Summa de Ecclesia

Moreover, the fifth supposition of the adversaries is that no power is ever read to have been given to Peter except together with the other apostles. That this supposition is false is shown manifestly. First, because what is written in the last chapter of John, Simon son of John, do you love me more than these, feed my sheep, in which above all, according to both the theological doctors and the canonists, the care of the whole Church and the principate is committed to Peter, was said to Peter alone, as shown above, both from the letter, when Christ says, Simon son of John, do you love me more than these, and from the testimony of blessed Chrysostom, who on John says thus: passing over the others, that is the apostles, he speaks to him of such things; for Peter was the outstanding apostle and the mouth of the disciples and the head of the college. Behold, he says passing over the others; therefore this was said to Peter alone. Likewise Gregory in the same place: the holy Church has been committed to Peter; to him especially it was said, Feed my sheep. And when it is said on the other side that there is no clearer place for the concession of the power committed to Peter in Matt. 16 than Matt. 18, where it is said to him together with the others, whatsoever you shall bind etc., we say that this seems false, because here no grant of power seems to have been made, but only a promise, as when it was said to Peter, whatsoever thou shalt bind etc. This seems to be gathered from three things. First, because if then in Matt. 18 there had been a concession of the keys of the power, and the keys had been promised in Matt. 16, when it was said to Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, assuredly the apostles would not have been indignant with one another nor have contended about the primacy below in Matt. ch. 20, since they would already have been certain of the will and disposition of Christ and of the power granted to them, and yet, with the disciples indignant against the sons of Zebedee, Christ says, You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them and they that are greater exercise power over them; it shall not be so among you, but whosoever desires to be first among you shall be your servant; therefore it does not seem that in Matt. 18 the promise of the keys made to Peter was fulfilled. Second, because in Matt. 16 both keys, of orders and of jurisdiction for the rule and protection of the Church, were promised to Peter, whence Chrysostom, as found in the Gloss, says: See how Christ raises Peter to a lofty understanding of him, for he promised to give him these things which belong to God alone, both to loose sins and to make the Church unchangeable amid so many storms of persecutions and temptations. But in Matt. 18 only the key of jurisdiction in exterior judgment is treated, as is clear from the letter, for it is said, if he will not hear the Church let him be to you as a heathen etc. There follows, whatsoever you shall bind etc., the interlinear Gloss: with the bond of anathema. Therefore the promise made to Peter was not then fulfilled. Third, because the keys of the kingdom of heaven promised to Peter are given only to priests; but the apostles were not such when it was said to them, whatsoever you shall bind etc., since they were made priests on the day of the Supper; therefore it is false that what was promised to Peter in Matt. 16 was fulfilled in Matt. 18. However much some likeness runs in the words between the words said to Peter in Matt. 16 and the words said to all the apostles in Matt. 18. And if it be said that Jerome says in the Gloss on Matt. 18 that he granted power to the apostles.

It must be said that it ought to be expounded, that is, it is designated or insinuated as to be given to the apostles and their successors — this in Peter, in whom, as Aug. says, was figured the unity of all pastors. If it be asked, however, when the power of the keys was given to Peter and the other apostles, it seems to us to be answered, saving better judgment, under the following six conclusions. The first is: that in Matt. 16, when it was said to Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom etc., power was not given to Peter, but promised. This is clear from the letter itself, for it says I will give, which is of the future tense. It is clear also from what was expressly said above by blessed Chrysostom, who says it was being promised; this is clear also from the testimony of blessed Jerome, who, on Matt., treating the aforesaid words of Christ in Matt. 16: And I say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church etc., says: Let him who seeks these things consider that to Peter that blessing, beatitude and power, and the building of the Church upon him, were promised in the future, not given in the present. The second conclusion¹ is that that promise of power made to Peter was a promise both of the power of the keys of orders and of jurisdiction. The conclusion is clear from what has been said. This conclusion seems to be that of Alexander of Hales in the third book and of Saint Thomas and Albert and Bonaventure in the fourth, since the keys in their fullness were promised to Peter. The third conclusion². The power of jurisdiction in the exterior forum designated in Matt. 18 does not seem to have been then given in act to the apostles, but well insinuated as to be given, or promised to be granted, to the apostles and their successors. The conclusion is clear from what was said above. The fourth conclusion³, that the power of the key of orders was given in act to Peter and the other apostles together when in John 20 it is said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit, and whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them. Upon which word blessed Gregory says in a homily that here the apostles obtain the principate of divine judgment, so that in the place of God they retain the sins of some and remit them to others. The fifth conclusion⁴ is that the full power of jurisdiction in both forums was given to Peter when it is said to him in the last chapter of John, Simon son of John, do you love me, feed my sheep, for to feed is properly of royal power, whence of old kings were called shepherds. To feed, as the Gloss says, is to strengthen the sheep believing in Christ, lest they fail from the faith, to provide earthly supports to subjects if necessary, to bestow examples of virtues with the word of preaching, to withstand the adversaries, to correct erring subjects. From this it is held that here, as has been said, the fullness of the power of jurisdiction was given to Peter, whence blessed Gregory says that the care of the whole Church and the principate is committed to Peter. And blessed Chrysostom on the same place says: Feed my sheep; with the denial forgiven, he committed to Peter the presidency over the brethren. The sixth conclusion⁵, that the fulfillment of the promised or insinuated power of jurisdiction to be given to the other apostles was effected by Peter through Peter, on account of preserving the unity of the Church. The conclusion is clear both from that saying of Pope Leo in ch. Ita dominus, distinct. 19, and from that of the same in the third sermon on his ordination, speaking thus: Great and wonderful is it, most beloved: to this man, namely Peter, the divine dignity has attributed a share of its power, and if it willed anything to be common to the other princes with him, it never gave, except through him, whatever it did not deny to the others. To what was therefore argued by the adversary from the aforesaid supposition, that since under the same universality it was said to Peter and to the apostles, whatsoever you shall bind etc. in Matt. 18, under which it had been said to Peter in Matt. 16, whatsoever thou shalt bind, not only is the fullness of power to be said to remain with Peter, but also with the others, it is answered in two ways. First, that it is false that under the same universality etc., since with Peter in Matt. 16 the promise was of both keys, both in the forum of conscience and in the forum of exterior judgment, and when it was said to the apostles in Matt. 18, whatsoever you shall bind etc., only the promise of jurisdiction in the forum of exterior judgment is made, it is manifest that whatsoever was said to Peter is of greater universality than whatsoever was said to the apostles. Second, it is answered that even granted that in Matt. 18 power had been given in act to the apostles, promised to Peter in Matt. 16, it would not on that account follow that it had been given to the other apostles, dispersed or gathered together, in the same universality or fullness in which to Peter. And the reason for this is taken from the sayings of Master Albert the Great and blessed Thomas.

Master Albert the Great, answering a similar argument in the fourth book, distinct. 17, says that when the Lord says to the apostles, Receive the Holy Spirit, and whose sins you shall forgive etc., he presupposes that there is an order among the disciples, since before he had set Peter, or ordained him, to be over them all: in Matt. 16, I will give you the keys, and whatsoever etc.; in Luke 22, And you, once converted, confirm your brethren. Since therefore this order of jurisdiction had before been instituted by the Lord, he presupposes it, so that according to it he conferred the execution of the office when he instituted it and said, Receive the Holy Spirit, and whose etc. Thus far Albert. Saint Thomas in the fourth book, distinct. 29, answering as it were the same argument concerning the equality of power among the apostles, says thus: that although to all the apostles there was commonly given the power of binding and loosing, yet that in this power some order be signified, it was first given to Peter alone, so that it be shown that from him this power ought to be derived to the others. From these words we manifestly gather that, granted according to the adversaries that in the word of Matt. 18 power was given to all the apostles which had been promised to Peter in Matt. 16, yet the words said to Peter in Matt. 16 — since to him as head, from whom the power was to be derived to others, they are understood as said — are of more extended universality than those said to the other apostles in Matt. 18, which must necessarily be understood as said not absolutely as to Peter, but with the order to Peter himself presupposed.