The Ancients – The First Popes
Hosted by Tristan Hughes – Guest: Professor Rosamund McKitterick
History Hit, January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the origins and development of the early papacy in Rome, focusing on the stories of the very first popes—above all, St. Peter—as revealed through the crucial historical text, the Liber Pontificalis (Book of the Pontiffs). Host Tristan Hughes and eminent historian Professor Rosamund McKitterick illuminate how the office of the Bishop of Rome emerged from early Christian communities living under pagan rule and eventually transformed through periods of persecution, imperial favor, and theological upheaval into the powerful institution we recognize today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Understanding the Liber Pontificalis – Its Nature and Importance

• What is the Liber Pontificalis?

  • A collection of biographical entries of Roman bishops (popes), originally compiled in the early 6th century and continually updated thereafter.
  • Written by papal administrative officials with privileged access to Rome’s church archives, including estate records, letters, synodal decrees, and burial calendars.
    • "[The Liber Pontificalis] is a biographical history... written by officials within the administration who knew the popes, and that gives them special access to particular records..." (Professor McKitterick, 04:20)

• Its Value and Limits:

  • Essential for reconstructing papal succession, the church’s social status, and growing influence.
  • Draws on older documents, burial lists, and some archaeological evidence.
  • Heavily shaped by the priorities and attitudes of its 6th-century compilers, often presenting an idealized, unbroken, and orthodox line of church leadership.
    • "...they're not telling us much about any local controversy about differences about different religious groups. What we do hear about is the way in which individual popes... were the only ones that mattered. Their authority is the key." (Professor McKitterick, 05:40)

• Structure of Papal Biographies:

  • Almost formulaic: Name, origin, length of reign, ordinations, significant decrees, how and where he died, and burial site.
  • From the 4th century onward, increasingly detailed (especially records of donations and church-building).

The Challenges of Using the Text

• Frustrations:

  • Frequently omits context, details of martyrdom, internal controversies, or rivalries.
  • Requires historians to read between the lines and supplement with other contemporary or archaeological sources.
    • "The frustration is that they could have told us much more and they don't..." (Professor McKitterick, 14:01)

• Bias and Constructed Memory:

  • The Liber Pontificalis grafts its own agenda on the past, projecting later institutional order backward onto more chaotic early church realities.
  • The narrative minimizes religious diversity and disagreement.
  • Presents papal succession as seamless—a view modern historians need to treat with skepticism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “So Peter and his church was actually founded by Christ. That's the key thing for them.” (Professor McKitterick, 05:40)
• “Throughout the text, you get hints here and there that in the first four centuries the popes are up against the problem of pagan emperors, that they are presented as if they are quite well established. But when you read it very carefully, there are hardly anybody in their little entourage.” (Professor McKitterick, 14:01)
• "They want the person who becomes the bishop of Rome and the pope to be the one that confirms the content of the Gospels. So it's linking... the development of Christianity with the popes from the very beginning in lots of different ways." (Professor McKitterick, 32:12)

Individual Popes – Key Histories and Stories

St. Peter – The First Bishop of Rome (27:02 – 41:29)

• Sources for Peter’s time in Rome:
  • Little direct evidence; most narratives from Acts, later acts (e.g., Acta Petri), and Liber Pontificalis itself.
  • He is depicted as moving from Antioch to Rome, leading the church under Emperor Nero.
• Peter’s legacy and martyrdom:
  • Martyred (crucified, possibly upside down) on the Vatican Hill during Nero’s persecution.
  • Legends connect him with the composition of Mark’s Gospel (“Mark sat at Peter’s feet and took dictation” – 32:44).
  • Authority and succession: Peter is said to have designated his immediate successors (Linus, Cletus, Clement).
• Simon Magus narrative:
  • Portrayed as a heretical magician clashing with Peter in Rome, symbolizing struggles against early dissenters.
    • "Simon was using magical tricks and deceptions to scatter those whom Peter had gathered into Christ's faith." (Professor McKitterick, 34:03)
• Relics and archaeological tradition:
  • Bodies of Peter and Paul: Traditions about their original burial, later translation to prominent Roman sites.

