Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Unam Sanctum (1302)
Context: Pope Boniface VII gave this Bull (which is just another term for a decree) in a time when the forceful kings of England and France needed money and attained said money by taxing the clergy. In Unam Sanctum, Pope Boniface promoted the famous "Doctrine of Two Swords," a doctrine that emphasized the unity of Christianity and the supremacy of the Pope.
Author: Pope Boniface VII succeeded Pope Innocent III. He headed the church in a time where the ruling Kings began to question the supremacy of the clergy and because of this he promoted the supreme power of the Pope and for this he was eventually attacked, captured, and humiliated by agents of the French King, Philip IV, which ultimately ended the days of papal supremacy. Because this is a decree by the Pope, there should be no mistranslation or influence of another author to bias the text. Clearly, the reader must take into consideration the Pope's unwavering dedication to his position as head of the Catholic church and the power of the church at the time when reading this text.
Summary: Boniface states that there is only one holy catholic and apostolic church and outside of this church there is no salvation or remission of sins. Basically he is saying that if one does not follow the Pope, he will not be saved from his sins and go to heaven. Therefore, he explains that there is only one body of the one and only church, not two heads (the other, nonexistent head would be the Kings). He explains that spiritual authority should always be more powerful than the power of the state. The spiritual authority essentially establishes the state's power and has the ability to pass judgement on it if it is not good. The spiritual authority can judge the state authority but the spiritual authority can only be judged by its superior (i.e God). Boniface uses many Bible passages to back his statement and closes by saying that submission to the Pope is necessary for salvation. Boniface's ultimate goal is to establish the supreme Power of the church as opposed to the Kings.
Key Quote: "We therefore declare, say, and affirm that submission on the part of every man to the bishop is altogether necessary for his salvation."
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Identifying characteristics: As mentioned above, this passage can be identified by its inclusion of Biblical passages and strong language in support of the Church and God as the supreme power. From its diction, one can clearly recognize that Pope Boniface fights against the rising power of Kings in exchange for loyalty to God.
ReplyDeleteSome points to consider: You mentioned the Pope's clear position to the issue at hand, but by mentioning the diction choice it can drive home that point even further. Also, I appreciated your reminder to read this withing context, and you could have added more background but the amount you have is good as well. Finally, I liked your key quotation choice as it defined the main idea, although since the passage was so opinionated and direct there could have been similarly chosen quotes.
Very well done! This document can be characterized by its authoritative, "preachy" tone.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote to consider: "By the words of the gospel we are taught that the two swords, namely, the spiritual authority and the temporal are in the power of the church...the former is to be used by the church, the latter for the church; the one by the hand of priest, the other by the hand of kings and knights, but at the command and permission of the priest.