基督教社会政教分离的具体界限已经非常清楚，只是世俗政府一直侵蚀这条界限 （中英文版）

至此我们知道，基督教世界政治制度的二头蛇理论，他们的政教分离是在同一个信仰、同一个上帝的基础上，实行精神与物质、宗教与政治的分离，在不同的领域内分管自己的事务，并且绝对不能互相混杂，要区别对待，因为他们是不同性质的两种事物。在欧洲中世纪几百年历史上，教会与世俗政府双方纠缠、争斗不休，都想扩大自己的管辖范围，双方以圣经为依据对管辖范围据理力争、寸步不让，最后根据圣经明确了教会、教士禁止从事的一些事务，于是对它们二者的管辖范围有了较明确的划分。主要内容如下。

1.圣经中明确规定教会、教士是属灵的，专管精神领域内的事，所以不得拥有武器，不得执掌军队。于是保护教会、教士免受异教伤害是，中世纪基督教社会的世俗国王的存在意义，世俗政府的存在目的，最主要功能。

2.警察这个保护人身及财产安全的机构，由于涉及武力、暴力，教会也同样不能涉足，它同样完全归世俗国王管辖。

3.圣经中明确规定教士不得杀人，所以死刑及一些重罪必须交由世俗国王的民事法庭审理。

4.由于圣经不鼓励追求物质财富与物欲享乐，所以发展贸易，设立市镇等经济事务一般也归于世俗国王管辖，同理，一般经济案件也必须交由民事法庭审理。①

基督教会除了以上这些圣经中明确禁止的行为外，它们几乎囊括了社会其他的所有功能。包括洗礼、婚礼、忏悔、墓葬等牧灵的关怀，以及孤儿院、养老院、穷人看护所等慈善机构，教育、医院等重要部门以及一些轻罪法庭，甚至包括道路桥梁维护等，而世俗国王存在的作用就是保护教会，保护每一位基督徒的人身及财产安全，管理经济事务这几个方面，他们掌管着军队、警察、监狱、税务官员、民事法庭等。在基督教社会里，教会无论怎样与世俗政府相比都是超越的、道德的、无私的、灵魂的，社会责任由教会承担，可以得到更多的保证与更好的质量，所以除了圣经中明确规定教会不能承担的功能外，应该尽大可能地让教会承担社会责任。

从历史经验来看，教会不得拥有军队，这是底线，绝对不能触碰，由于信仰牵扯到永生、永恒的问题，任何一方都寸土不让，教会拥有军队必然带来的是杀戮与血腥，但是教会不得拥有军队的前提是，世俗国王必须保护教会不受伤害，当世俗国王无法保证这点时，基督徒只能是待宰的羔羊。亚美尼亚几百万的基督徒，由于得不到任何一个世俗国王的保护，最后如同羔羊般被异教徒屠杀，当时几百万基督徒尽然无法组织一支军队自救，因为圣经中不允许教会拥有军队，这种长留在潜意识中的理念的力量是十分强大的，人们自然而然地根据它行事，于是上帝也只能在天堂独自垂泪了。因为政教分离是基督教独有之物，非基督教世界，例如伊斯兰国家并没有政教分离的概念，他们国家就是教会，教会就是国家，很容易组建一支属于教会自己的军队。在基督教世界里，如果这个国家不是基督教占据垄断地位，得不到国家保护，基督徒只能面临被异教任意屠宰的命运，因为圣经中字字分明地写着“凯撤的归凯撤，上帝的归上帝。”教会不得拥有军队，这是圣经的明训，这就是基督徒的伟大与悲哀之处。虽然历史上曾经有过尚武的教皇，并且也曾经有过教皇国，教会拥有自己的军队，但是这些行为从未得到过尊重，被认为是严重违背圣经的教诲，严重削弱教皇的精神权威，反而造成了所有世俗国王联合起来对抗教皇，教皇拥有军队的时期也是教皇权威最弱的时期。

