[Footnote 322: Iren. III. 3. i: "Sed quomiam valde longum est, in hoc tali volumine omnium ecclesiarum enumerare successiones, maximae et antiquissimae et omnibus cognitae, a gloriosissimis duobus apostolis Paulo et Petro Romae fundatae et constitutae ecclesiae, eam quam habet ab apostolis traditionem et annuutiatam hominibus fidem, per successiones episcoporum pervenientem usque ad nos indicantes confundimus omnes eos, qui quoquo modo vel per sibiplacentiam malam vel vanam gloriam vel per caecitatem et malam sententiam, praeterquam oportet, colligunt. Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire ecclesiam, hoc est, eos qui sunt undique fideles, in qua semper ab his, qui sunt undique, conservata est ea quae est ab apostolis traditio." On this we may remark as follows: (1) The special importance which Irenaeus claims for the Roman Church--for he is only referring to her--is not merely based by him on her assumed foundation by Peter and Paul, but on a combination of the four attributes "maxima," "antiquissima" etc. Dionysius of Corinth also made this assumption (Euseb., II. 25. 8), but applied it quite as much to the Corinthian Church. As regards capability of proving the truth of the Church's faith, all the communities founded by the Apostles possess _principalitas_ in relation to the others; but the Roman Church has the _potentior principalitas_, in so far as she excels all the rest in her qualities of _ecclesia maxima et omnibus cognita_ etc. Principalitas = "sovereign authority," [Greek: authentia], for this was probably the word in the original text (see proceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy of Science, 9th Nov., 1893). In common with most scholars I used to think that the "in qua" refers to "Roman Church;" but I have now convinced myself (see the treatise just cited) that it relates to "omnem ecclesiam," and that the clause introduced by "in qua" merely asserts that every church, _in so far as she is faithful to tradition, i.e., orthodox_, must as a matter of course agree with that of Rome. (2) Irenaeus asserts that every Church, i.e., believers in all parts of the world, must agree with this Church ("convenire" is to be understood in a figurative sense; the literal acceptation "every Church must come to that of Rome" is not admissible). However, this "must" is not meant as an imperative, but == [Greek: anagke] == "it cannot be otherwise." In reference to _principalitas_ == [Greek: authentia] (see I. 31. 1: I. 26. 1) it must be remembered that Victor of Rome (l.c.) speaks of the "origo _authentici_ apostolatus," and Tertullian remarks of Valentinus when he apostatised at Rome, "ab ecclesia _authenticae_ regulae abrupit" (adv. Valent. 4).] [Footnote 323: Beyond doubt his "convenire necesse est" is founded on actual circumstances.]