Tiie catacombs of the Etruscans were imitated by the Jews and Christians in Rome, as these classes, like the Etruscans, did not burn tlieir dead. But the Ro- mans themselves, so far as is known, did not imitate fully the Etruscan catacombs for their own dead. See Catacomb.
The Romans invented almost no original sculpture, but they brought from the conquered cities and colonies of (ireece countless statues of the first rank. They also had marble copies of many masterpieces made for the decoration of their baths, forums, circuses, palaces, and tombs. See Sculptuije.
Painting, both in tempera and in mosaic, they era- ployed very extensively in decorating the floors and walls of the interiors of all rooms, even of those of shops and smaller houses. See Painting.
The objects of daily use of every kind, even down to the utensils of the kitchen or the shop, were richly dec- orated. Artistic decoration had become a necessity in all material objects. But, withal, it is remarkable that they should have depended upon foreign workmen to supply them with all their artistic objects, both large and small. See Rome.
In more ways than can be traced, the art of Rome, or rather the art in Rome, furnished the channel for the transmission of the art of classical anti(}uity, in modi- fied forms, to mediiBval Christianit}\ See Romanesque Akt. (G. F. C.)
Roman Catholic Church, the name usually given to that organization of Christians wliich recog- nises the Roman pope as its visible head and is in ec- clesiastical communion with him. The name may be found in a number of Roman Catholic writers, and is generally used in the constitution of those states in which the Roman Catholic Church is designated as one of the recognised or tolerated State churches. It is, however, not the official name used by the authori- ties of the Church — who rather dislike it, and sub- stitute for it the name "Catholic" or "Holy Catli- olic" Church. The name " Roman Church" is ap|ilied, in the language of the Church, to the Church or di- ocese of the bishop of Rome. The views which the members of the Roman Catholic Church, on the one hand, and all other Christians, on the other, take of the doctrine and the history of this Church widely and ir- reconcilably differ. To the former, the Church is the only form of Christianity that was founded by Christ; all other denominations of Christians are looked upon as deviations from genuine Christianity, and the history of the Church is to the Roman (,'atholic identical with the progress and development of Christianity. All oth- er Christians agree in viewing the doctrinal system of Rome as abounding in erroneous and anticliristian ad- mixtures to the Cliristianity of the Bilde, and ils his- tory as the gradual growth of a central and absdhite power, which is without a scriptural basis, and prefers and enforces claims for wliich there is no warrant what- ever in the teaching of Christ or the words of the Bible.
I. Jlistory. — The Catholic historian begins the his- tory of his Church with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. While living on this earth, he gathered around him those wlio were to rule tlie Church after his ascen-
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 72 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
sion. He provided for a complete organization of the Church by designating Peter as its head. The founda- tiiin of the Church was externally completed on the day of Pentecost by the effusion of the Holy Spirit. Sev- eral Church fathers have called this day the birthday of the Christian Church; accordingly the Catholic his- torian claims it as the actual beginning of the Catholic Church. Many of the traditions and legends which formerly embellished the histories of the early Catholic Ciiurch have now been quite generally abandoned by Catholic writers: they continue, however, to insist that the Scriptures in man}' places attest the supremacy of Peter as the tirst among the ajiostles and the head of the Church. While admitting and lamenting the in- sufticicncy of authentic information on the early history of tlie Church, Catholic writers emphatically defend, in opposition to modern criticism, a Roman episcopate of the apostle Peter, the exercise of suprematial powers by several bishops of Rome in the tirst three centuries, and the actual acquiescence of the Church in the Roman de- cisions. The jnctures of the early Christian congrega- tions, as they are drawn by Catholic writers, bear but little resemblance to the Roman Catholic Church of the present day; but it is contended that all that was sub- sequently developed in the Catholic system existed as a germ in the primitive Church, and that modern criti- cism has been unable to prove any irreconcilable differ- ence between the creed of the early Church and the Roman Catholic Church as it now exists.
The growth of an " r)ld Catholic Church" with an episcopal constitution in the 2d and following centu- ries is generally recognised bj' Church historians. It is also quite generally admitted that the bishops of Rome, the imperial city of the West, successfully claimed a greater and greater influence ; but only Roman Cath- olics defend tiiese claims as the exercise of a divine right, while all other writers look upon them as the gradual development of a usurpation which was attend- ed by the most tlangcrous results. Christianity, in the meanwhile, spread rajiidly through all tlie parts of the Roman world-emijire, and, by the conversion of the em- peror Constantine, entered into the novel position of the ruling Church. The transfer of the imperial residence to Constantinople led to a rivalry between the bishops of Rome and Constantinople, which gradually became fatal to the unity of the Church. The bishops of Rome steadih- eidarged their predominant influence in the whole of Western Europe, and rapidly increased their power by the conversion of the Germanic tribes, which gradualh' grew up to be the most powerful nations of the Christian world. The establishment of the tem- poral power at the close of the Xth century gave to the popes of Rome both greater influence and greater pres- tige, and enabled them to gradually convert the episco- pal into a papal Church. The pontificate of Hildebrand, who succeeded to the papal throne in 1073 under the name of (iregory VH, completed the papal system and the Roman Catholic Church in their most essential features. Even before his election as pope, he had prevailed upon his immediate predecessors, as their most influential adviser, to make the election of popes in future wholly independent of secidar influence, and thus to secure a contimiity of pontiffs whose sole aim would be the prog- ress and complete victory of the Church, not only over all other ecclesiastical and religious organizations, but also over all temporal governments. Under liis influ- ence, a council held at Rome in 1059 had decreed that the pope was to be oidy elected by the cardinals. After he had ascen<led the ))apal throne himself, he enforced in 1074 the priestly celibacy, and took the tinal step for emancipating the Churcii from the State i)y forl>iiMing bisliops and abbots, through a synod held at Rome (1075), to accept the investiture from secular govern- ments. For nearly fifty years tliis prohibition remained the subject of a violent controversy between the pope and the secular jirinces, and though it was finally set- tled by a compromise (1122), it secured to the pope a