Against Heresies: Book V

AS THE DEVIL LIED AT THE BEGINNING: he also lied at the end when he said, "All these are given to me, and I give them to whomever I will." It is not he who has appointed the kingdoms of this world, but God; for "the heart of the king is in the hand of God." The Word also says through Solomon, "By me, kings reign, and princes administer justice. By me, chiefs are raised up, and by me, kings rule the earth." Paul the apostle also speaks on this subject: "Be subject to all the higher powers; for there is no power but of God: now those which exist have been ordained by God." And again, referring to them, he says, "For he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, an avenger for wrath to the one who does evil." Now, he spoke these words not regarding angelic powers or invisible rulers—as some dare to interpret the passage—but about actual human authorities, as he clarifies when he says, "For this reason, pay taxes too, for they are God’s ministers, serving this very purpose." The Lord also confirmed this when He did not do what the devil tempted Him to do but instead directed that taxes should be paid to the tax collectors for Himself and Peter, because "they are the ministers of God, serving this very purpose."

SINCE PEOPLE: by turning away from God, became so enraged as to see their own brothers as enemies, and engaged fearlessly in all kinds of disorderly behavior, including murder and greed; God placed upon humanity the fear of man, as they did not acknowledge the fear of God. This was so that, being subject to human authority and restrained by their laws, they might attain some level of justice and practice mutual forbearance out of fear of the sword visible before them, as the apostle says: “For he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, the avenger for wrath upon those who do evil.” For this reason too, magistrates themselves, acting justly and lawfully, shall not be questioned or punished for their conduct. But whatever actions undermine justice, done unjustly, impiously, illegally, and tyrannically, in these they too shall perish; for the just judgment of God applies to all, without deficiency. Earthly authority, therefore, has been established by God for the benefit of nations, and not by the devil, who never rests, and does not desire even peaceful nations. Under human authority, people may avoid destroying each other like fishes, and through the establishment of laws, excessive wickedness among nations may be restrained. Viewed from this perspective, those who collect taxes from us are “God’s ministers, serving for this very purpose.”

Since "the powers that be are ordained of God," it's clear that the devil lied when he claimed, "These are given to me, and I give them to whoever I want." By the law of the same Being who brings people into existence, kings are appointed to govern those who are living under their rule. Some of these rulers are provided for the correction and benefit of their subjects and for maintaining justice; others are given to inspire fear, punishment, and rebuke. Others, according to what the people deserve, are for deception, disgrace, and pride, while the just judgment of God, as I mentioned before, affects everyone equally. The devil, being the fallen angel, can only do what he did at the beginning: deceive and lead humans into disobeying God's commandments, gradually darkening the hearts of those who try to serve him, leading them to forget the true God and to worship him as God.

JUST AS IF SOMEONE: being an apostate, seized another man’s territory in a hostile manner and harassed its inhabitants to claim the glory of a king among those ignorant of his apostasy and robbery; similarly, the devil, one of the angels placed over the spirit of the air, as the Apostle Paul stated in his Epistle to the Ephesians, became envious of man and turned apostate from the divine law, for envy is foreign to God. And as his apostasy was exposed by man, and man became the means of examining his intentions, he has committed himself with increasing determination against man, envying his life and wishing to involve him in his apostate power. The Word of God, the Maker of all things, conquered him through human nature, revealing him as an apostate, and has instead placed him under the power of man. For He says, “Behold, I give you the power to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,” so that, just as he gained dominion over man through apostasy, his apostasy might lose its power as man turns back to God.