Vicar of Christ

Last updated

Vicar of Christ (from Latin Vicarius Christi) is a term used in different ways and with different theological connotations throughout history. The original notion of a vicar is as an "earthly representative of Christ", but it is also used in the sense of "person acting as parish priest in place of a real person." [1] The title is now used in Catholicism to refer to the bishops, [2] and more specifically, was historically used to refer to the Bishop of Rome (the pope).

Contents

History and different uses

During the history of Christianity, the title of Vicar of Christ was used in different ways, with implications for theological, pastoral or different time.

Use for the bishops

An early appearance of a similar concept of the Vicar of Christ is mentioned in the Epistle to the Magnesians of St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (who was possibly a disciple of both John the Apostle and Saint Peter [3] ), written between the years AD 88 and 107, which states: "your bishop presides in the place of God". [4] Although Ignatius did not explicitly use the term Vicar of Christ, he sets out the concept, with regard to local bishops. More recently, the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium noted that bishops are "vicars and ambassadors of Christ," [2] and the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that each bishop governs his diocese "[a]s Christ's vicar." [5]

The first recorded use of the term "Vicar of Christ" is found in the epistles of Tertullian in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries, referring to the Holy Spirit, [6] that is, as Christ is not physically performing miracles in the Church, Holy Spirit acts as his Vicar on his behalf, performing miracles and preventing the Church from error. [7] Other roles Tertullian attributed to the Holy Spirit as Vicar were: the direction of discipline, the revelation of the Scriptures, the reformation of the intellect, and the advancement toward the better things. [8]

Use for the popes

Christ's Charge to Peter by Raphael, 1515. Catholics believe that in telling Peter to feed his sheep, Christ was entrusting to the papacy the responsibility of caring for the Church. V&A - Raphael, Christ's Charge to Peter (1515).jpg
Christ's Charge to Peter by Raphael, 1515. Catholics believe that in telling Peter to feed his sheep, Christ was entrusting to the papacy the responsibility of caring for the Church.

The third use of the term Vicar of Christ appears in the 5th century, in a synod of bishops to refer to Pope Gelasius I. The theological connotations of the title got a pastoral sense, evoking the words of Christ to the Apostle Peter, regarded by the first Catholic Pope in John 21:16-17, "Feed my lambs [...] Feed my sheep". Catholics interpret this as Christ making Peter his vicar and pastor with the responsibility to feed his flock (i.e. the Church) in his own place. [9]

However, the use of the title to refer to the popes in the early Church was unstable, and several variants of the use of Vicar were used for the Pope, as "Vicar of Peter", indicating that they were the successors of St. Peter, "Vicar of the Prince of the Apostles" or "Vicar of the Apostolic See", [9] among other variants. This title is used by the Roman Missal in their prayers for a dead pope, [10] and the oath of allegiance to St. Boniface to Pope Gregory II. [11] Since 1200, Popes have consistently used this title. [12] Insisting that he — and he alone—had the right to remove bishops from office, Pope Innocent III appealed to the title of Vicar of Christ. [9] Occasionally, Popes like Nicholas III used "Vicar of God" as an equivalent title [9] The 2012 edition of the Annuario Pontificio gives "Vicar of Jesus Christ" as the second official title of the Pope (the first being "Bishop of Rome"). [13] The edition of the same book published on March 25, 2020, included the title of "Vicar of Christ" to the section "Historical titles" section, to indicate its bond with the history of the papacy. [14]

Use in caesaropapism

Another use of the title, with a different meaning, appeared in the Eastern Churches between the fifth and sixth centuries. The term was used to refer to the Byzantine emperor, [12] showing the apex of caesaropapism. Though decisions on doctrine, liturgy and spirituality were left to the bishops. [15]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "vicar | Etymology, origin and meaning of vicar by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  2. 1 2 "Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium § 27". Site da Santa Sé. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  3. ↑ RAY, Stephen. Upon this Rock. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1999. p.119.
  4. ↑ "The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians (2, 6:1)". Catholic Encyclopedia; New Advent. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  5. ↑ "Catechism of the Catholic Church ¶ 1560". Site da Santa Sé. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  6. ↑ "Prescription against Heretics (Chapter 28)". Catholic Encyclopedia; New Advent. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  7. ↑ "On the Veiling of Virgins (Chapter 1)". Catholic Encyclopedia; New Advent. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  8. ↑ "CHURCH FATHERS: On the Veiling of Virgins (Tertullian)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Vicar of Christ". Catholic Encyclopedia; New Advent. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  10. ↑ "Liturgical Notes and Resource Materials for Use upon the Death of a Pope" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  11. ↑ "Promessa de Fidelidade de São Bonifácio ao Papa Gregório II, por ocasião de sua sagração episcopal". Site Montfort. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  12. 1 2 Beal, John P.; Coriden, James A.; Green, Thomas J. (2000). New commentary on the Code of Canon Law. Paulist Press. ISBN   9780809140664 . Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  13. ↑ Annuario Pontificio, published annually by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, edition of 2012 ( ISBN   978-88-209-8722-0), p. 23*.
  14. ↑ Wooden, Cindy (2020-04-03). "Did Pope Francis really drop the 'Vicar of Christ' title?". Catholic Herald .
  15. ↑ Richards, Jeffrey. The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages 476–752 (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979) pp. 14–15-16.

