Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE SECOND AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.267tae would accrue, 7 as from their fall the utmostcalamity. But since it were very long, in a volumelike this, to enumerate the succession of all thechurches, we take the church the greatest, themost ancient, and known to all, founded andestablished at Rome by the two most gloriousApostles Peter and Paul, and pointing out thtradition which it has received from the Apostles,and the faith which it has announced to men,reaching down to us by the succession of itsbishops, we confound all those who form societiesother than they ought, in any way, whether forthe sake of self-fancied doctrines, or throughblindness and an evil mind. For, with thischurch, on account of its superior principate, itis necessary that every church agree, that is, thefaithful everywhere (every church) in which bythe (faithful) everywhere, the apostolic traditionis preserved." The blessed Apostles, then, having foundedand built up the church, committed to Linus theadministration of its episcopate.. . . Anencletus sue-ds him, from whom in the third place from thApostles Clemens inherits the episcopate. ... Hsucceeded by Evaristus ; Evaristus by Alexander,who is followed by Xystus sixth from the Apostles.Then Telesphorus, who was gloriously martyt Hyginus; then Pius; after whom AnicetSoter followed Anicetus; and now in the twelfthdegree from the Apostles Eleutherius holds thei.