The Question of the Jurisdiction of the Roman Bishop in the Correspondence of Pope Nicholas I (858–867) with Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople

This article examines the limits of the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, which arose in connection with the deposition of Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople by Emperor Michael III of Byzantium (842–867), which Pope Nicholas I (858–867) considered uncanonical, and the elevation of the imperial secretary Photius, a layman, to his position. The correspondence emerged during the period of the Photian Schism between Rome and Constantinople, marking a significant turning point in the development of the concept of papal supremacy within the Christian Church. The objective of this work is to analyse the theological, historical, and legal arguments presented in Nicholas’s letters to justify Roman jurisdiction over the Church of Constantinople and the right of popes to interfere in the internal affairs of an independent patriarchate. The research methodology involves a comparative analysis of the letters of Pope Nicholas and Photius in terms of their differing views on the structure of the Church and the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. The author refers to the letters of Pope Nicholas and Patriarch Photius, the Life of Patriarch Ignatius by Nicetas the Paphlagonian, conciliar canons, and papal decretals. The correspondence reviewed indicates that as early as the ninth century, the Roman and Constantinople churches held divergent views on the church structure and Constantinople’s position within it. Additionally, they had different ecclesiastical and legal foundations. The Roman Church, in its ideology of ‘primacy’, rejected local traditions, declaring them to be the product of ‘arbitrariness’, and relied only on carefully selected written texts, namely: 1) Holy Scripture (about Peter as the ‘rock’ on which the Church would be founded); 2) papal decretals; 3) selected church canons, which in one way or another mentioned the privileges of the Roman Church. Due to the differing approaches of the two churches, a dispute emerged regarding the interpretation of jurisdictional boundaries. Constantinople proceeded from the traditionally understood ‘sovereignty’ of each individual Church (patriarchate), whereby internal matters were resolved by a local council, and matters of significance to all of Christianity were dealt with by an Ecumenical Council. This traditional scheme was not merely challenged by Pope Nicholas but categorically rejected. In the papal letters to Photius, the Roman Church was assigned comprehensive jurisdiction within Christianity, with the right to intervene in disciplinary matters arising within local Churches and the obligation of all Churches to seek permission from Rome to resolve disciplinary conflicts.