Roots of Romanism (Part 2)

This second installation in the series by Wayne Jackson appeared in the January, 1978 edition of The Christian Courier. The paper was published by the East Main Street Church of Christ in Stockton, California and was edited by Jackson.

Having established (in a previous article) that the Roman Catholic Church has historical roots that are deeply embedded in the paganism of antiquity (a fact admitted by her own scholars), we will now look at some of the features of the church's organizational structure which further demonstrate our proposition.

The Hierarchy

The hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic Church was modeled to a very great extent after the organization of the pagan Roman government.

The Pope - In Catholic theology, the pope is called the "Pontifex Maximus" meaning in Latin, the Supreme Pontiff. Donald Attwater, a Catholic scholar, declares that it is: "A title of the pope asserting his supremacy and sovereignty over the whole Church." (A Catholic Dictionary, p. 387.) The title however, has a very ancient history. Even before the founding of the Roman republic in 509 B.C., "there was a Pontifex Maximus at the head of a college of pontiffs, whose business it was to supervise all the religious affairs of the State and to give judgment in every religious cause. These pontiffs were attorneys and counsellors in religious law, and as officials of the State had vast influence." (A. H. Newman, A Manuel of Church History, I, p. 30.) Later, when the republic was transformed into the empire (31 B. C.), Augustus Caesar adopted the office of Pontifex Maximus, thus combining in his own person the civil and religious supremacy.

Attwater admits the pagan origin of the term stating that it was used of, "the emperors as heads of the principle college of priests in pagan Rome." He says the pontiff is, "commonly derived from facere (to make) and pontem (a bridge) between the gods and men..." Since the Roman pontiff claims to bridge the gap between God and man, it was but natural that he assume the title of Pontifex Maximus. Thus, "from the 5th century onwards it was a regular title of honour for the Popes, and occasionally used also of other bishops" (F. L. Cross, Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p. 1089).

Cardinals - A cardinal is a member of the "Sacred College of Cardinals" who serve as assistants to the pope in the government of the Church. The chief badge of the cardinal is the red hat (ordered by the Council of Lyons in 1245 A.D.), "to show the readiness with which they are prepared to shed their blood for the liberty of the Church." (J.F. Rowe, History of Apostasies, p. 118) The term "cardinal" derives from the Latin cardo, meaning "hinge." Some suggest that the word denotes the fact that the government of the Roman Church turns on these men. Only a cardinal can be elected to the papal chair. Only cardinals can elect a pope. (Schaff-Herzog Encylopedia, I, p. 403)

Originally however, the word cardinal was employed as an appellation for the pope who was attempting to assume a place within the "Christian" movement that would be comparable to the Roman god Janus. In pagan Rome, Janus was the god of doors and hinges who was called, "the opener and the shutter." He was worshiped in Rome as the grand mediator. Janus was the "God of gods" who had access to the "door of Heaven" and hence important matters addressed to Deity must be channeled through him. In this role he was thus said to have, "all power in Heaven, in earth and the sea" and in him was vested jusvertendi cardinis; the power of turning the hinge." (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, pp. 210, 211) This is of course, the very claim of the pope who asserts that he is the "Vicar of Jesus Christ" and who, "as visible head of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, represents Christ on earth and is therefore supreme in authority." (Attwater, p. 516) When the responsibility for guarding the doors of Heaven become too great for a single hand, a group of advisers were gathered around the pope known as cardinals, or "priests of the hinge."

Celibacy of the Clergy - It is well known that in the Roman Church, "marriage is prohibited to all clergy of the rank of subdeacon and upwards." (A. Neander, General History of the Christian Religion and Church, III, p. 208) The Council of Elvira in Spain in 305 A.D. was the first to announce that the clergy of the first three grades must abstain from marriage or be deposed. Such a view seems unusual to the Bible student who knows that generally it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) and certainly that forbidding to marry is a mark of apostasy (I Timothy 4:1-3). The roots of the practice are in paganism, not Scripture! In ancient Babylon for example, the higher orders of priesthood dedicated to Semiramis, the Chaldean Queen of Heaven, were bound to a life of celibacy. Too, when the worship of Cybele was introduced into ancient Rome, its clergy were required to remain unmarried (Hislop, pp. 219, 220).

Also, the virgins of Vesta the Roman fire goddess are prominent in history. At the age of ten, young maidens of Rome could enter the priestess service of Vesta. They served for a minimum of thirty years and their duties consisted of offering sacrifices, caring for the sacred vestibules, preservation of the eternal fire and strict chastity (if one was found unchaste, she was burned alive). A Vestal Virgin wore a long, white dress, a priestly fillet and a veil (McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, X, pp. 766, 767). The parallels in modern Romanism are of course, too obvious to need elaboration. In an installment to come, some of the ritualistic aspects of Catholicism will be discussed.