nts, Petri's was certainly less consistent than
that of his opponent. Galle declared explicitly: "Not everything done
by the Apostles or their successors is written in the Scriptures;"[140]
and on matters concerning which the Bible does not speak we must obey
the practices handed down by the Apostles through the Church. Petri,
while granting that many Fathers were inspired, declared we must not
follow their instructions, "lest we be led away by the devil;"[141] and
yet the Bible, compiled from various sources by the Fathers, he held
should be implicitly obeyed. In the light of recent scholarship, both
combatants were wrong. The Bible is no more intelligible without a
knowledge of its history than is the teaching of the Fathers without a
knowledge of the Bible.[142]

The contest has its chief value in the opportunity that it gives us to
study the methods of the king. From first to last it was a blow at
popery and the temporal supremacy of Rome. Each question was worded with
the very purpose of offering insult to the Church. Take for example the
second question: whether the dominion of the pope and his satellites is
for or against Christ. The monarch could not have thrown the question
into a more irritating form. Certainly Galle showed forbearance in
arguing the point at all. His answer was an appeal to history. From the
days of Gregory popes had enjoyed vast riches along with temporal power;
this showed that they were justified in possessing wealth.[143] Galle's
logic on the subject is not altogether clear. Petri's was somewhat
better. Christ had distinctly told the Apostles that his kingdom was not
of this world,[144] and Paul had declared that the Apostles were not to
be masters but servants.[145] Petri then broke out into a tirade against
his opponent's view. What right, he asked, had Galle to set up Gregory
against Christ and Paul? "What authority has he to expound the Word of
God according to the deeds of petty men? Rather, I conceive, are the
deeds of men to be judged according to the Word of God."[146] To an
assertion by Galle that the Church had held temporal power for the last
twelve centuries, Petri answered: "For that matter, the Word of God has
lasted still longer than twelve centuries.... However, the question is
not how old the thing is, but how right it is. The devil is old, and
none the better for it. That bishops are temporal lords is contrary to
the Word of God; and the longer they have been so, the wors