Marsilius of Padua: The Defender of the Peace

Since we have determined from the previous discussion, by authorities of canonic scripture as much as by certain other clear quasi-political arguments, that no coercive jurisdiction over anyone in this world belongs to any bishop or priest or other cleric, we now want to make this clearer by manifest signs and testimonies. One obvious sign is that we do not read that Christ or any of his apostles ever or anywhere instituted anyone as a judge or as their vicar for the purpose of carrying out such government or judgement. But it does not seem likely that either he or his apostles could have been ignorant or neglectful of something so necessary to human life together. If they had recognised it as part of their office, and if they had wanted it to belong to their successors, the bishops or priests, they would have handed down some command or counsel concerning this matter. They did hand down the form and procedure for instituting spiritual ministers, bishops, priests and deacons, and we can know well enough that this is part of their office from the opinion of the Apostle in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and it is also apparent in many other places in Scripture.

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But Christ separated the office of priests or bishops from that of princes, even though he could himself, if he had wanted, have exercised both the status of a prince and the office of a priest, and could have ordained that the apostles should do likewise. But it was not his will to do this: on the contrary, he, who arranged all things in a way that was better simply speaking, willed that it would be more appropriate for these offices to be distinct both in their individual human subject and in their rationale. For Christ had come to teach humility and contempt of this world, as the way to meriting eternal salvation; and therefore, so that hemight teach humility and the contempt of this world or temporal things more by example than by words, he entered into this world in the utmost humility and contempt of temporal things.