On Temporal and Spiritual Authority
- Robert Bellarmine (author)
- Stefania Tutino (editor)
The political thought of Bellarmine was at the center of post-Reformation debates on the relationship between state and church; on the nature, aim, and limits of temporal government; and on the relation between religion and natural law. He posed in a novel, controversial manner the relationship between public and private spheres, thus opening up questions central to what we consider “modernity.”
Key Quotes
Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots
People: Why do you prohibit what God commands us to do? Pope: No, I do not prohibit, but rather I command you not to do what God prohibits you to do. I am the shepherd, established by Christ who is the Lord of the flock. You people are the little sheep; your kings are the rams. And therefore, as…