Monarchia (III, xv, 1-10)

(1) Item, illud quod est contra naturam alicuius non est de numero suarum virtutum, cum virtutes uniuscuiusque rei consequantur naturam eius propter finis adeptionem; sed virtus auctorizandi regnum nostre mortalitatis est contra naturam Ecclesie: ergo non est de numero virtutum suarum. (1) Equally, whatever is in conflict with the nature of a thing is not to be numbered among its powers, since the powers of each thing come from its nature and serve to achieve its purpose; but the power to confer authority on the realm of our mortality is in conflict with the nature of the church; therefore it is not to be numbered among its powers.
(2) Ad evidentiam autem minoris sciendum quod natura Ecclesie forma est Ecclesie: nam, quamvis natura dicatur de materia et forma, per prius tamen dicitur de forma, ut ostensum est in Naturali auditu. (2) To clarify the minor premiss it must be borne in mind that the churchs nature is the form of the church; for although "nature" is used with reference to matter and to form, nonetheless it refers first and foremost to form, as is shown in the Physics.
(3) Forma autem Ecclesie nichil aliud est quam vita Cristi, tam in dictis quam in factis comprehensa: vita enim ipsius ydea fuit et exemplar militantis Ecclesie, presertim pastorum, maxime summi, cuius est pascere agnos et oves. (3) Now the "form" of the church is simply the life of Christ, including both his words and his deeds; for his life was the model and exemplar for the church militant, especially for the pastors, and above all for the supreme pastor, whose task is to feed the lambs and the sheep.
(4) Unde ipse in Iohanne formam sue vite relinquens «Exemplum» inquit «dedi vobis, ut quemadmodum ego feci vobis, ita et vos faciatis»; et spetialiter ad Petrum, postquam pastoris offitium sibi commisit, ut in eodem habemus, «Petre», inquit «sequere me». (4) Hence he himself says, in John, leaving the "form" of his life: "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you"; and he said to Peter in particular, after bestowing on him the office of pastor, as we read in the same Gospel: "Peter, follow me".
(5) Sed Cristus huiusmodi regimen coram Pilato abnegavit: «Regnum» inquit «meum non est de hoc mundo; si ex hoc mundo esset regnum meum, ministri mei utique decertarent ut non traderer Iudeis; nunc autem regnum meum non est hinc». (5) But Christ renounced this kind of kingdom in the presence of Pilate, saying: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence".
(6) Quod non sic intelligendum est ac si Cristus, qui Deus est, non sit dominus regni huius; cum Psalmista dicat «quoniam ipsius est mare, et ipse fecit illud, et aridam fundaverunt manus eius»; sed quia, ut exemplar Ecclesie, regni huius curam non habebat. (6) Which is not to be understood to mean that Christ, who is God, is not Lord of this kingdom, for the Psalmist says "The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land"; but that, as the model for the church, he had no concern for this kingdom.
(7) Velut si aureum sigillum loqueretur de se dicens 'non sum mensura in aliquo genere'; quod quidem dictum non habet locum in quantum est aurum, cum sit metrum in genere metallorum, sed in quantum est quoddam signum receptibile per impressionem. (7) Just as if a gold seal were to say, speaking of itself: "I am not the measure for any class of things"; the statement would not refer to the fact of its being gold, for gold is the measure for the class of metals, but would rather refer to the fact that it is a particular image which can be reproduced by exerting pressure.
(8) Formale igitur est Ecclesie illud idem dicere, illud idem sentire: oppositum autem dicere vel sentire, contrarium forme, ut patet, sive nature, quod idem est. (8) Thus the "form" of the church requires that it should speak in this same way and feel in this same way; for it to say or to feel the opposite would be in conflict with its form, as is apparent, that is to say with its nature, which is the same thing.
(9) Ex quo colligitur quod virtus auctorizandi regnum hoc sit contra naturam Ecclesie: contrarietas enim in oppinione vel dicto sequitur ex contrarietate que est in re dicta vel oppinata, sicut verum et falsum ab esse rei vel non esse in oratione causatur, ut doctrina Predicamentorum nos docet. (9) From this we deduce that the power to confer authority on this earthly kingdom is in conflict with the nature of the church; for conflict which emerges in a thought or in a statement derives from a conflict which exists in the thing which is thought about or spoken of, just as the truth or falsehood of a statement derives from the fact that the thing referred to is or is not the case, as we are taught in the Categories.
(10) Sufficienter igitur per argumenta superiora ducendo 'ad inconveniens' probatum est auctoritatem Imperii ab Ecclesia minime dependere. (10) Thus we have sufficiently proved with the above arguments, by a reduction to the absurd, that the authority of the empire in no way derives from the church.