ut is only
the bishop and pastor of the Church at Rome, and of those who
voluntarily or through a human creature (that is, a political
magistrate) have attached themselves to him, to be Christians,
not under him as a lord, but with him as brethren [colleagues]
and comrades, as the ancient councils and the age of St.
Cyprian show.

But to-day none of the bishops dare to address the Pope as
brother as was done at that time [in the age of Cyprian]; but
they must call him most gracious lord, even though they be
kings or emperors. This [Such arrogance] we will not, cannot,
must not take upon our conscience [with a good conscience
approve]. Let him, however, who will do it, do so without us
[at his own risk].

Hence it follows that all things which the Pope, from a power
so false, mischievous, blasphemous, and arrogant, has done and
undertaken, have been and still are purely diabolical affairs
and transactions (with the exception of such things as pertain
to the secular government, where God often permits much good
to be effected for a people, even through a tyrant and
[faithless] scoundrel) for the ruin of the entire holy
[catholic or] Christian Church (so far as it is in his power)
and for the destruction of the first and chief article
concerning the redemption made through Jesus Christ.

For all his bulls and books are extant, in which he roars like
a lion (as the angel in Rev. 12 depicts him), [crying out] that
no Christian can be saved unless he obeys him and is subject
to him in all things that he wishes, that he says, and that he
does. All of which amounts to nothing less than saying:
Although you believe in Christ, and have in Him [alone]
everything that is necessary to salvation, yet it is nothing
and all in vain unless you regard [have and worship] me as
your god, and be subject and obedient to me. And yet it is
manifest that the holy Church has been without the Pope for at
least more than five hundred years, and that even to the
present day the churches of the Greeks and of many other
languages neither have been nor are yet under the Pope.
Besides, as often remarked, it is a human figment which is not
commanded, and is unnecessary and useless; for the holy
Christian [or catholic] Church can exist very well without
such a head, and it would certainly have remained better
[purer, and its career would have been more prosperous] if
such a head had not been raised up by the devil. And the
Papacy is also of no u