stolis
traditio." On this we may remark as follows: (1) The special importance
which Irenaeus claims for the Roman Church--for he is only referring to
her--is not merely based by him on her assumed foundation by Peter and
Paul, but on a combination of the four attributes "maxima,"
"antiquissima" etc. Dionysius of Corinth also made this assumption
(Euseb., II. 25. 8), but applied it quite as much to the Corinthian
Church. As regards capability of proving the truth of the Church's
faith, all the communities founded by the Apostles possess
_principalitas_ in relation to the others; but the Roman Church has the
_potentior principalitas_, in so far as she excels all the rest in her
qualities of _ecclesia maxima et omnibus cognita_ etc. Principalitas =
"sovereign authority," [Greek: authentia], for this was probably the
word in the original text (see proceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy
of Science, 9th Nov., 1893). In common with most scholars I used to
think that the "in qua" refers to "Roman Church;" but I have now
convinced myself (see the treatise just cited) that it relates to "omnem
ecclesiam," and that the clause introduced by "in qua" merely asserts
that every church, _in so far as she is faithful to tradition, i.e.,
orthodox_, must as a matter of course agree with that of Rome. (2)
Irenaeus asserts that every Church, i.e., believers in all parts of the
world, must agree with this Church ("convenire" is to be understood in a
figurative sense; the literal acceptation "every Church must come to
that of Rome" is not admissible). However, this "must" is not meant as
an imperative, but == [Greek: anagke] == "it cannot be otherwise." In
reference to _principalitas_ == [Greek: authentia] (see I. 31. 1: I. 26.
1) it must be remembered that Victor of Rome (l.c.) speaks of the "origo
_authentici_ apostolatus," and Tertullian remarks of Valentinus when he
apostatised at Rome, "ab ecclesia _authenticae_ regulae abrupit" (adv.
Valent. 4).]

[Footnote 323: Beyond doubt his "convenire necesse est" is founded on
actual circumstances.]

[Footnote 324: On other important journeys of Christian men and bishops
to Rome in the 2nd and 3rd centuries see Caspari, l.c. Above all we may
call attention to the journey of Abercius of Hierapolis (not Hierapolis
on the Meander) about 200 or even earlier. Its historical reality is not
to be questioned. See his words in the epitaph composed by himself (V. 7
f.): [Greek: eis Rhomen hos epempsen