Hobbes - Leviathan.pdf

annexed. And thus much in refutation of his first book, wherein he
would prove St. Peter to have been the monarch universal of the
Church, that is to say, of all the Christians in the world.
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* Matthew, 18. 18
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The second book hath two conclusions: one, that St. Peter was Bishop
of Rome, and there died; the other, that the Popes of Rome are his
successors; both which have been disputed by others. But supposing
them true; yet if by Bishop of Rome be understood either the monarch
of the Church, or the supreme pastor of it, not Silvester, but
Constantine (who was the first Christian emperor) was that bishop; and
as Constantine, so all other Christian emperors were of right
supreme bishops of the Roman Empire. I say, of the Roman Empire, not
of all Christendom, for other Christian sovereigns had the same
right in their several territories, as to an office essentially
adherent to their sovereignty: which shall serve for answer to his
second book.
In the third book he handleth the question whether the Pope be
Antichrist. For my part, I see no argument that proves he is so, in
that sense the Scripture useth the name: nor will I take any
argument from the quality of Antichrist to contradict the authority he
exerciseth, or hath heretofore exercised, in the dominions of any
other prince or state.
It is evident that the prophets of the Old Testament foretold, and
the Jews expected, a Messiah, that is, a Christ, that should
re-establish amongst them the kingdom of God, which had been
rejected by them in the time of Samuel when they required a king after
the manner of other nations. This expectation of theirs made them
obnoxious to the imposture of all such as had both the ambition to
attempt the attaining of the kingdom, and the art to deceive the
people by counterfeit miracles, by hypocritical life, or by orations
and doctrine plausible. Our Saviour therefore, and his Apostles,
forewarned men of false prophets and of false Christs. False Christs
are such as pretend to be the Christ, but are not, and are called
properly Antichrists, in such sense as when there happeneth a schism
in the Church by the election of two Popes, the one the one calleth
the other Antipapa, or the false Pope. And therefore Antichrist in the
proper signification hath two essential marks: one, that he denieth
Jesus to be Christ; and another that he professeth himself to be
Christ. The first mark is set down by St. John in his first Epistle,
4. 3, "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of Antichrist." The
other mark is expressed in the words of our Saviour, "Many shall
come in my name, saying, I am Christ";* and again, "If any man shall
say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, there is Christ, believe it not."
And therefore Antichrist must be a false Christ; that is, some one
of them that shall pretend themselves to be Christ. And out of these
two marks, to deny Jesus to be the Christ and to affirm himself to
be the Christ, it followeth that he must also be an adversary of Jesus
the true Christ, which is another usual signification of the word
Antichrist. But of these many Antichrists, there is one special one, o
Antichristos, the Antichrist, or Antichrist definitely, as one certain
person; not indefinitely an Antichrist. Now seeing the Pope of Rome
neither pretendeth himself, nor denieth Jesus to be the Christ, I
perceive not how he can be called Antichrist; by which word is not
meant one that falsely pretendeth to be his lieutenant, or vicar