Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/557



Now we shall struggle with the words of Saint Paul who says, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

The ruling princes of the Christian secular power find in these words their crowning witness, concluding that this text was given by Saint Paul to the Christians of Rome and that all princes are thereby established in their authority. And the doctors desire that this be accepted as faith by all Christians. As it was said to me by a doctor of the Prague University, namely, that I should believe it this way; that I am a heretic if I do not believe it.

Now we must be very careful to understand the words of Saint Paul, to see what he meant. He wrote to a small group of Christians in Rome, which was a pagan city ruled by pagan kings Paul makes a great distinction: he asks the Christians to be humbly subjected in all temporal matters. But it is quite another matter to ask them to elevate a ruler from Perhaps Jakoubek of Str̄i̍bro.

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