It is difficult to establish a specific date for the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church. This is because it was in a constant state of evolution, adding one false doctrine after another. Its doctrines evolved over many years, even as late as 1995.
However, there are certain events that set it forth as crystallised in doctrine and make it a separate and distinct religion, but certainly not the New Testament Church.
Gregory the Great was the last Latin Church father and the first of the popes. He is looked upon as one of the purest and useful popes. The time of his position as a pope lasted for thirteen years (A.D. Sept. 3, 590 to March 12, 604). It was a time full of trouble.
Rome was no longer the centre of the Roman Empire. Constantine, who was considered the first Christian Caesar, moved the capital of the Empire to Constantinople and became known as the Byzantine Empire. Italy and Rome had become no more than a province of the Byzantine Empire. Gregory was born about A.D. 540 to a wealthy family in Rome. His education was in government service.
The Greek emperor Justin appointed him to the highest civil office in Rome. However, he would soon break with the world and become a monk. Pope Pelagius II of Constantinople made Gregory one of seven deacons of the Roman church.
Gregory was very mission-minded, which led to the conversion of many in England, which came under the jurisdiction of Rome. This has been considered the greatest event of that age by Catholics. He did this with thirty monks, marching under the sign of the cross.
In A.D. 590, he was elected pope (spiritual father) by the unanimous voice of the clergy and the Byzantine emperor Mauricius. He would now devote all his energies toward returning Rome to its previous glory.
He did this with the firm conviction that he was the true successor of St. Peter and also the Vicar of Christ. He surrounded himself with monks, making them bishops, but retained his lifestyle of the Monastic life.
The papal chair, seemingly, had now been established in Rome. Even so, his authority was never considered as being over the Eastern (Greek) Churches. Even Gregory himself did not claim such jurisdiction but emphatically declined and denounced any such claim.
Meanwhile, in Constantinople, John IV, who was the Patriarch of Constantinople, now claimed that he had authority over the Eastern Churches. He constantly used in his letters, the title “Universal Bishop”.
After John’s death Gregory sent his ambassador to demand that the new Patriarch, Cyriacus, should renounce the title “Universal Bishop”, which he refused to do. Gregory himself refused to use this title while he was pope.
Phocas, an ignorant, vulgar, cruel upstart, had Emperor Maurice and his whole family murdered. He then took control of the Empire. Gregory of Rome hastened to congratulate him, calling on heaven and earth to rejoice that the church was now free from the Emperor Maurice. The murderer and usurper Phocas repaid the favour by taking sides on who would become the ruler over all the churches.
He declared that the Roman Church was now to become “the head of all churches.” It is no wonder then that the successor of Gregory, Boniface III, was less humble and had no scruples against taking on this title, plus even other arrogant titles.
If we were to give a date for the beginning of the Catholic Church, it would be during the reign of Boniface III (A.D. 606 – 607). He is the first to claim authority over all the churches.
The Catholic Church’s claim to be the Universal Church is based on a statement that Jesus made to Peter in Matthew 16:16-19, which is a very familiar passage. Let us look closely at these verses and see what they teach.
First of all, Jesus promised to build His church. No one denies this. Second, He said it would be built upon the fact that he was the Son of God who had the authority to build His church. Christ was not speaking of Peter as the foundation. The big rock is the confession made by Peter that Jesus was the Son of God.
There are two words in the Greek for the English word rock. When Jesus said Peter was a rock, he used the Greek word “Petros” which means a small rock. When Jesus said he would build His church upon “this rock”, he used the Greek word “Petra”, meaning a large bed of rock, as you see in the side of a mountain. This second rock refers to the confession of Peter. So the church was built on Jesus, a big rock, in contrast to Peter, who was a little rock.
The Catholic response is that Jesus was speaking in Aramaic, the language of Palestine. This may be so, but it is interesting that the New Testament was written in Greek and the Holy Spirit specifically chose two different words when recording this conversation between Jesus and His disciples in the book of Matthew.
In Matthew 16:18, He would build his church, then in the next verse, Matthew 16:19, He said he would give unto Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It should be clear that the church and kingdom are one and the same. The church is the kingdom, and the kingdom is the church.
There is no Scripture that justifies the existence of the Catholic Church. It is filled with false doctrines which have come from men and church councils. The concept of a universal pope is entirely out of the question.
Peter was a far cry from all of the Catholic Popes down to the present. The church of the New Testament in no way resembles the Catholic Church. With its long history of corruption, one wonders how it can still function.