The Sixth

Council of Toledo From the 5th century to the 7th century AD, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo (''Concilia toletana'') in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "thi ...

was the second council convoked by King

Chintila Chintila (Latin: ''Chintila, Chintilla, Cintila''; c. 606 – 20 December 639) was a Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia from 636. He succeeded Sisenand and reigned until he died of natural causes, ruling over the fifth and sixth p ...

and opened on 9 January 638 in the church of St. Leocadia in Toledo. It was attended by fifty three bishops, including those from

Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...

who had not participated in the prior council for political reasons. The council was thus a reunion of the whole church of Spain (of both

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

and

Gallia Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during Rep ...

). Its primary purpose was to reaffirm the decrees of the Fifth Council of 636 and to restore internal peace. Four of the nineteen canons of the council were specifically political, the rest covered

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s, penitents,

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

, holy orders,

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s, and ecclesiastical property. The council affirmed the Fifth Council's decrees about the security of the king and his family. It also excommunicated those who fled overseas and there plotted against the king or otherwise endangered him.

Anathema Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...

was pronounced on all who attacked the king or conspired to overthrow him and usurp his throne. A successor to an assassinated king was dishonoured if he did not punish the regicides. The council confirmed the permanent possession of property given to the church by anyone and laid down punishments for

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

. Finally, certain measures were first taken against the Jews, it seems to please the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, who had demanded them in a letter.

Sources

*Thompson, E. A. (1969) ''The Goths in Spain''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Concilium Toletanum sextum
minutes from the ''Collectio Hispana Gallica Augustodunensis'' ( Vat. lat. 1341) {{DEFAULTSORT:Toledo 6 Sixth 638 7th century in the Visigothic Kingdom 7th-century church councils Christianity and Judaism