Andreas of Caesarea : By "every human authority" Peter means those which have been ordained by rulers. We are called to submit to them for the Lord's sake, because he himself said: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," but if they command something which is not God's will we must not obey them. — CATENA Apostolic Constitutions : Be subject to all royal power and dominion in things which are pleasing to God, as to the ministers of God, and the punishers of the ungodly. Render all the fear that is due to them, all offerings, all customs, all honour, gifts, and taxes. For this is God's command, that you owe nothing to any one but the pledge of love, which God has commanded by Christ. — Apostolic Constitutions (Book IV), Section 2, XIII Bede : Be subject therefore to every human creature for God's sake. He says, to every human creature, to all human dignity, to every person, to every authority, to which divine disposition wished us to be subjected. For this is what he says: For God's sake, because there is no power but from God. And he who resists authority, resists the ordinance of God (Rom. XIII). Which creature he subsequently explains, adding: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles Bede : Whether to the king as excelling, etc. Therefore, he speaks only of the king and leaders, but not of masters, because in this place he particularly instructs, as we have said before, those who are masters of slaves. Subsequently, he also admonishes servants how they should serve their masters. He thus teaches the faithful servants of the eternal King also to be subjected to worldly powers, lest even in this the faith and religion of Christ be disparaged, that through it the rights of the human condition should be disturbed. For it can also rightly be understood what is said, to every human creature, to signify both faithful and unbelieving masters of things. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles Didymus the Blind : The proclaimers of the truth take all opportunity for wrongdoing away from us by describing how we should behave toward those who are in power in such a way that the gospel and its teaching will not be hindered by us through our unwillingness to do what they require of us and by telling us to be subject to them when it is clear that they are doing something in accordance with just laws. Nor should we be worried if they do not act in the way appointed by God, because he is in charge of them and will judge them accordingly. — COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER Oecumenius : Therefore, be subject to every human creature for the Lord's sake: whether to the king as the supreme authority, or to governors as those sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do well. For it is the will of God that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. The human creature is said to be the leaders who have been appointed by kings, or even the kings themselves, because they too have been established and placed by men. For Scripture knows how to call creation a constitution, as when it says: "That he might create two in himself into one new man," (Eph. 2:15) that is, to place or establish. Therefore, it says: "Be subject to human authorities; be subject for the Lord's sake." For the Lord's sake, that is, as the Lord has commanded. But what has the Lord commanded? "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matt. 22:21) Therefore, in what they command outside of God, that is, what is contrary to or beyond God's constitution, they must not be obeyed. This the Lord and his disciple absolutely command, so that the Greeks might not be able to say that Christianity brings about the subversion of life and politics, and is the cause of disorder and confusion. Moreover, for the Lord, also on account of the faithful. For it was likely that some of them would say: Since we are deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven, add great dignity to us from it, why then do you again cast us down, subjecting us to worldly princes? If anyone should say this, let him know, he says, that this kind of command is not mine, but the Lord's. However, Peter also shows to whom and to what kind of princes it is necessary to be subject, namely to those who uphold what is just. He also adds the reason, because both the will of God and the example of our righteousness is in submission to princes, and what is more, it brings shame upon the unbelievers. For when they speak ill of us as being arrogant and stubborn and disobedient, seeing us humble and obedient in what is necessary, their mouths are more shut and they are put to shame. — Commentary on 1 Peter Tertullian : Pray for kings, because when the kingdom is shaken, all its other members are shaken with it, and even if we stay aloof from tumults we shall have some part in the resulting misfortune. — APOLOGY 1.31 Tertullian : Therefore, as to what relates to the honours due to kings or emperors, we have a prescript sufficient, that it behoves us to be in all obedience, according to the apostle's precept, "subject to magistrates, and princes, and powers; " but within the limits of discipline, so long as we keep ourselves separate from idolatry. — On Idolatry Tertullian : Then he goes on also to show how he wishes you to be subject to the powers, bidding you pay "tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom," that is, the things which are Caesar's to Caesar, and the things which are God's to God; but man is the property of God alone. Peter, no doubt, had likewise said that the king indeed must be honoured, yet so that the king be honoured only when he keeps to his own sphere, when he is far from assuming divine honours; because both father and mother will be loved along with God, not put on an equality with Him. — Scorpiace