41
be avoided by prohibiting oaths to laymen . At the time , this stipulation was not directed against the oath to the king . 86
Councils and reformers were not inciting rebellion or creating new rules on power . “ By me kings reign , and rulers decree what is just ; by me princes rule , and nobles govern the earth ” [ Proverbs 8:15-16 ]. Their actions were reminders of God ’ s authority and plan according to Sacred Scripture : “ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities . For there is no authority except from God , and those that exist have been instituted by God ” [ Romans 13:1 ].
Making great progress throughout Europe , aided by Henry III within the Holy Roman Empire , papal authority expanded and grew in acceptance as it brought reform and order to the Church in France , Italy , and Germany . The popes served as supreme judges on moral matters and interpreters of the will of God . Their decrees were binding on the entirety of the Church . The power of the papacy , as it became more centralized , better served reform . It was fitting and proper that the head of the Church carried out such necessary work . 87
As long as the imperial monarchy was a willing partner , progress was made . But Henry III ’ s untimely death upset the balance between sacerdotal and temporal and ushered in an era during which the papacy and the reformers had to move ahead without the partnership of a German emperor .
Henry IV
86 Schrader , 277 , 279-80 .
87 Z . N . Brooke , “ The Issue of Law : Conflict of Churches ,” in The Investiture Controversy : Issues , Ideals , and Results , ed . Karl F . Morrison ( New York : Holt , Rinehart and Winston , 1971 ), 8-9 .