Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Members of the Church · On the Clergy (Book I)
Chapter 4: That It Belongs Not to the People but to the Bishops to Call Ministers
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Clericis (De Membris Ecclesiae, Book I), On the Clergy (On the Members of the Church, Book I). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
There follows another proposition: “The vocation or mission of ministers pertains not to the people, but to the bishops, and chiefly to the supreme Pontiff.” Of this proposition enough has been said in the book On the Pontiff, where we demonstrated that ecclesiastical jurisdiction is not in the assembly of the faithful itself, but in the head, that is, in the supreme Pontiff, and is derived from him to the other bishops. This proposition, then, is proved, first, from the word of God; for we read that power was conferred on Peter (Matthew 16 and John 21): “To thee I will give the keys,” and, “Feed my sheep”; and again on the Apostles (John 20): “I send you,” and, “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.” But to the multitude of the faithful, Christ, the author of all ecclesiastical jurisdiction, is nowhere read to have attributed anything.
Then this same is proved from apostolic custom. For (Acts 14) Paul and Barnabas, bishops and Apostles, appointed priests throughout the cities; and to Titus 1: “For this cause,” says the Apostle, “I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest appoint priests throughout the cities, as I also appointed thee.” And the Centuriators themselves (Century 1, Book II, chapter 2) confess that the first bishops after the Apostles were appointed by the Apostles.
Finally, the same is gathered from what follows. For we are about to demonstrate a little below that the election of ministers does not belong to the people; from which it certainly follows, by a stronger reasoning, that vocation does not belong to that same people. All the objections of the adversaries will be refuted together when we dispute of election.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT IV. Non esse populi , sed Episcoporum , vocare Ministros. Sequitur altera propositio : « Vocatio seu missio Ministrorum non ad populum perti¬ net, sed ad Episcopos, et potissimum ad summum Pontificem. » De hac propositione satis multa dicta sunt in libro de Pontifice, ubi demonstravimus Ecclesiasticam juris¬ dictionem non esse in ipso coetu fidelium, sed in capite, id est, in summo Pontifice, et ab eo ad Episcopos ceeteros derivari. Proba¬ tur igitur haec propositio primum ex verbo Dei ^ legimus enim Petro collatam potesta¬ tem, Matth. XVI et Joan. XXI : Tibi dabo claves. Et : Pasce oves meas. Et rursus Apos¬ tolis Joan. XX : Ego mitto vos. Et : Quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis (i). Multi¬ tudini autem fidelium Christus, auctor om¬ nis Ecclesiasticae jurisdictionis, nihil unquam tribuisse legitur. Deinde idem hoc probatur ex Apostolica consuetudine. Nam Actor. XIV, Paulus et Barnabas, Episcopi et Apostoli constituebant per civitates Presbyteros, et ad Titum I : Hujus rei gratia , inquit Apostolus, relequi te Cretee, ut constituas per civitates Presbyteros , sicut ego constitui tibi (2). Et ipsi etiam Cen- turiatores Centuria I, lib. II, cap. 2. fatentur primos Episcopos post Apostolos ab Aposto¬ lis constitutos. Denique idem colligitur ex sequentibus. Demonstraturi enim sumus paulo infra, elec¬ tionem Ministrorum populo non convenire; ex quo certe sequitur majori ratione, voca¬ tionem eidem populo non convenire. Objec¬ tiones adversariorum omnes simul tum refel¬ lentur, cum de electione disputabitur.