ondly; it is evident from the Gospel History that Peter was the first
in whom that power was shown forth and appointed. For, although Christ said
to all the Apostles, 'Receive the Holy Ghost,' (John xx. 22,) and
'whatsoever ye bind,' &c., 'whatsoever ye loose,' &c. (Matt, xviii. 18);
yet, what He said to Peter had gone before, 'I will give to thee the keys,'
&c. (Matt. xvi. 19).

"Thirdly; both these two, that is, both what was said to Peter and what was
said to the Apostles, proceed equally from Christ: for He who said to
Peter, 'I will give to thee,' and 'Whatsoever thou shalt bind,' said also
to the Apostles, 'Receive ye,' and 'Whatsoever ye shall bind.'

"Fourthly; that is therefore true which Optatus says of Peter: 'For the
good of unity, he alone received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, to be
imparted to the rest.' For, in truth, these which were given to Peter in
the 16th Matt. were to be imparted afterwards to the Apostles, Matt. 18th,
and John 20th, but to be imparted not by Peter, but by Christ, as is clear.

"Fifthly; that also is true which Caesarius says, 'The Episcopate takes its
beginning from Peter:' he being the first in whom, through the ministry of
binding and loosing, the Episcopal power was shown forth, begun,
entrusted.'

"Sixthly; hence, also, is true what Innocent says,--'that the Episcopate,
and all the authority of that name, sprung from Peter,' because he, first
of all, was appointed or set forth as Bishop.

"Seventhly; for this cause, Peter is called by the same Innocent the author
of the Episcopate; not that he instituted it,--not that the Apostles
received the power of binding and loosing from him,--for the Scriptures
everywhere exclaim against this; but that from him was made the beginning
of establishing that power among men, and of appointing or marking out the
Episcopate.

"Eighthly; to make this clearer, and that it may be easily perceived what
means that expression, 'through Peter,' which we read in Leo, we must
review the tradition of the ancient Church, drawn from the Scriptures
themselves.

"It is plain, then, that when the Lord asked the Apostles, 'Whom say men
that I, the Son of Man, am?' Peter, the chief of all, answered in the
person of all, 'Thou art the Christ:' and afterwards Christ said to Peter,
thus representing them, 'I will give to thee,'--'Whatsoever thou shalt
bind:' by which it appears that in these words, not Peter only, but in
Peter, their chief, and answ