Two great historians of the Church, Eusebius of Caesarea,

a bishop and historian of the Council of Nicea, and Augustine,

bishop and theologian, preserve for us the list of successors

of the bishop of Rome to their own time. They attest to the

sense and realization the Church had to the need for historic

succession to the Bishop of Rome.

"After the martyrdom of Paul and Peter, the

first man to be appointed Bishop of Rome was

Linus. ... Linus, who is mentioned in the

Second Epistle to Timothy as being with

Paul in Rome, as stated above was the first

after Peter to be appointed Bishop of Rome.

Clement again, who became the third Bishop

of Rome ... to Miltiades. "