The Council of Arles, a.p. 314, in its Synodical Epistle to


1 **The Roman Church,” says the Anglican writer PALMER, ‘* was particularly
honoured as having been presided over by St. Peter, and was therefore by many of
the Fathers called the See of Peter” (Treatise on the Church, vol. ii. Part vii.
ch. 3). NEANDER admits that “Cyprian looked upon the Roman Church as
really the Cathedra Petri, and as the representative of the outward unity of the
Church” (Bohn’s Meander, vol. i. p. 298). Dean MILMAN also admits that
** Cyprian acknowledged the hereditary descent of the Roman Bishops from the great
Apostle” (Hist. of Latin Christianity, B. ii. ch. 4) 3 and that ‘* The succession of
the Bishop of Rome from St. Peter was now, near 200 years after his death, ar
accredited tradition” (Ib. Bi. ch. 1). See Appendéx to this work.
? FIRMILIAN is writing to St. Cyprian in a hostile and violent manner against
Pope Stephen, from whom he differed on the disciplinary question of the re-bapti-
sation of converted heretics. Whilst declaiming bitterly, however, against what
he supposed to be an arbitrary and uncalled-for exercise of the Pope’s authority in
that particular matter, he did not for a moment call his authority itself in ques-
tion, or deny that he “held by succession the Chair of Peter” —which undoubtedly
his indignation against him would have impelled him to do, had such a mode of
opposing him been practicable, and had not the fact of the Pope’s succession from
St. Peter been undisputed and indisputable. See on the whole subject Bishop
FREPPEL’S S. Cyprien, pp. 363-446.
