Summa de Ecclesia

But it is not difficult to answer these things for those who well ponder the sayings of the holy fathers, not at the bark of the letter but unto sound understanding. It must therefore be said to the things brought forward to the contrary.

¹

²

But to the first authority, which is taken in "In novo," dist. 21, answer is given through the Gloss on the same chapter, which runs thus. Hence it seems therefore that through these words, "Thou art Peter," the pontificate was given to Peter, and thus before the Passion, since it was said to him before — to which seems to contradict the chapter "Considerandum," dist. 1, and ch. "Fidelior." For there it is said that after the Passion, since before that no pastor had been given to the Church — this is the Gloss. It must therefore be said, according to blessed Ambrose, whose those chapters are, that after the Passion of Christ the pontificate was given by Christ to Peter, and not when it was said to him, "Thou art Peter," etc., above all since, when he was then not yet a priest, he could not be a bishop. What therefore is said in the authority of Anacletus, that it was given, must be expounded, that is, promised. For Christ then promised him the supreme pontificate, which promise He fulfilled after the resurrection. That also which is said, "the Lord saying," seems to be expounded, that is, "the Lord promising." In the manner of Sacred Scripture it put the future as though past, and the thing to be done as though done, on account of the certainty of Him who promises, who truly fulfills what He promises, as the Psalm says: "The Lord is faithful in all His words."

³

⁴

To the second authority, which is of Chrysostom, the answer is the same, that what is said, that the keys were entrusted to Peter, be understood of the promise, not of the actual donation.

⁵

⁶

To the third authority, of the same Chrysostom, the answer is similar, that what is said, that He made him pastor, be expounded, that is, He disposed to make him pastor, which He afterwards fulfilled when He said to him: "Feed My sheep," in the last chapter of John.

⁷

⁸

To the fourth authority, which is of Rabanus, the answer is the same, that what is said, that Peter spiritually received the keys of the kingdom of heaven and the principate of judicial power, be understood in promise or in hope, but not in actual possession.

⁹

¹⁰

To the fifth, when argument is made concerning Aaron, answer is given by denying the consequence, since there is no likeness between the one and the other, as Master Peter de Palude says, for the people of Israel was already gathered together, over whom Aaron was to be set. Hence Aaron had to be made bishop, lest the sheep stray in the desert without a pastor; but before the Passion of Christ the sheep were not yet redeemed. Hence a pastor would not fittingly have been given to sheep not yet redeemed, and thus the reasoning does not proceed.

¹¹

¹²

To the sixth answer is given concerning Judas by denying the antecedent, and to the proof answer is given that by "bishopric" is understood his apostolate, as Nicholas of Lyra expounds, both on Ps. 108 and on Acts 1.

¹³

¹⁴

To the seventh answer is given according to Master Peter de Palude, that all the sacraments were instituted before the Passion of Christ, but not all were then executed. For example, the sacrament of penance was instituted by Christ when He said: "Do penance, the kingdom of heaven shall draw nigh," Matt. 4, just as the sacrament of baptism when He said: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost," etc., John 3. Hence just as John, by baptizing, preached baptism, so it must be said: the "Do penance" of Matt. 3 preached the penance of the New Testament — or when Christ said to the lepers: "Show yourselves to the priests," Luke 17, or to the disciples: "Loose him," John 11 — then He instituted the sacrament of confession and absolution, yet it was not executed before the Passion, since neither were ministers yet instituted nor the keys of the kingdom of heaven yet given, which also ought not to have been given before the kingdom of heaven was opened, except implicitly from the natural concomitance with the priesthood as the Passion drew near, since what is but little lacking seems as though nothing were lacking. Hence, in instituting the priesthood, Christ instituted the episcopal order, but yet He did not then give it, since it was not fitting.

¹⁵

¹⁶

To the eighth, according to the same Master Peter de Palude, it must be said concerning the institution of the sacrament that the works of God are perfect, yet according to the congruity and fittingness of the work wrought and of the manner of working. But it was not then fitting to make bishops as it was fitting to make priests, since from the time a sacrament began to be in use, from then it had always to be in the Church, either formally or in virtue — and above all the sacrament of which it is spiritually said: "Behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world." Being therefore about to withdraw His palpable and visible presence, He promised us His invisible and perpetual sacramental presence. Hence from then the Eucharist had to be in the Church formally or in virtue; but formally nothing of the Eucharist was then reserved, just as nothing of the paschal lamb, on account of the prohibition of the law, Exod. 12. Therefore priests had to be made, in whose virtue the Eucharist to be consecrated would remain. But the sacrament of orders, as to its indelible effect, remained in the apostles; hence there was no necessity of instituting its minister, namely the bishop — especially since Christ was still to be with them in bodily presence incapable of suffering, and thus a bishop was not yet necessary.

¹⁷

¹⁸

To the ninth answer is given by denying what is assumed, for we say that through those words neither Peter nor the other apostles were made bishops. And to the saying of Gregory answer is given that it does not prove what is proposed, since through that which is common to simple priests — of which sort is to loose the sins of some and to retain those of others — the apostles cannot be said to have been made bishops, as is of itself clear. Or it is solved thus: "whose sins you shall forgive" refers to the time when they were to be constituted priests.