ABSTRACT
In the various historical cycles so far it has been the experience of the church that it constitutes a ‘model’ for political societies, though sometimes the opposite has proved the case (and today a number of people are in fact asking whether the church should not adapt itself to the democratic model). However, the most fruitful elements of this relationship have always been characterised by indirect transpositions and analogies, whether from the church to society or vice versa.
