Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 3 (of 3)
Georg Hegel · en
Hence the new religion separated our whole conception of the world into
two different worlds, the intellectual but not subjectively conceived
world, and the temporal world. Therefore life as a whole fell into two
parts, two kingdoms. Directly opposite the spiritual worldly kingdom
there stands the independent worldly kingdom, emperor against pope,
papacy and Church—not a state, but a worldly government; there the world
beyond, here the world beside us. Two absolutely essential principles
conflict with one another; the rude ways of the world, the ruggedness of
the individual will, beget an opposition most terrible and severe. The
culture which now begins to show itself is confronted by this incomplete
reality, as an actual world in opposition to its world of thought; and
it does not recognize the one as present in the other. It possesses two
establishments, two standards of measure and of weight, and these it does
not bring together but leaves mutually estranged.
The spiritual kingdom likewise has as Church an immediate present of
ordinary actuality, but the worldly kingdom, both as external nature and
as the real self of consciousness, has no truth or value in itself; for
truth, as lying beyond it—the measure of truth that shines in it—is given
to it from without as something inconceivable and in itself complete. The
worldly kingdom must thus be subject to the spiritual become worldly;
the emperor is hence defender and protector of the Church (_advocatus
ecclesiæ_). The worldly element, in a certain sense, takes up a position
of independence, no doubt, but it is still in unity with the other
in such a way that it recognizes the spiritual as dominant. In this
opposition a war must arise both on account of the worldly element which
is present in the Church itself, and likewise on account of the directly
worldly element of violence and of barbarism in worldly rule as it exists
_per se_. The war must at first, however, prove disastrous to the worldly
side, for just as its own position is asserted, the other is likewise
recognized by it, and it is forced humbly to submit to this last, to
the spiritual and its passions. The bravest, noblest emperors have been
excommunicated by popes, cardinals, legates, and even by archbishops and
bishops; and they could do nothing in self-defence, nor put their trust
in outward power, for it was internally broken; and thus they were ever
vanquished and finally forced to surrender.