Apos- toloi'iim."
There are authorities, again, wlio deny that Peter ever was at Rome. It would appear that the Waldenses held this view, and that they have been followed in it by Mat. Flacius, Claude Salmasius, Fred. Spanlieim (" De Ficta Profectione Petri ApostoU
PRINCIPLES OF PAPISTS ON THE UNITY OF FAITH. 287
that follow and give their assents unto this story are many, yet it was taken up upon the credit and report of one or two persons; as Eusebius manifests, lib. ii. cap. 25. Whether Dionysius Corinthius or Papias first began the story I know not; but I know certainly that both of them manifested themselves, in other things, to be a little too credulous. 2. That which many of them built their credu- lity upon is very uncertain, if not certainly false, — namely, that Peter ivrote his first epistle from Home, which he calls Babylon in the subscription of it. But wherefore he should then so call it, no man can tell. The Apocalypse of John, who prophesied what Rome should be in after ages, and thereon what name should be accom- modated unto it for its false worship and persecution, was not yet Amtten. Nor was there any thing yet spoken of or known among the disciples, whence they might conjecture Rome to be intended by that appellation. So that, according unto this supposition, St Peter, intending to acquaint them unto whom he wrote where he was when he wrote unto them, and to present them Avith the respects of
in Urbem Roraani," 1679), Eichhorn (in his " Introduction to tlie New Testament"), De Wette (in his "Introduction to the New Testament"), and Baui- (in a work entitled "Der Ajuostel Paulus").
The middle opinion, — which rejects the traditions about Peter haTing been the founder of the church at Eome, and having presided as bishop over it for the space of twenty -five years, but admits the fact that he visited it shortly before his death, and suffered mai'tyr- dom in it, — has been entertained even by some Komau Catholic authors, such as Hug (in his " Introduction to the New Testament"). Several Protestant writers have yielded this modified credence to the old tradition: — Salom. Van Til ("De Petro Piomss Mai-tyre, non Pontifice," 1710), Barrow (in his "Treatise on the Pope's Supremacy"), Credner ("Introduction," i. 628), Gieseler ("Eccles. Hist.," i. 78), Olshausen ("Introduction to the Epistle to the Eomaus"), Guerike (" Introduction"), and Wieseler (" On the Ckrono- logy of the Gospel and the Apostolic Age"). A translation of Wieseler's discussion of this cjuestion appeared in vol. v. of Dr Kitto's " Journal of Sacred Literature," and we refer to it as containing in detail several facts and references at which we can only hint in the compass of a note.
The substance of the ancient testimonij may bebriefly given : — CLEsrENsKoMAXus (Epist. i. cap. 5) affirms that Peter suffered martyrdom, but does not specify the place ; and it is only by inference we learn from Clemens that the martyi'dom of the apostle took place at Eome. In the I'RiEDicATio Pauli, the conclusion of a work entitled "Prtedicatio Petri," and i-eferred, on good evidence, to the beginning of the second century, it was affirmed that Peter and Paul, " having come to an arrangement as to the method of conducting their labours, at last, as if then for the first time, became acquainted in the City" (Eome). That such a statement was contained in the " Pra;dicatio," appears from a treatise, "De Eebaptismate," printed commonly among the works of Cyjirian. The author of the treatise, however, alludes to the tradition of such a meeting between Paul and Peter as among "quasdam alia hujuscemodi absuixle ac tuiijiter confecta" in the "Prsedicatio." The testimonies of three writers have been preserved by Eusebius ("Hist. Eccles.," ii. 1 5 and 25) : — Papias, who is represented as affirming that Peter composed his first Epis- tle at Eome ; Dioxtsius of Corinth (a.d. 170), who makes Peter and Paul to have preached in Italy togethei', and to have sufi'ered martyrdom about the same time; and Caius Eoma:\'us (a.d. 200), who declares that the graves of these two apostles were pointed out at the Vatican and on the Ostiani-oad. Ionatius ("Epist. adEom.," cap. iv.) merely says, "I do not, like Peter and Paul, give you directions;" which words are understood to imply that Peter and Paul, in the belief of Ignatius, had at one time instructed and governed the church at Eome. Iren.ei;s ("Adv. Haer.," iii. 1) speaks of Peter and Paul having preached and founded thechurch in Eome." Tkrtulllw ("DePrees. Haei*.," cap. xxxvi.)
288 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.