82, Edward Connesburg, 1477. 106, John G. Beresford, 1822. CHAPTER XXVI. SUCCESSION OF THE CHURCH OF ROME. OWING to the fact that Rome has been the Capital of an Empire, since the first preaching of Christianity, and also the seat of a vast body of learned men, the materials for tracing the succession of that Church are more full and ample than those of any other. Consequently, we can generally determine the exact length of the reign of each Bishop, and give some history of the individual filling the Chair. In the early periods of this Church, translations from one See to another were not allowed. The first case of a translation to the Episcopate of Rome, was that of Formosus, who had been Bishop of Porto, translated to Rome, May 4, 891. Previous to that time, all the Bishops, at the time of their election, were Priests, Deacons, or Laymen. Among them, Fabian. the nineteenth Bishop, and John XIX., are known to have been Laymen. Eleven were Deacons, at the time of their election, and are marked with a star (*) in the following catalogue. Fifty-one others had been Bishops elsewhere, before their election to the Pontificate. These are marked with a dagger (†) in the following catalogue. These Bishops having been translated from nearly every part of Christendom, it may safely be assumed, that nearly all the successions in the world enter into, and assist in authenticating that of the Bishops of Rome. Consequently, if, in one or two instances, as some historians pretend to believe, the succession of the Bishop can not be traced historically, it would not invalidate at all their succession. In the earliest ages of the Church, the names of the Consecrators were not generally recorded, nor the day of the consecration, the year only being given. The dates of the first seventeen Bishops are given on the authority of Eusebius: the subsequent ones have been compiled from GRAVESONS, Historica Ecclesiastica, vols. I.-IX., third edition, folio; BARONIUS, Annales Ecclesiastica, twelve volumes, folio, Antwerp, 1610-1629; MURATORI, Annali d'Italia, twelve volumes, folio, Genoa, 1773-1778; Lives of the Popes, by C. W. F. Walch, D. D., Divinity Professor, Gottingen, 8vo. Lon |