Council of Laodicea
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The Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor, that assembled about 363-364 A.D. in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana.
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[edit] Historical context
The council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last descendant of Constantine, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination of Christians. After his death in battle on June 26, 363, officers of the army elected the Christian Jovian as his successor, who in his precarious position far from supplies ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. He was soon succeeded by Valentinian I, who named his brother Valens Emperor of the East.
[edit] Major concerns
The major concerns of the Council involved constricting the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the sixty canons decreed, several aimed at:
- Maintaining order among bishops, clerics and laypeople (canons 3-5, 11-13, 21-27, 40-44, 56-57)
- Enforcing modest behaviour of clerics and laypeople (4, 27, 30, 36, 53-55)
- Regulating approach to heretics (canons 6-10, 31-34, 37), Jews (canons 16, 37-38) and pagans (canon 39)
- Outlawing the keeping of the Saturday sabbath and solemnifying Sunday as the Christian sabbath (canon 29)
- Outlining liturgical practices (canons 14-20, 21-23, 25, 28, 58-59)
- Restrictions during Lent (canons 45, 49-52)
- Admission and instruction of catechumens and neophytes (canons 45-48)
- Specifying the Biblical canon (canons 59-60)
[edit] Biblical Canon
The 59th canon restricted the readings in church to only the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. The 60th canon listed these books, with the New Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book of Revelation, and the Old Testament including the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy.
The 60th canon is missing from some manuscripts containing decrees of the council. Some have concluded from this omission that the canon was added later to specify the extent of the preceding 59th canon. Cyril of Jerusalem circa 350 produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea.[1]
[edit] External links
- Canons of the Council of Laodicea with annotations
- Philip Schaff (ed.), The Seven Ecumenical Councils (A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, vol. XIV), "The Canons of the Councils of Ancyra, Gangra, Neocæsarea, Antioch and Laodicea, which Canons were Accepted and Received by the Ecumenical Synods". Synod of Laodicea.