在中世纪的基督教社会里，由于基督教的垄断地位，教会与世俗王权之间虽然有权力划分，各执掌精神之剑与物质之剑，由于双方都认为自己的权力来自于上帝，他们在推进基督教信仰上是一致的，对信仰的强制上双方想法是相同的，对异端、异教、无神论者的镇压上也是默契的。中世纪教会有自己的教会法庭，由于教会本身没有军队、警察等执行机构，只有通过世俗国王执行教会法庭的判决，对各种违反教会法的行为，施加物质、肉体、精神上的惩罚。而世俗国王也利用教会所握的精神之剑，加强自己的权威，如，通过教皇或者主教的加冕、涂油礼等仪式加强自己的权威，对帮助教会法庭执行判决这种事自然乐此不疲，双方互相依存、互相依赖，即独立又无法分开。同时双方又互相提携、促进，当一方腐朽、堕落而有不当行为时，另一方有权指责、斧正。教会利用自己掌握精神权力对世俗王权的不当行为谴责、批评，要求他们给予改正，同样世俗国王也利用自己，掌握军队、警察、监狱等暴力机构的优势，对教会不当行为施加影响。他们对精神领域与世俗领域的管辖范围激烈争夺，都想将双方限制在最小的范围内，世俗国王绝不让教会染指军队、警察、监狱这些至关重要的暴力机构，而教会也将世俗王权限制在这几个重要却有限的范围内，自己承担大量其他的社会责任，如教育、慈善、医院等等。所以说两头蛇怪兽是非常贴切的比喻，两头蛇在互相撕咬、缠斗的同时，又因为属于同一身体，为了同一个信仰，为了同一个上帝，同一个目标——基督教社会的稳定和谐，又不得不相互提携、促进，双方互相纠缠着一路前行，但是却走得比其他任何社会都平稳、踏实。这就是基督教真正的、原初的政教分离的伟大作用，也正是这种政教分离，使基督教世界既避免了世俗政权的专制腐败，又避免了政教合一的落后愚昧，将人类的文明一步步推进向前，直至今天。

我们在上面论述过，清教徒在建造上帝山巅之城过程中的政教关系，正是继承了这种真正的、原初的政教分离关系，而且更为水乳交融、浑然一体，虽然教会与民事政府都有自己明确的管辖范围，牧师等圣职绝对不能担任民事职务，但是并不表明教会不能干涉民事事务，因为要想成为殖民地的股东、自由人，必须经教会批准，也就是成为教会成员、圣人必须经教会批准，教会控制着任何人选举民事官员，成为民事官员的资格。同时教会也为民事政府的繁荣稳定做了大量的协调润滑工作，使殖民地政府可以一次次平稳渡过地难关。我们前面章节就介绍过，在马萨诸塞殖民地参议院的否决权形成过程中，牧师们对镇代表做了大量的细致工作，使他们最终同意参议院拥有否决权。在萨德伯里镇的自治中，教会成员、牧师也对镇居民做了大量的工作，希望他们能够从维护州政府的权威，殖民地的稳定出发，尽量服从、执行州政府的税收计划，最后镇居民们也听从了他们的意见。而且在我们没有论述的许多事件中，教会同样为了殖民地的稳定发挥了重大作用，正是教会这些同心同德、齐心协力的努力，使兄弟之爱成为政坛各种势力的润滑剂，使各种势力之间能够互相妥协、退让，达成共识，最后才使山巅之城得以建造成功。而且我可以肯定地说，没有他们润滑协调也就绝对没有，后来令英国人胆战心惊的马萨诸塞，而后来的林肯也就是，由于失去了教会这种润滑协调的作用，才是南北双方的矛盾不断激化，最后只能以战争来解决争端。不只教会为殖民地的持续发展立下了汗马功劳，而且民事政府也为教会的团结稳定，起到定海神针的作用，由于公理会的特殊性，不承认任何的上级机构，如果没有民事政府在其中的统领作用，那么当真是一盘散沙、一触即溃。在哈钦森的唯信论，使是殖民地教会处于分崩离析的关键时刻，正是身为州长的温斯罗普以上帝行政长官的身份干涉教会事务，驱逐了哈钦森夫人等唯信论异端，才是殖民地教会得以继续存在。所以说在清教徒的心目中，教会与国家关系是更为水乳交融的，是不可能分出彼此的关系，而威廉姆斯反对的就是这种密切的政教关系，想将二者截然分开，这是温斯罗普“孰可忍，孰不可忍”的事。

