WRITING AUTHORITY IN LATE MEDIEVAL ... - Cornell University

asked other Christian authorities to defend it or called for a crusade by all Christian nations—
there was no logical or legal need to create a king by mere Papal fiat.
However, if we understand the Pope’s discourse as deriving his ideas from the
metaphoric weight of scriptural representation, we can clarify the legal tradition that allows him
to create an authority of the Canariex ex nihilo for the “directio fructuosa” ‘fruitful direction’ of
the faith. This we see by analyzing how Clement’s sermon uses Augustine as a justification for
Christian expansion to make his reasoning clear:
Dico primo quod concurrit istius Ludovici ymmo imperio exercii operatio virtuosa. Beatus
Augustinus V, C. XX/IIII Dictas differencias inter bonos principes catholicos et alios, inter ceteros
dat istam quod illi dicuntur esse principes qui suam potestatem ad Dei cultum maxime dilatandum
[us?] maiestati eius famulatum faciunt. Modo iste licet in regnis Francie et Yspanie multa clareatur
gloria, multa sit fretus potentia, tamen hoc totum vult contempnere et suam potentiam Dei
familiam facere, et tot labores pro Dei honore et christianitatis cultum applicando subire.
I say first that the virtuous activity of the army fully harmonizes with the [purposes of] empire of
this Luís. Blessed Augustine in Book V Chap.-24, [among] the aforesaid differences between
good catholic princes and others, gives this one: those are said to be princes who make their power
subject to his majesty to the great dilatation and worship [cultum] of God. Even though much
glory would now be made to shine in the kingdoms of France and Spain, much power would be
supported, nevertheless he [Luís] desires to disdain all and make his power [into] service of God,
and applying everything to undergo labors for the honor of God and the worship [cultum] of
Christianity [My emphasis]. 42
In his rationale, Clement explicitly references Augustine’s De Civitate Dei, but he appropriates
its argument equivocally by using Augustine’s metaphors as literal, legal arguments as can be
seen by a brief comparison with the De Civitate which does not delineate any legal stakes to the
meaning of “cultum” ‘worship’ or to its relationship to sovereignty as an ontological state,
42 Ibid.
Neque enim nos Christianos quosdam imperatores ideo felices dicimus, quia uel diutius imperarunt uel
imperantes filios morte placida reliquerunt, uel hostes rei publicae dominaverunt uel inimicos ciues
aduersus se insurgentes et cauere et opprimere potuerunt. Haec et alia uitae huius aerumnosae uel
munera uel solacia quidam etiam cultores daemonum accipere meruerunt, qui non pertinent ad regnum
Dei, quo pertinent isti…Sed felices eos dicimus, si iuste imperant, si inter linguas sublimiter
honorantium et obsequia nimis humiliter salutantium non extolluntur, et se homines esse meminerunt;
si suam potestatem ad Dei cultum maxime dilatandum maiestati eius famulam faciunt; si Deum timent
diligunt colunt; si plus amant illud regnum, ubi non timent habere consortes; si tardius uindicant, facile
ignoscunt; si eandem uindictam pro necessitate regendae tuendaeque rei publicae, non pro saturandis
inimicitiarum odiis exerunt.
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