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Definition:
The idea of "Papal Primacy" is that the pope is the supreme leader of the Christian Church,
deriving his authority in a direct line of apostolic succession from Peter who, in turn, derived
his authority directly from Jesus Christ. This was based upon a passage from Matthew 16:18-19:
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This doctrine did not always exist, however. It took several centuries of debate and argument before it really began to take hold. Pope Damasus (366 - 384) was the first who was able to mount a serious case which began to convince some people, but few outside the inner circle agreed with it in practice. Other popes who contributed to the development of this doctrine were Leo the Great, Gelasius I and Gregory the Great.
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Related Resources:
What is Christianity?
What are the various Christian groups, denominations, sects and heresies? What are some key concepts in Christian theology? What are some of the most important events in Christian history? All of this and more are covered in the Christianity FAQ.What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.What is Theism?
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A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear. Read more about how dictionaries, scholars and others have tried to define and explain religion.
