Table Of ContentP
RAISE FOR THE PAPACY
“Erick Ybarra deserves much praise for this excellent book. As is well
known, Catholics and Eastern Orthodox are divided over the primacy and
universal authority of the Roman Pontiff. What, though, is the record of the
first millennium prior to the Schism of 1054? is book examines the
historical details of papal interventions and teachings of the first millennium
as well as affirmations of universal papal authority by saints recognized by
both Catholics and Orthodox. It also discusses the controversial cases of
Popes Liberius, Vigilius, and Honorius I, and it highlights the importance of
the Tome of St. Agatho endorsed by Constantinople III. Ybarra provides a
great service to those interested in Catholic and Orthodox perspectives on
the authority of the Bishop of Rome as the successor of St. Peter.”
R L. F , P .D.
OBERT ASTIGGI H
Bishop Kevin M. Britt Chair of Dogmatic eology and Christology,
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
“Jesus once asked Peter, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ But in recent centuries,
Peter’s successors, the popes, have turned that question around to all
Catholics and Orthodox, asking, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Who is the
pope? What is the papacy? What authority does the pope have, and how far
does it extend? ese are enduring questions that have been debated for
more than a thousand years. But this significant new study from Erick
Ybarra approaches them with fresh perspective. Irenic in tone, thorough in
scholarship, and fair to opposing views, Erick not only defends the papacy
against new Orthodox objections but analyzes the more basic historical,
methodological, and interpretive foundations underlying this debate. e
result is an impressive tour de force, the new go-to book for understanding
this central point of tension between Catholics and Orthodox.”
B V
RANDON OGT
Founder of ClaritasU and Author of
Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too)
“Both Orthodox and Catholic Christians today have inherited a history and
a theological legacy that we did not ourselves create. It is therefore essential
that we deal honestly and comprehensively with those aspects of our history
which both favor and challenge our own theological assumptions to identify
the ecumenical path forward towards that union which Our Lord Jesus
Christ willed for his Church. Ironically, the foundation and exercise of the
Petrine ministry by the Bishop of Rome—an episcopal ministry whose
dominical purpose is at the service of the unity of mind and heart among all
bishops and Churches—has historically been regarded as the principal
source of division, especially between the Chalcedonian Christians of East
and West. Erick Ybarra, in his e Papacy, not only lays out the biblical and
patristic foundations on this issue, he engages contemporary Orthodox,
Catholic, and Protestant theological scholarship and magisterial sources
utilized in both dialogue and debate as a lens to apply to the difficult and
divisive history of the exercise of the papacy in the ancient, medieval, and
modern periods of Church history. What is more, Ybarra makes a
compelling case for the Catholic theological position on the Petrine ministry
of the Pope of Rome as part of the apostolic and pastoral architecture
intended by Christ in support of a universal communion of a missionary
Church of the Nations, as opposed to a mere federation of national
churches. If the Christian Church is to once again bear witness to the Gospel
to a divided and de-Christianized world, it must do so in unity with ‘the first
of the apostles, the foundation of the Church, the coryphaeus [conductor] of
the choir of the disciples’ (St. John Chrysostom) as embodied in e
Papacy.”
F . D G. D
R ANIEL OZIER
Byzantine Catholic Priest
and Author of 20 Answers on Eastern Catholicism
“In this massive volume, apologist Erick Ybarra examines the historical
evidence for the Petrine Primacy of universal authority in the Church as
traditionally professed by the Catholic Church. Culminating ten years of
patristic research, he meticulously examines the scriptural and historical
objections which Eastern Orthodox dissenters have alleged to deny the
existence of anything more than a mere ‘primacy of honor’ to Peter, Chief
and Head of the Apostles, and his successors, the Bishops of Rome during
the Church’s first thousand years—and this despite the enormous amount of
testimony our author gathers from the Fathers, saints, and seven ecumenical
councils of the Church acknowledged as ‘undivided’ in faith by the
Orthodox themselves. is volume will serve as an invaluable resource for
those seeking to unravel the historical and theological difficulties presumed
to negate papal supremacy and infallibility. Our author calls to mind St.
John Henry Newman’s famous saying: ‘To be deep in history is to cease to be
Protestant.’ Readers of this volume will be similarly reinforced in the
conviction: To be deep in history is to cease to be Eastern Orthodox.”
J L
AMES IKOUDIS
Author of Ending the Byzantine Greek Schism
“From the First Vatican Council until the present day, the central topics of
debate in the Catholic world have remained remarkably stable: how to
articulate the relationship between faith and reason, as well as the Church
and the world; what is the nature and agency of the Church? Today, in the
midst of so many discussions about ‘synodality,’ more time should be
devoted to a sound understanding of the primacy of the Pope of Rome. We
should all thank Erick Ybarra for his presentation—at once thoroughly
documented, reflectively insightful, and critically aware—of the topic of
papal jurisdiction, as it has been articulated over the course of the centuries.”
M K. M , P .D.
ATTHEW INERD H
Professor of Philosophy and Moral eology,
Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius
“is well-researched, well-balanced, forensic analysis of the Catholic
theology of the papacy, and its rejection by Orthodox (and other)
theologians is a major contribution to scholarship in this highly
controversial area. By clarifying the methodological principles needed to
apply to the primary sources covering the vast expanse of Church history
regarding the papacy, the author succeeds in revisiting the intense,
centuries-old scholarly debate of these same sources in a way that is original,
comprehensive, and, most importantly, fair to all parties. It is an
extraordinary achievement.”
F . D. V T , S.V.D.
R INCENT WOMEY
Professor Emeritus and Recipient of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal
