A Study of Peter Chelčický's Life and a Translation from Czech of Part I of His Net of Faith (1947)/Part 2/Section 6

by Petr Chelčický

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CHAPTER XXVII

THE ORIGIN OF STATE SOVEREIGNTY

(: However, in restraining the evil-doers the state has to resort to the evildoers technique which is bad and un-Christian.The State Maintains Itself by an Un-Christian Ethic Those who work for the sovereignty of the state are not without sin. The Christians should have nothing in common with the pagans and the pagans nothing with the Christians except the living together. The pagans depend on outward authority, while the Christians depend on goodness and love which come from the inner life. Chelc̄icky̍ finds this authority of the 'inner man' even in the Old Testament:)

 

The Jews, having been brought into the Promised Land, lived safely under the protection of God and His laws,The Origin of State Sovereignty According to the Old Testament living in perfect freedom and having no temporal lord with authority to rule over them and no one to whom they were obliged to pay taxes. And they remained in this freedom for four hundred years, as can be found in the Scriptures. But later, through Satan's insinuations and through their own sins having rejected their Lord God and His protection – they begged Samuel for a king saying:

 

"Set up for us a king that may judge us like all the nations around us!" But the thing was evil in the eye of Samuel who spoke of these things to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel: "Listen to voice of the people according to all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you but me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done to me from the day I have brought them up from Egypt even to this day, inasmuch as they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now therefore, listen to their utterance, and give them a pagan king."¹

 

Having asked for a pagan king, they committed a great sin, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and the Jewish people said:

"We have added to all our sins the wickedness of asking for ourselves a king."²

(:In asking for a temporal ruler the Jews scorned God and His law. Just as they rejected divine order by inviting a king to rule over them, similarly also the Christians rejected God by accepting the Donation of Constantine. Before, Christ had specifically set his people apart from pagan authority, not geographically, but spiritually:) by purity and innocence, setting the Church apart as a pure bride to be betrothed to her one husband, Christ.³ They belonged no more to themselves but to him who died for them.

(:It was only in that perfect separation from the evil world of temporal affairs that it was possible for the "dwelling of God to be with men."⁴:)

What the Emperor could not accomplish by tortures he obtained by favors and gifts; he joined their faith only to drag it into the unfaith of his paganism.

(:Emperor Constantine and Pope Sylvester are accomplices in a great conspiracy against God. But this would not be so bad as the fact that they declared their transaction to be of divine sanction. The alliance of Church and state was declared to be in accordance with the true faith, and whoever now dares challenge it is condemned as a heretic.:)

 

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1 1-Sam. 8: 4–9, AT.

2 1-Sam.12:18–19, AT.

3 2-Cor.11: 2.

4 Rev. 21:3.

CHAPTER XXVIII

WYCLIF'S THREE TYPES OF GOVERNMENT

(:This chapter contains Chelc̄icky̍'s commentary on Wyclif's theory that there are three types of government, namely, divine, human, and angelic,¹ and that every Christian has an authority, not civil, but evangelical. The prophets had such authority, and such have the Christian prelates; that kings exercise temporal authority through civil laws and spiritual kings through the law of the Gospel. Commenting on this dualism, Chelc̄icky̍ says:)

Do not mix poison with honey: for the poison, even though mixed with sweets, will not turn into medicine but will always remain poison. Poison can do naught else but kill human beings.

(Therefore, do not drink Antichrist's poison offered to you by Caesar, but abide only by the apostolic honey.:) The Pope, too, has mixed poison with Christ's gospel. The foolish person, being attracted to it, cannot escape its venom; he will drink it like gospel. And now therefore, since they have mixed so much poison with the gospel, they can offer much more for drinking than they had before. Thus, under the name of Jesus, they can bring into paganism the whole world. Indeed, in his name they feed the world with poison. . .

 

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1 "Hic oportet notare distinctionem . . . quod aliud est dominium.divinum, aliud evangelicum, et aliud humanum; ipsum autem subdividetur, cum aliud civiliter coactivum, et aliud evangelice regimentum; primo modo non debet ecclesiasticus dominari, sed secundo modo debet quilibet Christianus modo suo dominari quilibet; et sic prophete erant reges eorum quibus a Deo preficiebantur, et prelati tempore legis gracie sunt reges eorum quibus spiritualiter sunt prefecti, et tanto verius quam reges seculi, quo officium regendi exercentin animam. Alii vero ad regimen corporale primo respiciunt; solo tamen quod mundani cum vulgo, solum acoeptans sibi famosius, vocant solum regem, potentem seculi communitatis, principaliter ac corporaliter humanitus regitivum. . ." Iohannis Wycliffe Tractatus De civili Dominio, I, chap.xi, (Reginald Lane Poole, ed., London, 1885).