注：①引用自《剑桥中世纪政治思想史 上》新知三联书店,伯恩斯著,程志敏译. 346页-426页，《在上帝与凯撒之间》左岸文化事业有限公司，丛日云编写193页-282页

So far, we know that the two-headed snake theory of the political system of the Christian world, their separation of politics and religion is to perform the separation of spirit and material, religion and politics based on the same belief and the same God. They take charge of their affairs in different fields and can not mix with each other. They should be treated differently because they were two things of different nature. In the hundreds of years of medieval European history, the Church and the secular government were entangled and fought endlessly, and both wanted to expand their jurisdiction. The two sides argued and did not give in about the jurisdiction based on the Bible. Finally, some affairs the Church and priests couldn’t involve were defined according to the Bible, so there was a clear division of their jurisdiction. The main contents are as follows.

1. Bible clearly stipulates that churches and priests are spiritual and specialize in matters of the spiritual field. Therefore, they shall not have weapons or be in charge of the army. Therefore, protecting churches and priests from paganism is the most important function of the secular king and the purpose of secular government in medieval Christian society.

2. The Church is also not involved in the police, an institution for protecting personal and property security because it involves force and violence. Therefore, the police are also entirely under the jurisdiction of the secular king.

3. Bible clearly stipulates that priests shall not kill, so the death penalty and some felonies must be tried by the civil court of the secular king.

4. Because the Bible does not encourage the pursuit of material wealth and material pleasure, economic affairs such as developing trade and establishing towns are generally under the jurisdiction of secular kings. Similarly, general financial cases must also be tried by civil courts. ①

Except for the above acts explicitly prohibited in the Bible, the Christian Church covered almost all other functions of society. It included pastoral care such as baptism, wedding, confession, and burial, charities such as orphanages, nursing homes, poor care centers, important departments such as education and hospitals, and some misdemeanor courts, including road and bridge maintenance. The role of secular Kings was to protect the Church, protect every Christian’s personal and property safety, and manage economic affairs. They were in charge of the army, police, prisons, tax officials, civil courts, etc. In the Christian society, no matter how compared with the secular government, the Church is transcendent, moral, selfless, and spiritual. If the Church bore the social responsibility, it would get more guarantees and better quality. Therefore, Except for the functions clearly stipulated in the Bible, the Church should assume social responsibility as much as possible.

From the historical experience, the Church must not have an army, which is the bottom line and must not be touched. Because faith involves the issue of eternal life and eternity, neither party will yield an inch. If the Church has an army, it will inevitably bring killing and blood. However, the premise is the secular king must protect the Church from harm. When the secular king cannot ensure this, Christians can only be lambs to be slaughtered. Millions of Christians in Armenia were slaughtered by pagans like a lamb because they could not get the protection of any secular king. At that time, millions of Christians could not organize an army to save themselves because the Church was not allowed to have an army in the Bible. The power of this commandment that remained in the subconscious was mighty, and people naturally acted according to it, so God could only cry alone in heaven. The separation of Church and State is unique to Christianity; the non-Christian world, such as Islamic countries, does not have the concept of separation of Church and State. Their State is the Church, and the Church is the State. It is easy to form an army belonging to the Church itself. Therefore, if Christianity does not dominate this country or the State cannot protect Christians, Christians can only face the fate of being slaughtered arbitrarily by paganism. The Bible clearly says, “Caesar’s belongs to Caesar, and God’s belongs to God.” the Church cannot have an army; it is the Bible’s instruction, which is Christians’ greatness and sadness. Although there had been martial popes in history, there had been the Papal States, and the Church had its own army, these actions have never been respected. On the contrary, they were considered to be a serious violation of the teachings of the Bible and seriously weakened the spiritual authority of the Pope. All secular kings united against the Pope. The period when the Pope had an army was also the period when the papal authority was the weakest.

