Re: The Early Christians: In Their Own Words

And yet these same Christians subordinated the emperor only to God. After 
God, he is the first in this world. Precisely because he remains in their 
demonic ranks, he stands above all pagan gods. The Christians saw the 
imperial government, even the existing order of humankind, merely as a 
passing historical phenomenon, and the creator’s moral order as valid even

in the midst of Satan’s demonic rule. Therefore even the existing 
government (representing that rule) is instituted by God. For Christians, 
it is a matter of conscience to honor and respect the moral task of the 
State and its ruler, for they are ordained by God to be a bulwark against 
the most serious excesses of sin and evil in these times.