Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 12
¶That the Decretall Epistles of the first Byshops of Rome are but counterfettes.
VErely I am not ignorant how there fly abroad many Epistles of these holy Romane Bishops & Martyrs which they call decretals. But they ouerthrow themselues with their owne absurdities, and shew themselues to be but counterfettes, in asmuch as many thinges be so light, so triflyng, and so vtterly vnlike that auncient simplicitie, purenesse, and maiestie, that not with out good cause they séeme vntounto godly and learned men, to hauehave ben deuised long since by others. Neither do I greatly regard that the same are fathered vponupon the gatheryng of Damasus and Isidorus: seyng that there want not some men which put ouer certeine of these kynd of thinges euen to the time of Gregorie the 7. But howsoeuer the case stād for the tyme. I pray yon what can be more fond, then the fathering of these wordes vponupon Anacletus? This holy holy and Apostolike Church of Rome obteined the supremacie and preheminence of power ouer all Churches, not frō the Apostles, but from the very Lord himselfe our Sauiour. And again, There was a difference euen betwene the blessed Apostles: and albeit that all of them were Apostles: yet did the Lord graunt and the Apostles determined among them selues, that Peter should hauehave preheminence afore all the rest of the Apostles, and be Cephas, that is to say a head, and hold the souereintie of Apostleship. Thus sayth he. But who knoweth not (though he be but meanely séene in histories,) that after full fiue hūdred yeares, it was obteined and ordeined, not by Christ, or his Apostles but by loytering lozels or rather by traiterous persōs, that Rome should be called ye head of all Churches, that is to wit, that it should obteine supremacie & prerogatiue of power ouer all Churches? Or who would beleue that Anacletus exercised himselfe so little in readyng of the Gospell, that he knew not how Cephas signifieth, not a head but a stone or a Rocke? according as it is interpreted by Iohn the Apostle in the first chapter? And which interpreter should a man rather beleue? Iohn the Apostle, or the coūterfet Anaclete? The lewd packing then of the lewd lozelles is detected both in these and in many other thinges. The same partie maketh very often mention of Archbyshops and metropolitanes, neither omitteth he primates. But it is most manifest, that those titles were vtterly vnknowen to the primitiue Church, and were afterward inuented and vsurped in times folowyng. And at their first comming vp the maner of vsing them was after a sort méetly tolerable, till their posteritie did afterward vse them or rather misuse them more proudly. Besides this, the sayd counterfet Anaclete maketh a Bishop greater than an Elder: whereas Ierome himselfe sheweth by Scriptures, that Elders and Bishops are all one, and that in processe of time Byshops were preferred before Elders, not by the ordinaunce of God, but by the ordinaunce of man. Moreouer this Anacletus alloweth the Appeales that are made to the sea of Rome, saying: that all questions and matters of weight ought to be referred to the Apostolike sea, for so had the Apostles decréed. But this selfe same thing is manifestly disallowed by the holy maister of Christ Cyprian writyng to Cornelius the Pope. Many other thinges prateth he concerning the priuiledges and iudgementes of the Church: which who soeuer séeth not to disagrés with these first tymes of the primitiue Church, he seeth nothyng, but is blynder then a béetle.
Furthermore there is a decrée fathered vponupon Pope Alexander, wherby he commaundeth that water should be halowed with salt, to clense the people and to put away the secret slightes of the deuill. But who is so light headed to beleue that so great men in so great light of the Gospell published so filthy decrées concerning such baggagely gewgawes so openly fighting agaynst the Gospell and doctrine of the Apostles? These thinges sauour not that Apostolike and auncient purenesse and maiestie which entierly attributeth all saluation to the onelyonly bloud of the sonne of God and not to water and salt.
Pope Sixtus in the sayd decretall Epistles commaundeth that no man els should touch the holy vesselles but he that is halowed. Ye may perceiue that this stuffe agréeth trimly with the Apostolicall doctrine deliuered by Paul in the 2. to the Colossians, and finally with the histories which openly beare record that euen the laymen receiued & handled the bread and cup of the Lord with their [bare] handes, certein hundred yeares after this Sixtus. Besides this, in the same Epistles, there is open & manifest mention made of Clementes iourney, which booke neuerthelesse euē the very Decrées of Gratian do reiect among the authenticall writynges.
Yea and Thelesphorus commendeth the seuen wéekes fast before Easter, forbidding also the eating of flesh. Which thing againe how well it agréeth with the doctrine of the Apostles, and with the doinges, it is to be knowen by the thinges which S. Paul hath written in the 2. chapter to the Colossians, and in the 4. chapter of the first Epistle to Timothie, and which Socrates hath left written in his Ecclesiasticall historie in the 5. booke and xxii. chap. but most of all which are taken out of Irenaeus by Eusebius in the 5. booke and xxvi. chapter of his Ecclesiasticall historie.
Moreouer in those Epistles Calixtus is reported to hauehave ordeined the imber fast at foure seasons of the yeare. Which thing others referre to other authors or founders. And among this stuffe this is a thing that can not be read without laughter, that Eusebius the predecessour of Melciades doth with so great statelinesse commaund the feast of the finding of the holy crosse to be solemnized the vi. day of May. For some declare that the crosse was not yet found at this time, but a xx. yeares after by Helene the mother of the Emperour Constantine. Agayne how superstitious, péeuishe, and fond géere are commaunded in the same Epistles, namely that Nonnes should not touche the holy vessels. As who should say there had ben any Nunnes as yet in those dayes, the first comming vp of whom is referred to farre later times. Many other thinges of this sort do I passe ouer willingly, least I might make my readers to cast vp their stomakes. For in these Epistles there be very many thinges so foolish, so farre agaynst reason, so full of superstition, and so full of ambition: that all men which hauehave eyes may gather therby that they be counterfettes, and specially for asmuch as there is very seldome or no mention at all made in all the booke through out, of vncorrupted fayth in Christ, yea or of Christ himselfe our redemer, & of the treasures which the father hath giuen vsus in him, which thinges are the naturall markes of Apostolicall writinges. Now although there be many thinges in them not vnprofitable to be read: yet are the same thinges to be found in other men set forth more purely, and without any paringes cankerfretted with the filthinesse of mans traditiōs. Furthermore it is very well knowen that those first most pure tymes of the Church were not acquaynted with so many ceremonies, so many decrées, and so many constitutions, as are found vrged vponupon Gods Church in those Epistles. For the holy and deuout folke of old time had not yet forgotten the Apostolicke Counsell that was held at Hierusalem, wherin not onelyonly Peter playnly would not there should be any yoke layd vppon the frée neckes of the faythfull, but also moreouer it séemed good to the holy Ghost and to the whole primitiue Church of the Apostles, that there should not any burthen be layd hereafter vppon the faithfull. This story is knowen to be writtē in the xv. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles.
But if our aduersaries will nedes procede to mainteine that these are the very Epistles of those men vppon whom they be fathered: we hauehave aunswered a little afore, how they be of no authoritie against the doctrine of the Gospell and the Apostles, and therfore we admit them not in disputation. Notwithstanding by the way we hauehave better opinion thā so, of so great learned men, and of so holy Martyrs of Christ, neither will we in any wise stayne and deface their honorable names and blessed memoriall with such maner of gewgawes, wherof out of all doubt there neuer came any in their mindes, no not euen in their dreames.