A Protestant and a Pope

An Introduction to Pre-Reformation Literature Part I - Gregory the Great's Book of Pastoral Rule

A Protestant and a Pope

In a series inviting protestants to read pre-reformation literature, I’ll admit that a book written by a Pope is an odd choice to begin with, but I haven’t done so by accident. Whilst we can’t escape the fact that throughout much of church history, the church has sat under papal authority of one kind or another, we must understand that just as there are good pastors, deacons, bishops, convention leaders, and denominational leaders today, the same is true of Popes throughout history. Just as we have differences in ecclesial hierarchy / church authority amongst ourselves in the broader protestant camp, we will also disagree with certain aspects of both this book, as well as quite possibly every other book in this series when it comes to the nature of the church’s chain of command. Although we must recognise these differences, we should not be over-occupied by them, it should be noted that in the face of secondary and tertiary differences, there is more agreement than disagreement between, for instance, Presbyterians and Anglicans, or “Non-Denominational” churches and Baptists. We share a common creed, we affirm the same confessions, and preach the same word of God, and this extends also to the church in the 6th century, as as Gregory the Great.

With regards to this Pope in particular, it might surprise you to know that if he was here and you said to him, “I don’t think you should have been Pope!”… that he would likely. have agreed with you. Although it does not seem that Gregory was opposed to the papal office itself, he had no desire to adopt its authority, rather it was foisted upon him. Not only this, but—as we will come to learn in this book—his standard for what a Pastor of a church should be was incredibly high, not simply with regards to their piety, purity, or pastoral ability, but above all else, their humility.

It was this humility, and it’s place in his life, which John Calvin was struck by when he wrote:

“[Gregory the Great] assumes no more power over others than he elsewhere yields to all over himself, when he admits that he is ready to be corrected by all, to be amended by all. In another letter he actually bids the bishop of Aquileia come to Rome to plead his case in a doctrinal controversy that had arisen between himself and others”

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

This short biography encapsulates both Calvin’s view of Gregory, but also the reason which, for Calvin, Gregory stands as a pivotal player in the history of the church, and the decline which led to the necessity of the reformation. Calvin mentions Gregory, in both critique and fondness, on more occasions than any other early member of the early church, which should give us some indication not only as to his importance, but also his influence. Whether he was the last remnant of what the Papal office could have been, or simply a humble and Godly man, trying to woo the right men into the pastorate, it’s impossible to ignore how important Gregory was for the church of his time and in the centuries to follow.

When I hear the nickname, “the Great,” my mind doesn’t conjure an image of a monk turned Pope, but a conqueror, namely Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered great swathes of the known world at the time, influenced both culture and language, and now occupies the same space in our cultural consciousness as Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, and Napoleon. In stark contrast, Gregory’s greatness in the memory of the church can be summarised in the title he took upon himself, which every Pope since has inherited, but which he truly lived out. That title being, “servus servorum Dei” or servant of the servants of God.

This is, above all else, the main point I hope you will take away from this book. Whilst it is aimed at Pastors, we believe that all are called to be a part of the priesthood of all believers, and so while it is aimed at shepherds in particular, I believe this book will be as much of encouragement to sheep.

Whilst with one hand Gregory doles out encouragement, with the other he dishes out a kind of discouragement. This comes in the form of warnings. Within the space of just a couple of chapters, he warns those who have been gifted for and called to the office not abstain from that calling, because to do so would be to, “deprive themselves of the very gifts which they received not for themselves alone, but for others.” He then warns of the inverse temptation, for those who notwithstanding their lack of calling nevertheless seek to attain it. He explains that whilst Paul speaks of the priestly office as a noble calling, he does so with some caveats:

“While praising the desire, [Paul immediately] turns what he has praised to fear when at once he adds, but a bishop must be blameless (1 Tim. 3:2). And, when he subsequently enumerates the necessary virtues, he makes manifest what this blamelessness consists in. And so, with regard to their desire, he approves them, but by his precept he alarms them; as if saying plainly, I praise what ye seek; but first learn what it is ye seek; lest, while ye neglect to measure yourselves, your blamefulness appear all the fouler for its haste to be seen by all in the highest place of honour.

The Book of Pastoral Rule, Gregory the Great

Having laid out in the first part of this book in detail both the kind of man who should desire office, and be called by others into office, he then moves on to describe both the life of the pastor as well as how he should go on to teach others.

Christ Our Example

“For, since the pride of the devil was the origin of our [damnation], the humility of God has been found the means of our redemption. That is to say, our enemy, having been created among all things, desired to appear exalted above all things; but our Redeemer remaining great above all things, deigned to become little among all things.

What, then, can we bishops say for ourselves, who have received a place of honour from the humility of our Redeemer, and yet imitate the pride of the enemy himself?”

The Book of Pastoral Rule, Gregory the Great

In parts 2 & 3 Gregory speaks to the life and works of a pastor in great detail not simply from experience or personal wisdom—though these do factor in—but chiefly by expounding upon the Bible. In the example above, he explains rather poetically the major distinction between the desire of the enemy and the desire of God, and then—a somewhat sarcastic tone—challenges the readers as to which example he should take after. The answer is obvious, but it’s also characteristic of the core of Gregory’s philosophy of pastoral care.

Jesus.

While it shouldn’t surprise us, I think if we take a step back here and think about how we as Protestants view not only the modern catholic church, but also the historic catholic church, I think we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t admit that our assumption—whether right or wrong—is that their authority rests on their own shoulders, not on that of Christ. Many have described Calvin’s view of Gregory as denoting that he believed him to be the “last good pope” and while this may be correct, the popes since should not tarnish our view of Gregory and should not steal from us the opportunity of being humbled by his writings, challenged by his corrections and rebukes, and stirred up and equipped by them for good works, not because he wrote them, but because he wrote them guided by the light of the word of God.

While I don’t have time to delve into each of these points, the Book of Pastoral Rule covers:

• When to be silent and when to speak

• Speaking the same doctrine to all, but speaking to each at an individual level

• The tender balance between rebuke and loving-kindness

• What is means to be well thought of by people (1 Tim 3:7) without seeking to please them

• The art of preaching

• How to address congregations so that it might encourage, exhort, and admonish them all

• The work and the voice of preaching

If any or all of them peak your interest, this book is worth reading not once, but time and time again. In the final section, which we will only touch on briefly, Gregory then goes back to humility—you’re probably seeing a pattern emerge here—in that it’s clear that he worries that having told the pastor how to live and what to do, that by doing well in these things he will fall again into pride.

I will end this article with a Gregory’s final words, but before I do, let me offer an invitation. If having read this article you’re convinced to read this book, please don’t just plug it into a reading list. Instead, why don’t you comment below, let me know you’d like to read the book and then I will set up a group and a reading plan and we can read the book together, sharing notes and insights with one another as we do so. If that’s you, here’s that chance:

Finally, here are the final words of the book. They begin by speaking with the reader, but at some point tail off into prayer. These words are the most important in the whole book, as they show us not only that Gregory’s heart is that the church would be led and “ruled” by good Godly men, but that he himself leads those men in what it the most important step on that journey, and one which needs to be taken over and over throughout.

Repentance.

See now, good man, how, compelled by the necessity laid upon me by thy reproof, being intent on shewing what a Pastor ought to be, I have been as an ill-favoured painter pourtraying a handsome man; and how I direct others to the shore of perfection, while myself still tossed among the waves of transgressions. But in the shipwreck of this present life sustain me, I beseech thee, by the plank of thy prayer, that, since my own weight sinks me down, the hand of thy merit may raise me up.

The Book of Pastoral Rule, Gregory the Great

Grace and Peace,

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