Part III, Chapter XLI, 2

So far, then, Christ has done or taught nothing that tends to diminish the civil right of the Jews or of Caesar. As for the Common-wealth then existing among the Jews, both rulers and ruled expected the Messiah and the Kingdom of God; they could not have expected him if their laws had forbidden him, upon his arrival, to reveal and declare himself. Since he did nothing but seek to prove by preaching and miracles that he was that Messiah, he did nothing contrary to their laws. The Kingdom he claimed belonged to another world. Meanwhile, he taught everyone to obey those who sat in Moses' seat, permitted payment of Caesar's tribute, and refused to take on the office of judge. How, then, could his words or deeds be seditious, or tend to overthrow their existing civil government? But God, having ordained his sacrifice to restore his elect to the obedience they had covenanted, used their malice and ingratitude as the means of accomplishing it. Nor was he acting against Caesar's laws. Though Pilate himself delivered him to be crucified to gratify the Jews, before doing so he declared publicly that he found no fault in him. And as the title of his condemnation Pilate wrote not, as the Jews demanded, “that he claimed to be King,” but simply, “that he was King of the Jews”; and despite their clamor he refused to change it, saying, “What I have written, I have written.”

As for the third part of his office, that of King, I have already shown that his Kingdom was not to begin before the Resurrection. But then he will be King not only as God—in which sense he is already, and always will be, King of all the earth by virtue of his omnipotence—but especially of his own elect, by virtue of the covenant they make with him in baptism. Thus our Savior says (Mat. 19.28.) that his Apostles shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel “when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory,” signifying that he will then reign in his human nature; and (Mat. 16.27.), “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” We read the same in Mark 13.26. and 14.26., and an even more explicit statement of the time in Luke 22.29, 30.: “I appoint to you a Kingdom, as my Father has appointed to me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Clearly, then, the Kingdom appointed to Christ by his Father will not begin before the Son of Man comes in glory and makes his Apostles judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. But someone may ask whether people will then eat and drink, since there is no marriage in the Kingdom of Heaven; what eating is meant here? Our Savior explains this (John 6.27.) when he says, “Labor not for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you.” To eat at Christ's table, then, means to eat of the Tree of Life: to enjoy immortality in the Kingdom of the Son of Man. From these and many other passages it is evident that our Savior will exercise his Kingdom in his human nature.

Moreover, he will then be King only as subordinate to God the Father, or his viceroy, as Moses was in the wilderness, as the High Priests were before Saul's reign, and as the Kings were afterward. For one prophecy concerning Christ says he will resemble Moses in office: “I will raise them up a Prophet (says the Lord, Deut. 18.18.) from among their brothers, like you, and will put my words into his mouth.” This likeness to Moses also appears in our Savior's own actions during his life on earth. As Moses chose twelve princes of the tribes to govern under him, our Savior chose twelve Apostles who will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And as Moses authorized Seventy Elders to receive the Spirit of God and prophesy to the people—that is, as I have said, to speak to them in God's name—our Savior likewise appointed seventy Disciples to preach his Kingdom and salvation to all nations. When Moses received a complaint against those among the Seventy who prophesied in the camp of Israel, he vindicated them because their actions served his government. Likewise, when St. John complained to our Savior about a man casting out devils in his name, our Savior vindicated him, saying (Luke 9.50.), “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

Our Savior also resembled Moses in instituting sacraments both for admission into the Kingdom of God and for commemoration of his deliverance of his elect from their wretched condition. Before Moses' time, the children of Israel had circumcision as the sacrament of their reception into the Kingdom of God. This rite was omitted in the wilderness but restored as soon as they entered the promised land. Similarly, before our Savior's coming, the Jews had a rite of baptism—that is, washing with water—for Gentiles who embraced the God of Israel. St. John the Baptist used this rite in receiving all who enlisted themselves with the Christ whom he preached as already come into the world; our Savior instituted it as a sacrament for all who believed in him. Scripture does not formally state where baptism's rite first arose, but it may plausibly be thought an imitation of the law of Moses concerning leprosy. Under that law a leprous man was ordered to remain outside the camp of Israel for a certain time; afterward, once the Priest judged him clean, he was admitted into the camp following a solemn washing. This may accordingly be a model of the washing of baptism, through which people cleansed by faith of the leprosy of sin are received into the Church with a solemn baptism. Another conjecture comes from a Gentile ceremony practiced in a rare circumstance: if a man thought dead happened to recover, other people hesitated to associate with him, just as they would hesitate to associate with a ghost, unless washing restored him to the company of human beings, as newborn children were washed clean of the uncleanness of birth. This was a kind of new birth. That Greek ceremony might plausibly have entered the religion of the Jews when Judea was under the dominion of Alexander and his Greek successors. But since our Savior would be unlikely to endorse a heathen rite, baptism most likely originated in the lawful ceremony of washing after leprosy. As for the other sacrament, the eating of the Passover lamb is plainly imitated in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. There the breaking of bread and pouring of wine commemorate our deliverance from the misery of sin by Christ's Passion, as eating the Passover lamb commemorated the deliverance of the Jews from bondage in Egypt. Since Moses' authority was subordinate, and he was no more than God's lieutenant, Christ's authority as man, being like Moses', was likewise subordinate to his Father's authority. This is signified still more expressly by his teaching us to pray, “Our Father, let your Kingdom come” and “For yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory”; by the statement that “He shall come in the glory of his Father”; and by St. Paul's words (1 Cor. 15.24.), “Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father”; and by many other entirely explicit passages.

Our Savior, therefore, both in teaching and reigning, represents the Person of God, as Moses did. God is called the Father from that time onward, but not before; and though he remains one and the same substance, he is one Person as represented by Moses and another Person as represented by his Son, the Christ. For since Person is a term relative to a representative, a plurality of representatives entails a plurality of Persons, though the substance remains one and the same.

