Immediately after the rise of this sect, a controversy relative to the propriety of rebaptizing heretics brought the Church of Rome into collision with many Christian communities in Africa and Asia Minor.  The discussion, which did not eventuate in any fresh schism, is chiefly remarkable for the firm stand now made against the assumptions of the great Bishop of the West.  When Stephen, who was opposed to rebaptism, discovered that he could not induce the Asiatics and Africans to come over to his sentiments, he rashly tried to overbear them by declaring that he would shut them out from his communion; but his antagonists treated the threat merely as an empty display of insolence.  “What strife and contention hast thou awakened in the Churches of the whole world, O Stephen,” said one of his opponents, “and how great sin hast thou accumulated when thou didst cut thyself off from so many flocks!  Deceive not thyself, for he is truly the schismatic who has made himself an apostate from the communion of the unity of the Church.  For whilst thou thinkest that all may be excommunicated by thee, thou hast excommunicated thyself alone from all.” [357:1]

When the apostle of the circumcision said to his Master—­“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus replied—­“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”  To this emphatic acknowledgment of the faith of His disciple, our Lord added the memorable words—­“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [357:2] As the word Peter signifies a stone, [357:3] this address admits of a very obvious and satisfactory exposition.  “Thou art,” said Christ to the apostle, “a lively stone [357:4] of the spiritual structure I erect; and upon this rock on which thy faith is established, as witnessed by thy good confession, I will build my Church; and though the rains of affliction may descend, and the floods of danger may come, and the winds of temptation may blow, and beat upon this house, it shall remain immoveable, [358:1] because it rests upon an impregnable foundation.”  But a different interpretation was already gaining wide currency; for though Peter had been led to deny Christ with oaths and imprecations, the rapid growth and preponderating wealth of the Roman bishopric, of which the apostle was supposed to be the founder, had now induced many to believe that he was the Rock of Salvation, the enduring basis on which the living temple of God was to be reared!  Tertullian and Cyprian, in the third century the two most eminent fathers of the West, countenanced the exposition; [358:2] and though both these writers were lamentably deficient in critical sagacity, men of inferior standing were slow to impugn the verdict of such champions of the faith.  Thus it was that a false gloss of Scripture was already