HC1320

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HC1320

• Luthers Theology IV

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Marsilius of Padua (1275-1342)

• Universitas civium
• Universitas fidelium
• For if a priest or bishop or some particular
  group of them, moved by ignorance or malice,
  excommunicates or lays under interdict a ruler or
  a prince, there results great scandal to the
  peace and quiet of all the faithful. The
  Defender of the Peace (1324) 2/21/9.

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Papal Position
God

• God

Pope
king
People
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To the Pope is said in the person of the
prophet I have set you over the nations and
over kingdoms to root up and to pull down and to
waste and to destroy and to build and to plant.
Jer. 1.10 To me also is said in the person of
the Apostle I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. . . Thus, others were called
to a part of the care, but Peter alone assumed
the plenitude of power. You see then who is this
servant set over the household, truly the vicar
of Jesus Christ, successor of Peter, anointed of
the Lord, a God of Pharaoh, set between God and
man, lower than God but higher than man, who
judges and is judged by no one. Innocent III
(1198-1216)
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Marsilius of PaduaDefender of the Peace (1324)

• God
• People
• Citizenry Body of the Faithful
• King Pope

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Temporal Authority To What Extent Should It Be
Obeyed (1522)

• Extent of temporal authority
• Limits of temporal authority
• Christian mission of the magistrate

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The church cannot coerce

• Among Christians there shall and can be no
  authority rather all are alike subject to one
  another, as Paul says in Romans 12 Each shall
  consider the other his superior 12.10 And
  Peter says in I Peter 5, All of you be
  subject to one another.
• LW 45, 117

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The state cannot exercise spiritual authority
over souls

• If anyone attempted to rule the world by the
  gospel and to abolish all temporal law and sword
  on the plea that all are baptized and Christian,
  and that, according to the gospel, there shall be
  among them no law or swordor need for
  eitherpray tell me, friend, what would he be
  doing? He would be loosing the ropes and chains
  of the savage wild beasts and letting them bite
  and mangle everyone, meanwhile insisting that
  they were harmless, tame, and gentle creatures
  but I would have the proof in my wounds.
• LW, 45, 91

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The burden of two kingdoms in each individual life

• From all this we gain the true meaning of
  Christs words in Matthew 5 39, Do not resist
  evil, etc. It is this A Christian should be so
  disposed that he will suffer every evil and
  injustice without avenging himself neither will
  he seek legal redress in the courts but have
  utterly no need of temporal authority and law for
  his own sake. On behalf of others, however, he
  may and should seek vengeance, justice,
  protection, and help, and do as much as he can to
  achieve it. Likewise, the governing authority
  should, on its own initiative or through the
  instigation of others, help and protect him too,
  without any complaint, application, instigation
  on his own part. If it fails to do this, he
  should permit himself to be despoiled and
  slandered he should not resist evil, as Christs
  words say. LW, 45, 101

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The Christian position implied two classes of
duties, spiritual and secular, which might on
occasion come into apparent opposition but which
could not be ultimately reconcilable, and
similarly it implied two institutional
organizations which remained distinct, though
each needed, and in all normal cases received,
the support and aid of the other. George
Sabine, A History of Political Philosophy (3rd
ed.), p. 186
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Regnum mundi/Regnum Christi

• Self-glory
• Lust for domination
• Loving ones own strength
• Pride
• Worldly wisdom
• Cain (the oldergood assumes evil)

• Glory of God
• Serving in love
• God is ones strength
• Humility
• Divine foolishness
• Abel

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Reason and Natural Law

• A good and just decision must not and cannot be
  pronounced out of books, but must come from a
  free mind, as though there were no books. Such a
  free decision is given, however, by love and by
  natural law, with which all reason is filled. . .
• LW, 45, 128

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Story of Duke Charles of Burgundy

• Observe No pope, no jurist, no lawbook could
  have given him such a decision. It sprang from
  untrammeled reason, above the law in all the
  books, and is so excellent that everyone must
  approve of it and find the justice of it written
  in his own heart. . .Therefore, we should keep
  written laws subject to reason, from which they
  originally welled forth as from the spring of
  justice.
• LW, 45, 129

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Unity of God
Natural law
Christs preaching
believers
Non-believers
The Secular World (Regnum mundi)
The secular political realm (regnum mundi)
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Heinrich Bornkamm, Luthers Doctrine of the Two
Kingdoms, Facet Books (Fortress, 1966), 35

• The emphasis place by so many Luther
  interpreters upon the point that the Christian as
  Christian is drawn out of the secular kingdom,
  and that his actions are grounded by a completely
  different law, does provide a needed reminder of
  Luthers radical understanding of the Sermon on
  the Mount and a safeguard against assimilating
  the Christian into citizenship in the world.

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On behalf of others, however, he may and should
seek vengeance, justice, protection, and help,
and do as much as he can to achieve it. LW
45, 101
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Whether Soldiers Too Can Be Saved (1527)

• . . .many soldiers are offended by the occupation
  itself. Others have so completely given
  themselves up for lost that they no longer even
  ask questions about God and throw both their
  souls and consciences to the winds.
• LW, 46, 93

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For whoever fights with a good and
well-instructed conscience fills a mans heart
with courage and boldness. And if the heart is
bold and courageous, the fist is more powerful, a
man and even his horse are more energetic. . .
. 93
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The married estate is also precious and godly,
but there are many rascals and scoundrels in it.
In the same way with the profession or work of
the soldier in itself it is right and godly, but
we must see to it that the persons who are in
this profession and who do the work are the right
kind of persons. . . 94
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What men write about war, saying it is a great
plague, is all true. But they should also
consider how great the plague is that war
prevents. . .the small lack of peace called war
or the sword must set a limit to this universal,
worldwide lack of peace which would destroy
everyone. 96
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Romans 131-4 NRS Romans 131 Let every person
be subject to the governing authorities for
there is no authority except from God, and those
authorities that exist have been instituted by
God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority
resists what God has appointed, and those who
resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not
a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish
to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is
good, and you will receive its approval 4 for
it is God's servant for your good. But if you do
what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the
authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is
the servant of God to execute wrath on the
wrongdoer.
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Larvae Dei
This is why God honors the sword so highly that
he says that he himself instituted it Rom. 131
and does not want men to say or think that they
have invented it or instituted it. For the hand
that wields this sword and kills with it is not
mans hand, but Gods and it is not man, but
God, who hangs, tortures, behead, kills, and
fights. 96
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God could easily give you grain and fruit without
your plowing and planting. But He does not want
to do so. Neither does he want your plowing and
planting alone to give you grain and fruit but
you are to plow and plant and then ask his
blessing and pray Now let God take over now
grant grain and fruit dear Lord! Our plowing and
planting will not do it. It is thy gift. this is
what we do when we teach children to fast and
pray and hang up their stockings that the Christ
Child or St. Nicholas may bring them presents.
But if they do not pray, they will get nothing or
only a switch and horse apples. What else is all
our work to Godwhether in the fields, in the
garden, in the city, in the house, in war, or in
governmentbut just such a childs performance,
by which He wants to give His gifts in the
fields, at home, and everywhere else? These are
the masks of God, behind which he wants to remain
concealed and do all things. LW, 14, 114
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Luke 314 4 Soldiers also asked him, "And we,
what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or false
accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."