T.J. WalsheApologeticsChapter 21

The Institution of the Church — Part I: The Kingdom of God and the Hierarchical Society

Chapter XXI.—The Institution of the Church

Has Christ instituted a living and infallible magisterium to protect and propagate His doctrine? What has He said regarding the marks of His Church? Is the testimony of Christ regarding the Church an infallible part of His doctrine? Is the Church as founded by Christ a hierarchical society?

I.—Various Opinions.

1° Rationalists and Liberal Protestants (Harnack, Höffding, A. Sabatier, Stapfer, Ménégoz, Inge, etc.) assert that Christ did not found a Church in the sense of a visible religious permanent society, because He believed in the immediacy of the Second Coming. An article on the subject of divorce written by Dean Inge to the Evening Standard (December 21st, 1922) has the following: “He (Christ) was not legislating even for the Church; there was no Church to legislate for; none of His disciples had any suspicion that ‘the Church’ was anything more than a brief stop-gap till the Messianic Kingdom of God should come.” Harnack and A. Sabatier judge that the Kingdom He founded was only internal—dispositions of penitence, faith and filial love towards God.

2° Modernists (Loisy, Tyrrell, etc.) put forward the view that the Kingdom of God preached by Christ was eschatological, i.e., to be realised after the destruction of the world (a catastrophe in His opinion to come immediately) when the Messiah will appear in the clouds of heaven. They allow that Christ formed a society whence came the Church, but deny that it is infallible (D. 2006, 2052-2056, 2091, 2103).

3° Conservative Protestants do not accept the institution of a Supreme and infallible Authority. Scripture, in their view, is the only rule of faith. Lutherans used to hold that the real Church of Christ is invisible. But after the publication of Rothe’s Anfänge der Christlichen Kirche (1837) the invisibility of the Church ceased to be maintained in Germany. Calvinists and Presbyterians are of opinion that the Church is visible, and is ruled by elders appointed by the people. Anglo-Catholics seemingly believe all Roman teaching, except the doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope. Anglo-Catholic clergy and laity are distinguished for their earnestness and zeal. May the words of Christ in their regard be realised betimes “them also I must bring, so that there may be one fold and one Shepherd.”

4° “Orthodox” Greeks recognise an infallible authority in the collective episcopate. They deny the primacy of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff to be of Divine right. They acknowledge the authority of the first seven œcumenical Councils.

5° Catholics believe in the institution of the Church—a hierarchical and monarchical society, of supreme authority, infallible in matters of faith and morals. This infallibility resides not only in the body of bishops, but in the Roman Pontiff who is vicar of Christ (D. 961, 1550, 1821, 1793).

The questions therefore to be discussed are:

(a) What was the Kingdom of God preached by Christ?

(b) Did He found a hierarchical and perpetual Church?

(d) Did He give the Church visible marks?

II.—Kingdom of God preached by Christ.

1° It is a Spiritual Kingdom.

At the time of Our Lord, the Jews, interpreting the Messianic prophecies materially, expected a temporal and national kingdom. Hence Herod feared the coming of the Messiah (Matt. ii. 3). As evidence of their nationalist proclivities the Jews, after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, wished to make Our Lord king (John vi. 15). When the Pharisees asked: When will the Kingdom of God come? Our Lord replied: “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say: behold here or behold there. For lo! the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke xvii. 20, 21). Again Christ said to Pilate: “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John xviii. 36).

For membership of this spiritual kingdom, faith is required: “The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the Gospel” (Mark i. 15).

Charity is necessary. The Commandment to love God is the greatest (Matt. xxii. 38), the love of neighbours is obligatory (Matt. xxii. 39). There is an obligation of loving even our enemies: “that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. v. 44, 45).

“Unless your justice abound more than that of Scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. v. 20).

2° The Kingdom of God is also external, visible, social.

The Kingdom of God is described as a flock: “Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a Kingdom” (Luke xii. 32). In this flock are Apostles to whom Our Lord has said: “Come after Me and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark i. 17). This society is called a Church “ἐκκλησία,” the Septuagint equivalent of the Hebrew “Qahal.” In regard to this Church, Christ said: “If he will not hear you tell the Church. And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican” (Matt. xviii. 17).

If the Church were merely internal, it would consist only of the good, whereas in it are good and bad, as the parable of the cockle shews (Matt. xiii. 36-50). The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, gathering together all kinds of fishes. When it was filled the fishermen drew it out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth (Matt. xiii. 47, 48).

3° The Kingdom of God is not merely a future or eschatological kingdom.

(a) When the Pharisees enquired when the Kingdom of God should come, Christ answered them: “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation,” whereas Christ coming in the clouds of heaven will come with observation. “The Kingdom of God is within you,” i.e., ἐντὸς ὑμῶν, in medio vestrum (Luke xvii. 20, 21).

(b) The Kingdom of God is progressive like the development of the grain of mustard seed (Matt. xiii. 32). “The Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come” (Luke xxiv. 14). “Many shall come from the East and the West” (Matt. viii. 11).

Regarding the time of “consummation”: “Of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone” (Matt. xxiv. 36).

Hence the Kingdom of Christ was already present, partly hidden in the souls of the just, partly visible in ecclesiastical society, and its consummation was announced to take place in heaven after the end of the world.

III.—Christ instituted the Church as a hierarchical and perpetual society.

