Appendix
571
Note 9. Page 447—The bishops of Rome began, very early, to
demand obedience from all the churches. Of this the dispute be-
tween the Eastern and the Western churches respecting Easter is a
striking illustration. This dispute arose in the second century. Says
[686]
Mosheim: “the Christians of this century celebrated anniversary festi-
vals in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ.... The
day which was observed as the anniversary of Christ’s death was called
the Paschal day, or Passover.” Like the Jews, Christians celebrated “a
sacred feast, at which they distributed a paschal lamb in memory of
the holy supper.” The Christians of Asia Minor kept this feast on the
fourteenth day of the first Jewish month, when the Jews celebrated
their Passover, and when Christ is said to have eaten the paschal lamb
with his disciples. Three days thereafter, a festival was observed in
honor of the resurrection. The Western churches, on the other hand,
celebrated the resurrection of Christ on the Sunday following the Jew-
ish Passover, and observed the paschal feast on the night preceding
Sunday, thus connecting the commemoration of Christ’s death with
that of his resurrection.
“Toward the conclusion of this [the second
] century, Victor, Bishop
of Rome, endeavored to force the Asiatic Christians, by the pretended
authority of his laws and decrees, to follow the rule which was ob-
served by the Western churches in this point. Accordingly ... He
wrote an imperious letter to the Asiatic prelates, commanding them to
imitate the example of the Western Christians with respect to the time
of celebrating the festival of Easter. The Asiatics answered this lordly
requisition ... With great spirit and resolution, that they would by no
means depart, in this manner, from the custom handed down to them
by their ancestors. Upon this the thunder of excommunication began to
roar. Victor, exasperated by this resolute answer of the Asiatic bishops,
broke communion with them, pronounced them unworthy of the name
of his brethren, and excluded them from all fellowship with the church
of Rome.” [
Mosheim, Eccl. Hist., cent. 2, part 2, chap. 4., para. 9,
11.
] This, says Bower, was “the first essay of papal usurpation.”
For a time, however, Victor’s efforts availed little. No regard was
paid to his letters, and the Asiatics continued to follow their ancient
practice. But by enlisting the support of the imperial power, which
the church for so many centuries controlled to serve her purposes,
Rome finally conquered. The Council of Nice, “out of complaisance