Lelio Giordano's Florilegium of Medieval Authors on Immediate and Mediate Jurisdiction

 Lelio Giordano is not a very well-known figure from the Counter-Reformation. Despite his relative obscurity, his work on the powers of the Pope entitled A Treatise on the Greater and Capital Causes of Bishops to be Referred to the Pope, and on the Origin and Authority of the Roman See presents a flurry of arguments in favor of the authority of Rome. Among other arguments is Giordano's supposition that the Medievals teach that jurisdiction cannot be had except by the Pope. He says: "the external streams of this jurisdiction [over the Church] flow forth from the fountain of the Supreme Pontiff, and, as is said, immediately." Thus, Giordano argues that the Supreme Pontiff's role in the Church can never pass away, seeing as it alone has immediate jurisdiction in the Church. The bishops, having jurisdiction only according to what the Supreme Pontiff affords them, are reliant upon the Pope for any jurisdiction whatsoever. But the bishops must have jurisdiction in the Church, ergo etc.

In defense of his thesis, Giordano gives a number of authors. I will present them below:

"Superior and inferior powers can be related such that both arise from one supreme power that places one beneath the other as it wills. And in this case, one is only superior to the other in those matters in which one is put under the other by the supreme power. This is the way in which the powers of both the bishop and the archbishop come down from the power of the Pope. (Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Sentences, Book II, Distinction 44)

"No person has a right in ecclesiastical goods except through the jurisdiction of the Lord Pope." (Albert the Great, Commentary on the Sentences, Book IV, Distinction 25, Art. 4)

"Yet they were to be under Peter: for Peter himself immediately received from Christ the whole fullness of jurisdiction. And thus all his successors, that is, the Pope, have the fullness of power from Christ. But other bishops receive it in part, and everything they receive is from the Pope." (Antoninus of Florence, Summa Theologica, Book III, Title 22, Chapter 4)

"Peter was supreme among the apostles, for although all received the power of the keys immediately from Christ, nevertheless they received the power of jurisdiction through Peter, as is evident from what was said above. For jurisdiction provides the subject matter, which is the one subject to the jurisdiction of another, and this is required in order that the power of the keys go forth into act. Therefore, the right of that power they all received immediately from Christ; but in regard to jurisdiction, they depended on Peter. And thus I say concerning the power of bishops in relation to the pope." (Richard of Middleton, Commentary on the Sentences, Book IV, Distinction 24, Art. 5)

"The power of jurisdiction, which is for governing the people, was given wholly and in its source to Peter alone and his successors, when the care of the Church was entrusted to him, the Lord saying in John 21: 'Feed my sheep.' For this was said to none of the other apostles, neither then, nor before, nor afterwards. Therefore such a full and perfect power is possessed by the successor of Peter alone, who on this account is called “Pope,” as being the father of fathers. In others, however, it exists only as derived and limited, according as it pleases the Pope." (Durandus of Saint-Pourçain, Commentary on the Sentences, Book IV, Distinction 24, Q. 5)

This jurisdictional power over the whole universal Church resides in its fullness in the Supreme Pontiff, which belongs to him alone in a most strict and proper sense, and plainly in the ecclesiastical hierarchy,  to whom alone it is said by Christ: “Feed my sheep.” Where Christ does not delineate among these [particular sheep], but generally entrusted the care of all to him. From him, therefore, all ecclesiastical jurisdiction descends, mediately or immediately, upon lower rulers, whom he calls to share in his care in part, since he himself is called to the fullness of power." (Gabriel Biel, Exposition of the Sacred Canon of the Mass, Lecture 3)

"It is by the authority of the Pope that the election of prelates and their confirmation occurs... Therefore such power resides immediately only in the Pope. But the power of bishops and prelates in jurisdiction, both temporal and spiritual, is derived and not immediate. For it is derived in them from Christ through the mediation of the Pope... Therefore the power of jurisdiction over spiritual and temporal matters is immediately in the Pope alone; but it is derived in all bishops and prelates." (Augustinus Triumphus, Summa de Potestate Ecclesiastica, Book I, Question 1, Art. 1)