CHAPTER XLII. OF ECCLESIASTICAL POWER

So far, nothing Christ did or taught reduced the civil rights of the Jews or of Caesar. Both rulers and subjects in the Jewish commonwealth of that time expected the Messiah and the Kingdome of God. They could not have expected him if their laws had forbidden him, when he came, to identify and announce himself. Christ merely tried through preaching and miracles to show that he was the Messiah, and broke none of their laws in doing so. The kingdom he claimed belonged to another world. Meanwhile he taught everyone to obey those who sat in Moses' seat. He approved paying Caesar his tax and refused to act as a judge. How could his words or actions be seditious or threaten their civil government? But God had decided to make Christ a sacrifice to bring his chosen people back to the obedience they had promised in their Covenant. To do this, God used their malice and ingratitude. Christ also broke none of Caesar's laws. Pilate did hand him over for crucifixion to please the Jews. But first Pilate publicly said he found no fault in him. As the inscription explaining his sentence, Pilate did not write what the Jews requested, “He claimed to be king.” He simply wrote, “He was king of the Jews.” Despite their protests, he refused to change it, saying, “What I have written, I have written.”

As to the third part of his office, being king, I have already shown that his kingdom will not begin until the resurrection. Then he will be king not only as God, a role in which his unlimited power makes him already and forever king of all the earth. He will also be king specifically of his chosen people through the agreement they make with him in baptism. That is why our Savior says (Mat. 19.28.) that his apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel “when the Son of man sits on his glorious throne.” He means that he will then reign as a human being. And he says (Mat. 16.27.), “The Son of man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to their works.” We read the same in Mark 13.26. and 14.26., and the time is stated still more clearly in Luke 22.29, 30.: “I grant you a kingdom, as my Father granted one to me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Clearly the kingdom his Father granted Christ will not begin before the Son of man comes in glory and appoints his apostles judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. But someone may ask: if there is no marriage in the kingdom of heaven, will people eat and drink there? What does eating mean here? Our Savior explains (John 6.27.): “Work not for food that perishes, but for the food that lasts to eternal life, which the Son of man will give you.” Thus to eat at Christ's table means to eat from the Tree of Life. It means enjoying immortality in the kingdom of the Son of man. These and many other passages show that our Savior will exercise his kingship in his human nature.

When he is king, moreover, he will serve under God the Father as God's deputy. Moses did so in the wilderness, the high priests before Saul's reign, and the kings after it. One prophecy about Christ says he will have an office like Moses': “I will raise up for them a prophet (says the Lord, Deut. 18.18.) from among their brothers like you, and I will put my words in his mouth.” Christ's actions on earth also show this likeness. Moses chose twelve tribal leaders to govern under him; our Savior chose twelve apostles to sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses authorized Seventy elders to receive God's Spirit and prophesy to the people, that is, as I have already said, to speak to them in God's name. Our Savior likewise appointed seventy disciples to preach his kingdom and salvation to every nation. When someone complained to Moses that some of the Seventy were prophesying in Israel's camp, Moses defended them because they were serving his government. Similarly, when St. John complained to our Savior about a man casting out devils in his name, he defended the man, saying (Luke 9.50.), “Do not forbid him, for whoever is not against us is on our side.”

Our Savior resembled Moses also in establishing sacraments for entering the Kingdome of God and remembering how he rescued his chosen people from their miserable state. Before Moses' time, circumcision was the rite by which the children of Israel entered God's kingdom. They neglected the rite in the wilderness but restored it as soon as they entered the promised land. Before our Savior came, the Jews similarly had a rite of baptism: washing with water Gentiles who accepted the God of Israel. St. John the Baptist used that rite to receive all those who declared their allegiance to the Christ whom he preached as already present in the world. Our Savior made the same rite a sacrament for everyone who believed in him. Scripture does not explicitly say how baptism began. It may well have been modeled on the Mosaic law concerning leprosy. A person with leprosy had to remain outside Israel's camp for a time. If the priest later judged the person clean, they could enter the camp after a formal washing. This may have foreshadowed baptism: people cleansed of the leprosy of sin through faith are received into the church by its formal washing. Another possible source was an unusual Greek custom. If a person thought to be dead recovered, others were reluctant to associate with that person, as they would be with a ghost, until washing restored the person to human society. This was like washing newborn children to remove the uncleanness of birth, and was a kind of new birth. During the time when Judea was ruled by Alexander and his Greek successors, this Greek ceremony may have entered Jewish religion. But our Savior was unlikely to endorse a pagan rite. So baptism most likely developed from the lawful washing after leprosy. As for the other sacrament, eating the Passover lamb is clearly imitated in the Lord's Supper. Breaking the bread and pouring the wine commemorate our rescue from the misery of sin through Christ's suffering, just as eating the Passover lamb commemorated the Jews' rescue from slavery in Egypt. Moses' authority was subordinate: he was God's deputy. Christ's authority as a man was to be like Moses' and thus subordinate to his Father's. This is even clearer in the prayer he taught us: “Our Father, let your kingdom come,” and “Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” He is said to “come in the glory of his Father.” And St. Paul says (1 Cor. 15.24.), “Then comes the end, when he has delivered the kingdom to God, the Father.” Many other passages say this just as clearly.

Therefore, in both teaching and reigning, our Savior represents God as Moses did. From that time on, though not before, God is called the Father. God remains one and the same substance, but is one Person when represented by Moses and another Person when represented by his Son Christ. Since a Person is defined in relation to a representative, several representatives mean several Persons, even though the substance remains one and the same.

Chapter XLII. On Ecclesiastical Power