In Christian society in the middle ages, due to the monopoly of Christianity, there was a division of power between the Church and the secular monarchy; they each held spiritual and material swords. Because both sides believed their power came from God, they unified to promote the Christian faith and had the same ideas on the compulsion of religion. The suppression of atheists and heresy is also tacit. The medieval Church had its own church court. Because the Church itself had no executive agencies such as the army and the police, only the secular king could execute the judgment of the church court and impose material, physical and spiritual punishment on all kinds of violations of church law. The secular king also used the spiritual sword held by the Church to strengthen his authority. For example, he reinforces his authority through the coronation and anointing ceremony of the Pope or bishop. He was naturally happy to help the church court execute the judgment. The two sides are interdependent and interdependent; they are independent and inseparable. At the same time, both sides support and promote each other. When one party decays and degenerates or commits misconduct, the other party has the right to accuse and correct. The Church used its spiritual power to condemn and criticize the improper behavior of the secular monarchy and asked them to correct it. Similarly, the secular king also used his own advantages in controlling the violent institutions such as the army, police, and prison to exert influence on the improper behavior of the Church. They competed fiercely for the jurisdiction, and both wanted to limit the other side to the minimum. The secular king would never let the Church touch the vital violent institutions such as the army, the police, and the prison, while the Church also limited the secular Kingship to those important but limited areas and assumed a large number of the rest of social responsibilities, such as education, charity Hospital, etc. Therefore, the two snakes monster was a very appropriate metaphor. While biting and fighting each other, the two snakes had to support and promote each other because they belonged to the same body, for the same faith, for the same God, and for the same goal – the stability and harmony of Christian society. The two sides entangled each other and moved forward together, but they went more smoothly and steadily than in any other society. This was the great role of Christianity’s real and original separation of politics and religion. This separation of politics and religion makes the Christian world avoid the autocratic corruption of secular regimes and the backward ignorance of the unity of politics and religion and push forward human civilization step by step until today.

As we discussed above, the Puritans inherited the genuine and original separation of Church and State in the process of building God’s city on the hill and even made them a more integral whole. Although the Church and the civil government had their own clear jurisdiction, pastors and other holy orders must not hold civil positions. However, it does not mean that the Church could not interfere in civil affairs. Because if you want to become a shareholder and free person in the colony, you must become a member of the Church and a saint by obtaining the Church’s approval. The Church controls the certification of electing civil officials and becoming civil officials. At the same time, the Church also did a lot of coordination and lubrication work for the prosperity and stability of the civil government. Therefore, the colonial government could tide over the difficulties again and again. As we mentioned in the previous chapter, during the formation of the veto power of the Massachusetts colonial Senate, the pastors did a lot of detailed work on the town representatives so that they finally agreed that the Senate had the veto power. In the autonomy of Sudbury Town, church members and pastors had also done a lot of work on the town residents, hoping that they could obey and implement the tax plan of the state government as much as possible in order to maintain the authority of the state government and the stability of the colony. Finally, the town residents listened to their opinions.

Moreover, in many events we did not discuss, the Church also played an important role in the colony’s stability. They acted concerted efforts with government, shoulder to shoulder, of one mind, which made brotherly love the lubricant for various forces in the political arena. As a result, various forces could make each other halfway and compromises, reached a consensus, and finally built the mountain city successfully. Moreover, I can definitely say that there wouldn’t be Massachusetts which could frighten the British later without their lubrication and coordination .and later Lincoln, due to the loss of the lubrication and coordination role of the Church, the contradiction between the north and the South intensified. Finally, the dispute could only be settled by war. The Church made great contributions to the sustainable development of the colony, while the civil government also played a critical role in the unity and stability of the Church. Due to the particularity of Congregationalism, the congregational Church did not recognize any superior organization. If there were no command role of the civil government, the Church would be scattered and collapse at the first encounter. At the critical moment when Hutchinson’s fideism made the colonial Church fall apart, Winthrop, as governor, intervened in church affairs as chief executive of God and expelled Mrs. Hutchinson and other fideism heresies that the colonial Church could continue to exist. Therefore, in the eyes of Puritans, the relationship between the Church and the State is in complete harmony, and it is impossible to separate the relationship. Williams opposes this close political and religious relationship and wants to separate the two completely. This is the thing Winthrop must determine, “which can be tolerated,but which can not be tolerated”.

Note: ① burns “Cambridge History of medieval political thought”, Xinzhi Sanlian bookstore, trans,Cheng Zhimin p346-426, Cong Riyun “between God and Caesar”, zuoan Culture Co., Ltd., p193-282