Chapter 8
A Dialogue, Part in, Trac 3 necessary matters, he does not always make himself available for things not necessary to salvation, without which there can be salvation, even though they try to obtain them with continual prayers.
Book 4 Chapter 8 Student Examine the second answer asserted by those holding the opinion often mentioned.'* Master That answer is based on this, that by the words "Feed my sheep" [John 21:17], the people of Israel, who were stiff-necked toward God, were especially entrusted to blessed Peter, because of his constancy. But it seems to some that this answer plainly implies the opposite of what it holds. If by the words "Feed my sheep" the care of the people of Israel was entrusted to Peter, and Christ in these words did not distinguish between some sheep and other sheep of the people of Israe] and did not except any sheep, therefore the care entrusted ta blessed Peter was of all the sheep of Israel. But the sheep of Israel inckuded especially the apostles; therefore those words entrusted to blessed Peter the care of all the apostles.
Student Perhaps the holders of this opinion would reply that although in the words "Feed my sheep" Christ did not distinguish between these sheep and those and did not then exempt some, yet elsewhere he did distinguish and did manifestly exempt some, namely the apostles. For he seems to have exempted the apostles when he sent them just as he sent Peter and gave them the same power as he gave to Peter: when he said to them all, as we read in Matthew 18{:18], "Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth," ete.; and when he said to them, as we read in John 2o[:21], "As the Father has sent me, F also send you... Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained"; and when he said to them
* See Marsilius, pp. 379-80. Marsilius is answering objections to his thesis (argued for pp. 241 ff) that Christ did not give Peter any authasity over the other apostles.
William ofOckham all in Matthew, last chapter [28:19], "Going therefore teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father," etc.; and when he said to them all, as we read in Matthew,'* last chapter, "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature; he who believes and is baptized shall be saved," erc.; in ail these Christ seems to have distinguished the apostles from the other faithful sheep and to have exempted them altogether from the power of Peter. Since those words "Feed," etc., said to Peter were general, and the special derogates from the general, Extra, De
1, it follows that from those general words said to Peter a derogation has been specially made in respect of the apostles, to whom Christ specially gave the same power as he gave to Peter - as is clear, it seems, fram the above.
Master This reply is attacked. Although Christ gave the rest of the apostles some special power, he never granted them a general power or a power equal to the power of Peter. For in appointng
Peter he used a word more general than those he used in granting the apostles power over others, namely the word "Feed," which is more general than the word "teach," or "baptize," or any other such, And therefore, although Christ sometimes distinguished between the apostles and his other sheep and in a certain respect exempted them in some way from Peter's power, yet when he said to Peter, "Feed," etc., setting him over all, he did nor distinguish between them and others. He therefore did not exempt them, and did not wish them to remain exempt or free from Peter's power, except in respect of the things he expressed in granting them a specific power; therefore they were not exempted from Peter's power except in respect of the office of preaching, baptizing, binding and loosing from sins, and anything else, if there was anything, that Christ expressed when he granted them some power. When you say, therefore, that a special command derogates from what is granted in the general, that is conceded in respect of things explicit in the special command, but not in respect of other things. The command given to the apostles concerning baptizing, preaching, teaching, loosing, and binding therefore derogated from the command given to Peter, "Feed my sheep," in respect only of those things that Christ enjoined on the apostles. (And yet not in every