Recourse to Rome as the oracle of the faith was so obvious
an expedient, given the prevailing attitude towards tradition, that we can only
be surprised to find how slow and gradual was the triumph of the Roman claims.
The victory of logic was retarded both by the pride and by the common sense of
the other Western Churches. On the one hand, the See of Carthage clung to the
old ideal of Christendom as a confederation of self-governing churches, which
might consult one another as they pleased but recognised no superior except a
general council. Carthage carried with her the whole Church of Africa, and
furnished an example which less illustrious communities were proud to imitate.
The conquest of Africa by the Vandal heretics was necessary before the African
Christians would consent to look to Rome as their spiritual metropolis. On the
other hand, the rulings of the Roman bishops were justly suspected of being tempered
by regard for expediency. Sometimes they relaxed penitential discipline, for
fear of driving the weaker brethren to apostasy. Sometimes, under pressure
from Constantinople, they proposed an ambiguous compromise with heresy. Such
considerations were but gradually overborne by the pressure of circumstances.
The spread of Arianism and the irruption of the Teutons (themselves often
Arians) at length compelled the churches to take the obvious means of
preserving their imperilled uniformity and union.
