Synod of Ancyra
Encyclopedia
The Synod of Ancyra was an ecclesiastical council, or synod
, convened in Ancyra (modern day Ankara
, the capital of Turkey
), the seat of the Roman administration for the province of Galatia
, in 314
. The season was soon after Easter
; the year may be safely deduced from the fact that the first nine canons are intended to repair havoc wreaked in the church by persecution, which ceased after the overthrow of Maximinus
in 313
.
The tenth canon tolerates the marriages of deacons who previous to ordination had reserved the right to take a wife.
The thirteenth forbids chorepiscopi to ordain presbyters or deacons.
The sixteenth canon brackets the Christians who have committed bestiality, or may still have been doing so, into several different groups based on the offender's age, and assigns different penances to each group; married men over 20 were sanctioned more harshly than unmarried youths, and married men over 50 received the harshest sanctions. The penance
for unmarried men over 20 is not mentioned.
The seventeenth canon condemns the Christians who have either committed bestiality or had sexual intercourse
with a leprous woman, while themselves being leprous, to having to pray with the wintering people
- i.e. outside church buildings. The equation of leprous women with beasts is generally considered difficult to interpret.
The eighteenth safeguards the right of the people in objecting to the appointment of a bishop whom they do not wish.
Canon XXII: Concerning wilful murderers let them remain prostrators; but at the end of life let them be indulged with full communion.
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, convened in Ancyra (modern day Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, the capital of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), the seat of the Roman administration for the province of Galatia
Galatia
Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
, in 314
314
Year 314 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Annianus...
. The season was soon after Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
; the year may be safely deduced from the fact that the first nine canons are intended to repair havoc wreaked in the church by persecution, which ceased after the overthrow of Maximinus
Maximinus
Maximinus II , also known as Maximinus Daia or Maximinus Daza, was Roman Emperor from 308 to 313. He was born of Dacian peasant stock to the half sister of the emperor Galerius near their family lands around Felix Romuliana; a rural area then in the Danubian region of Moesia, now Eastern Serbia.He...
in 313
313
Year 313 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus...
.
The tenth canon tolerates the marriages of deacons who previous to ordination had reserved the right to take a wife.
The thirteenth forbids chorepiscopi to ordain presbyters or deacons.
The sixteenth canon brackets the Christians who have committed bestiality, or may still have been doing so, into several different groups based on the offender's age, and assigns different penances to each group; married men over 20 were sanctioned more harshly than unmarried youths, and married men over 50 received the harshest sanctions. The penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
for unmarried men over 20 is not mentioned.
The seventeenth canon condemns the Christians who have either committed bestiality or had sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with a leprous woman, while themselves being leprous, to having to pray with the wintering people
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
- i.e. outside church buildings. The equation of leprous women with beasts is generally considered difficult to interpret.
The eighteenth safeguards the right of the people in objecting to the appointment of a bishop whom they do not wish.
Canon XXII: Concerning wilful murderers let them remain prostrators; but at the end of life let them be indulged with full communion.