Lipsius on the Roman Peter-Legend [pp. 265-290]

286 LIPSIUS ON THE [April,
gend, for only in this way is the unquestioned belief of the
early fathers, in the presence of Peter in Rome, robbed of its
weight.
It were idle to deny that they state it as a fact. But must
we believe it simply because they ~ay so? Several considerations induce us to answer in the negative. The fathers were
not in all cases sober, earnest students of history; rather they
were credulous, though honest men, upon whose shoulders felt
the heavy weight of coinbatting opinions adverse to the growing church, and, at the same time, guiding the feeble in the
way of truth. We are not surprised to find them employing
doubtful facts and defective logic on behalf of their opinions.
Again, this legend of Peter was so wide-spread, that they were
not blamable for confounding universality with truthfulness.
We have shown that in its earliest form it did rest upon a basis
of truth, in that it e~~boJied in an allegory the antagonism
between Pauline and Petrine Christianity. This was forgotten;
so the fathers of the latter part of the second and`of the third
centuries were misled into accepting a i~gend. But if one
prominent writer accepted it, others would naturally copy it.
And, finally, it may be said, that the legend was far too agreeable to be hastily thrown aside. To put Peter in Rome was
quickly understood to impart pre-eminence to his successors
in the episcopate. The church required her ecclesiastical
founder to have lived in the capital of the world. And it
was far pleasanter to reflect upon his martyrdom in the eternal
cit~ than in far-off Babylon.
We are prepared now to examine the remaining witnesses
for the tradition. The first one is Dionysius of Corinth. The
words to be are found, according to Eusebius (H. II. ii: 25), in
his letter to the Romans (c~~ca,A.D. 175). He says: "Thus,
likewise, you, by means of this admonition, have mingled the
flourishing seed that had been planted by Peter and Paul at
Rome and Corinth. For both of these, having planted us at
Corinth, likewise instructed us; and having in like manner
taught in Italy, they suffered rnartydom about the same time.'
Dr. Lipsius thinks it without doubt, that this passage occurred
in the letter of thanks for contributions from the church in
Rome, to the members of the Corinthian church, who were
condemned to the mines (vide Ezlsebills, H. E. iv: 23). The