Related Research Articles

<i>Catholic</i> (term) Term in Christianity

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase καθόλου 'on the whole, according to the whole, in general', and is a combination of the Greek words κατά 'about' and ὅλος 'whole'. The first known use of "Catholic" was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans. In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ignatius of Antioch</span> Late 1st / early 2nd century Christian author and Patriarch of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch, also known as Ignatius Theophorus, was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology, and address important topics including ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope</span> Visible head of the Catholic Church

The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff or sovereign pontiff. From the eighth century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929, of the much smaller Vatican City State. The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycarp</span> Christian bishop of Smyrna (69-155)

Polycarp was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clement of Rome</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 88 to 99 AD

Clement of Rome, also known as Pope Clement I, was a bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church, and a leading member of the Church in Rome in the late 1st century.

A vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior. Linguistically, vicar is cognate with the English prefix "vice", similarly meaning "deputy". It also refers to a senior priest in the Church of England. The title appears in a number of Christian ecclesiastical contexts, but also as an administrative title, or title modifier, in the Roman Empire. In addition, in the Holy Roman Empire, a local representative of the emperor, such as an archduke, could be styled "vicar".

The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have been significantly influenced by them. Their writings, though widely circulated in early Christianity, were not included in the canon of the New Testament. Many of the writings derive from the same time period and geographical location as other works of early Christian literature which came to be part of the New Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal primacy</span> Catholic ecclesiological doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the Pope

Papal primacy, also known as the primacy of the bishop of Rome, is an ecclesiological doctrine in the Catholic Church concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal sees. While the doctrine is accepted at a fundamental level by both the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, the two disagree on the nature of primacy.

<i>Cathedra</i> Bishops throne in a cathedral

A cathedra is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term cathedral became synonymous with the "seat", or principal church, of a bishopric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordinary (church officer)</span> Ecclesiastical title for local authorities

An ordinary is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal supremacy</span> Doctrine that the Pope has supreme power over the whole Church

Papal supremacy is the doctrine of the Catholic Church that the Pope, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, the visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful, and as pastor of the entire Catholic Church, has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered: that, in brief, "the Pope enjoys, by divine institution, supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls."

<i>Pastor aeternus</i> Dogmatic constitution of the First Vatican Council about the papal ministry

Pastor aeternus was issued by the First Vatican Council, July 18, 1870. The document defines four doctrines of the Catholic faith: the apostolic primacy conferred on Peter, the perpetuity of the Petrine Primacy in the Roman pontiffs, the definition of the papal primacy as a papal supremacy, and Papal infallibility – infallible teaching authority (magisterium) of the Pope.

The historical roots of Papal primacy can be traced back to the early centuries of Christianity, wherein the bishop of Rome, commonly referred to as the Pope, gradually accrued increasing authority and recognition. A confluence of historical, theological, and political factors contributed to this development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Peter</span> Christian apostle

Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is opposed to the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal supremacy. While not denying that primacy does exist for the Bishop of Rome, Eastern Orthodox Christians argue that the tradition of Rome's primacy in the early Church was not equivalent to the current doctrine of supremacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Church</span> Concept in the historiography of early Christianity

The term "Great Church" is used in the historiography of early Christianity to mean the period of about 180 to 313, between that of primitive Christianity and that of the legalization of the Christian religion in the Roman Empire, corresponding closely to what is called the Ante-Nicene Period. "It has rightly been called the period of the Great Church, in view of its numerical growth, its constitutional development and its intense theological activity."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal titles</span> Titles given to the Catholic Bishop of Rome

The titles of the Bishop of Rome, more often referred to as the papal titles, refer to the various titles used by protocol, as a form of addressing or designating a theological or secular reality of the Bishop of Rome (Pope). The Catholic Church believes that they "constitute what has been termed a primacy of honor. These prerogatives are not, like his jurisdictional rights, tied to the divine jure of his office. They have grown in the course of history, and have been enshrined by the passage of centuries, but they are not free from modification."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papacy in early Christianity</span> History of papacy from 30 A.D. to 313

Papacy in early Christianity was the period in papal history between 30 AD, when according to Catholic doctrine, Saint Peter effectively assumed his pastoral role as the Visible Head of the Church, until the pontificate of Miltiades, in 313, when Peace in the Church began.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.