# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1916_S19
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1916. 19

exists, and that at the same time a twofold plenary authority is to be distinguished on earth: the one, which is natural, which provides for the peace of human society and for worldly affairs; the other, whose origin is supernatural, which presides over the state of God, namely the Church of Christ, which power has been established by God for the peace and the eternal salvation of souls. But these duties of the twofold power are most wisely so ordered that they are to give to God what is God's, and for God's sake to Caesar what is Caesar's." But if one wanted to conclude from such and similar utterances, of which there is no lack in the bulls and encyclicals of the Popes, that the Roman Church at least in this respect teaches according to God's Word, one will soon see oneself deceived. Who decides the question which things belong to the secular and which to the spiritual domain and realm? Can the Roman Christian decide the matter himself, according to God's Word and his conscience? Certainly not. The question which things are to be given to Caesar, and indeed for God's sake and for conscience' sake, belongs without doubt to the domain of morals, to the domain of Christian life, hence to the spiritual domain. In this domain, however, the Pope is the infallible teacher, the supreme judge, against whose decision there is no appeal in heaven or on earth. From the Pope the Christian, according to Roman doctrine, must be told which things he is to and may give to Caesar, his secular government. It is for the Pope to decide whether the secular power remains within its limits, and when it oversteps them. And the Popes have by no means been very reticent in applying this alleged prerogative toward the secular government. They have repeatedly presumed to intervene even in the secular legislation of the states and to declare laws of the states invalid. And the Popes, especially the Popes of recent times, have repeatedly stated how they think about the relation of the Church to the state, how they regard this relation, what they think of freedom of religion and of conscience. Thus, for example, Pope Alexander VIII in his encyclical "Inter multiplices" of 4 August 1690 condemned this proposition: "That to blessed Peter and his successors, the vicars of Christ, and to the Church herself, power over spiritual things, which pertain to eternal salvation, has been given by God, but not over civil and temporal things, according to the word of the Lord: 'My kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36); and again: 'Render therefore to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's'; and that therefore the apostolic word stands firm: 'Let every soul be subject to the governing authority. For there is no authority except from God; and where there is authority, it is ordained of God. Whoever therefore resists the authority, resists God's ordinance' (Rom. 13:1, 2); that therefore kings and princes in worldly matters are subject to no ecclesiastical