Folia Theologica 18. (2007)

Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi: Peculiarities of the conception of 'sacred power' and its exercise between 1073 and 1303

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SZ. A. SZUROMI

751, implied not only rulership by the grace of God, but also the primary obligation of the ruler to the Kingdom of God. The fulfiling of this obligation cannot be aimed against those persons whose own holy mandate is the representation of this Heavenly Kingdom (e.g. ecclesiastical hierarchy), because through their mediation, the ruler's own royal mandate received its sacred character. This theory makes understandable the mentality of those contemporaneous canonical collections which quote ancient conciliar canons and papal decretals to prove, that it is not within any competent level of the secular court to accuse the bishop, who is successor of the apostles and possessor of the consecrating power within the Church.2

However, the recognition of the independence of the Church by sovereigns of each Western European country had been declining from the Carolingian Age and the monarchs did not attach any importance to the acceptance of it, but they used those "rights", which were received by the Church during the mass conversion as prerogatives.3 This point of view, together with that of the calling which was based on their position as "vicar of Christ" gave them quasi-equality with the Roman Pontiff.4 Obviously, among the royal obligations was the promotion and defense of the daily activity of the Church too. But this type of obligation just strengthened the certain impresson of the ruler, that he could expect from the Church a stronger influence in the appointing of clerics in the most important ecclesiastical officies.5

2. The primary goal of the so-called Gregorian Reform, which is linked particularly to the person of Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085),6

2 SZUROMI, Sz.A., Rules concerning bishops in the Decretales Pseudo-Isidorianae, especially the regulation on the death of bishops, in Folia Theologica 15 (2004) 145-156, especially 145-146.

3 ULLMANN, W., The Carolingian Renaissance and the Idea of Kingship, London 1969. 142.

4 BISSON, T.N., Medieval Lordship, in Speculum 70 (1995) 743-759.

5 VANDERPUTTEN, S., Faith and Politics in Early Medieval Society: Charlemagne and the frustrating failure of an ecclesiological project, in Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique 96 (2001) 31 1-332.

6 SCHMID, K. (Hrsg.), Reich und Kirche vor dem Investiturstreit, Sigmaringen 1985. DELARC, O., Saint Grégoire VII et la réforme del’Église au Xf siècle, I-III. Paris 1889-1890. FLICHE, A., La Réforme grégorienne (Spicilegium Sacrum Lovaniense 6, 9, 16), I-III. Paris 1924-1937. BLUMENTHAL, U-R.,