Pope Sylvester I (Reign: 314–335) (41:29 – 48:57)

• Historical context:
  • Time of Constantine the Great; marks a watershed as Christianity becomes favored.
  • Previous centuries: Cycle of persecution and occasional tolerance (notably under Emperors Decius, Diocletian).
• The Baptism of Constantine:
  • Liber Pontificalis claims Sylvester baptized Constantine (though other sources debate this).
  • Legends grow about Sylvester's role due to later bishops’ need to legitimize papal authority.
• Church’s growing wealth and influence:
  • Under Sylvester, a dramatic increase in imperial gifts—land, treasures, sponsorship of great basilicas (e.g., St. John Lateran, Old St. Peter’s, San Lorenzo).
  • Synods and decrees: Sylvester is credited with increased church administration and early legislative acts.
• Transformation of Rome:
  • Construction of major churches alters the city’s landscape, integrating Christian sites with the old imperial city and laying the groundwork for the “Christian city.”
  • "From Sylvester onwards, you can see this topographical transformation." (Professor McKitterick, 52:14)

Pope Leo I (“Leo the Great,” Reign: 440–461) (52:14 – 58:00)

• Historical context:
  • Papacy amidst the split between Eastern and Western empires, invasions by Germanic peoples, and the rise of local church power.
• Role as Bishop and Statesman:
  • Leo defined key Christian doctrines (especially Christology at the Council of Chalcedon).
  • Renowned for his diplomatic authority—famously intervened with Attila the Hun to prevent the sack of Rome.
    • "He delivered the whole of Italy from the pagan rule of the enemy." (Professor McKitterick, 55:26)
• Longer and richer papal biographies:
  • As the papacy’s political and spiritual influence grows, so too does the volume of documentation and detail preserved in papal biographies.

Fact vs. Fiction: The Historian’s Dilemma (22:52 – 27:02)

• Many papal “achievements” listed—especially concerning church liturgy, decrees, or legendary events—are sometimes more symbolic or retrospective constructs than verifiable fact.
• Roman tradition of serial biography mixes factual core with embroidered stories to make compelling narratives:
  • "Historians are capable of embroidering and adding stories... to make the story much more entertaining, even if we can't be certain that that really is how things were." (Professor McKitterick, 22:52)

Visiting Early Christian Rome (58:15 – end)

• For modern visitors:
  • Traces of early popes and Christian communities endure in Rome’s ancient basilicas and catacombs, especially beneath St. Peter’s and along the Via Appia (San Sebastiano, Sant’Agnese).
    • "If anyone's going to Rome, they should go to all these very, very early basilicas and think about the context in which they were built and decorated and the catacombs beneath as well." (Professor McKitterick, 58:15)

Timeline of Major Segments

• Introduction & Purpose of the Episode: 01:20 – 04:01
• About the Liber Pontificalis: 04:05 – 13:55
• Textual Frustrations and Context: 13:55 – 20:04
• Sorting Fact from Fiction: 22:52 – 27:02
• St. Peter’s Story, Influence, and Martyrdom: 27:02 – 41:29
• Sylvester and the Christianization of Rome: 41:29 – 52:14
• Leo I and the Rise of Papal Authority: 52:14 – 58:00
• Endnotes and Visiting Rome’s Early Christian Sites: 58:15 – 59:25

Takeaways

• The story of the first popes, structured by the Liber Pontificalis, reflects both genuine institutional memory and later interpolations—requiring careful, critical reading by historians.
• Christianity in Rome grew out of a marginalized, persecuted community to become a major force reshaping the city and the late Roman Empire.
• Behind often formulaic historical notices lie stories of real conflict, adaptation, growth, and myth-making—illuminating the evolving role of the Bishop of Rome on the world stage.

Host: Tristan Hughes
Guest: Professor Rosamund McKitterick, University of Cambridge
Podcast: The Ancients, History Hit

(For further study: Visit Rome’s early basilicas and catacombs; read the Liber Pontificalis and related archaeological findings.)