A society is a collection of men, united for a specific purpose. A spiritual movement maintains itself in being, either by embodying the teaching in a book (which Christ has not done), or by founding an institution to perpetuate the teaching. The word “hierarchy,” (ἱερὰ ἀρχή) means “sacred government”—government instituted by Divine right. The Catholic Church is a society instituted by Christ, hierarchical and monarchical, governed by one head, who has supreme power.

Renan spoke of the “Divine institution of the hierarchy” as being especially stressed by St. Luke; and P. Sabatier characterised the conciliar decree in the Acts as savouring of “hierarchical pretensions” (Renan, “Les Apôtres,” p. xxxix.; P. Sabatier, La Didache, p. 155).

Conservative Protestants admit that Christ gave to Peter and the Apostles the power of teaching, ruling, and sanctifying the faithful, but deny that this power was given in perpetuity to the successors of Peter and the Apostles.

Liberal Protestants admit the perpetual hierarchy, but attribute the idea not to Christ, but to Christian teachers at the end of the First Century.

1° Christ instituted a hierarchical and monarchical society, conferring on the Apostles the triple power of teaching, ruling, and sanctifying the faithful, and conferring immediately on Peter the primacy of magisterial power, and the primacy of jurisdiction.

(A) After the death of John the Baptist, when it became clear that the Jews and their leaders would reject Our Lord, He chose twelve Apostles, and devoted Himself to their training. The twelve were the Israel that was to be—the nucleus of His Church. He sent the Apostles to preach the Kingdom of God first to the children of Israel: “Jesus sent the twelve … saying … go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; going preach saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead … cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give” (Matt. x. 5-8; Mark vi. 7-13; Luke ix. 1-6).

(B) At Cæsarea Philippi, when Peter proclaimed his belief as to the personality of Christ, Our Lord made the promise: “Thou art Peter (kepha—rock) and upon this rock (kepha) I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And to thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven” (Matt. xvi. 17-19). Thus Peter is promised primacy, not merely of honour, but of jurisdiction. Peter shall be the foundation of the Church; he shall receive keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatsoever he shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven. Hence Peter has the right of imposing various obligations in the spiritual order, i.e., he has primacy of jurisdiction.

Primacy of magisterial (teaching) power is explicitly expressed in Luke xxii. 31, 32, when Christ, before His Passion, said to Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not: and thou being once converted, confirm thy brethren.”

(C) About the middle period of His public life Christ said to the twelve: “Amen, I say to you whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven: whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven” (Matt. xviii. 18). In these words Christ promises the power of binding and loosing, i.e., of ruling the Church. It is necessary, however, to note that to Peter alone is promised the same authority as is promised to the other Apostles forming one body with him.

To the Twelve is promised also the special assistance of the Holy Ghost in preaching the Gospel: “The Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind whatsoever I shall have said to you” (John xiv. 26). “He will teach you all truth” (John xvi. 13).

(D) After His resurrection, the power which Christ had promised He gave to Peter and to the Apostles. To Apostles He gave the power of teaching, ruling, and sanctifying the faithful: “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15; Luke xxiv. 44-49). “Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you. When he had said these words He breathed on them and He said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (John xx. 21-23).

On Peter is conferred the supreme power, already promised: “Simon, Son of John, lovest thou Me more than these? … Feed my lambs… . He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me… . Feed My sheep” (John xxi. 15-17). These words were said to Peter alone and confer primacy upon him. For by the word “feed” (βόσκε, ποίμαινε) is meant, in both profane and sacred authors, power in a society. Moreover, power is given over the whole church, for the words, “lambs and sheep,” include all disciples of Christ, no matter what their dignity might be.

Hence the Church is hierarchical. On the Apostles is conferred the power of teaching, ruling and sanctifying the faithful. On Peter is conferred primacy of magisterium and of jurisdiction. After the Ascension, Peter exercised supreme authority in the Church (Cf. Acts i. 15 sq; ii. 14; iii. 6; ix. 32; x. 20; xv. 7, 12).

St. Paul writes: “After three years I went to Jerusalem to see Peter, and I tarried with him fifteen days” (Gal. i. 18). Nor does the text Gal. ii. 11 deny Peter’s authority, but St. Paul feared that St. Peter’s indulgence towards the Jews and their legal observances might turn Gentiles from acceptance of the Christian Faith. St. Paul teaches that the church is built upon the “foundation of the Apostles” (Eph. ii. 20-22), and that it is the mystical body of Christ, in which a perfect hierarchy is found (Eph. i. 22, 23; Rom. xii. 4-8).

2° Christ instituted a perpetual hierarchical society.

“I am with you all days, even to the end of the world” (Matt. xxviii. 20). “You shall be my witness … unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts i. 8). The office of teaching, ruling and sanctifying the faithful is passed on to the successors of the Apostles. St. Paul declares that such power was given to Timothy and to Titus by the imposition of hands. He writes of bishops in various churches: “The Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops to rule the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts xx. 28).

Christ wished the primacy to be perpetual: “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The Church is clearly indefectible, but it cannot persist without a foundation and supreme power. The primacy of Peter and the pre-eminence of the Roman Church was acknowledged both in theory and in practice during the first three centuries, and afterwards it was so expressly taught that doubt was not possible (Cf. De Groot, De Ecclesia, q xiv. xv).