Comparison Between Pope Boniface VIII And King Phillip The Fair Of France

1. What is the intended primary audience at that time?
The primary intended audience at the time was all Christians under papal authority. It was widely read across Europe by intellectuals who could read Latin and those of the French court.
2. The context surrounding this? (What has been happening during this time frame?)
There were issues between church and secular kings power. It is based on actual events/conditions of medieval Europe. A time when the Universal Church and its divine position was drawing to a close. A quarrel between Pope Boniface VIII and King Phillip the Fair of France was happening. One of secular and the other of spiritual and sacred power. Secular power, by the 14th century, had regrouped and posed a threat to the “medieval dream” of a unified or Universal Church.
3. The overall significance at that time? (usually connected with the context and purpose)
The purpose of this doctrine of papal primacy was the beginning of the division between church and state in Europe, and how the Pope asserted his rights about the necessity of belonging to this church for attaining of eternal salvation, for his position as head of the Church.
Thus, the importance of submission to him, to belong to the Church and attain salvation. It constitutes a historical event in and of itself. It is a statement made from a powerful leader asserting his rights against the Fair of France. As according to the Medieval Sourcebook, the Bull lays down dogmatic propositions on the unity of the Church, the necessity of belonging to it for the attainment of eternal salvation, the position of the Pope as supreme head of the Church, and the duty thence arising of submission to the Pope in order to belong to the Church and thus attain salvation. Historians consider it one of the most extreme statements of Papal spiritual supremacy ever
made.
4. The primary purpose at that time?
The primary purpose of this doctrine, again, was for one man (Pope Boniface VIII) to assert his subjections against King Phillip. It states the necessity of submission to the Pope for salvation. As it says in paragraph 1, “Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, Catholic and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins…” (Medieval Sourcebook). Trying to declare this in a time that was becoming more aware that this unity of Church and Boniface’s religion and beliefs were coming to an end. But furthermore, he declared and proclaimed, “we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff” (Medieval Sourcebook).
5. The credibility? (reliable or not reliable or is it more accurately reliable but bias/agenda…and difficult to not have a bias of some sort).
Well, this version written at the Catholic University of America in 1927 is not the original version, but it is translated from the original by Pope Boniface VIII. He is a credible author and this is a reliable but can be bias to some people that are not the intended audience. Obviously, it is bias, because it is on the agenda of this man and his beliefs and faith toward another man that doesn’t necessarily feel the same way he does. But, this is an accurately reliable source because again “many historians believe this it to be one of the most extreme statements of Papal spiritual supremacy ever made”. Boniface VIII also uses credible sources, like the Bible, in his doctrine.