A History of the Popes - Essay Example

Full Saints and Sinners Video A History of the Popes, Saints & Sinners Upon This Rock: Summary “Upon this Rock, I will build my church”, these are the words believed to have been uttered by Jesus to his disciple, Peter who was also called Cephas, meaning rock. Below Saint Peter’s Basilica, it is believed that the apostle was buried there. As a result, the popes had been interred there because they are considered as the descendants of the apostle. A History of the Popes, Saints and Sinners: Upon This Rock traces the history of the Roman Catholic Church and describes how the fulfillment of the words of Jesus mentioned earlier, have come to pass.

After the death of Jesus, Christianity spread in many places including Rome. Peter and Paul went there to indoctrinate the Jews but they were persecuted and Peter was soon crucified. More Christians, bishops and deacons were to die afterward until the time of Constantine who gave leniency to religions. During the reign of Pope Leo, Rome was threatened by conquerors and so was Christianity. However the pope claimed he was the heir of Peter and thus established himself as a respectable figure who made the church stronger.

Video #2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVPSwS8FBqQ Summary Between Two Empires is the second part of the video which continues the history of the popes. It shows how the popes at different times tried to save the power of the church. Along with the papacy, there was another leadership that was equally strong or even stronger than that of the pope’s. It was the emperor. For want of glory and power, the two fought for many centuries to preserve their respective authorities. For example, when Christianity was threatened by the invaders ruled by the Lumbards, Pope Gregory the Great showered the leader’s wife with expensive gifts, gaining her confidence in the pope.

On the other hand, Emperor Leo III showed how an imperial leader could break a pope’s backbone when he confiscated papal lands and had given them to Constantinople.