The Synod of Gangra was held in 340, at Gangra (in modern Turkey). The synod condemned

Manichaeans Manichaeism (; in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani (AD ...

, and their practices. The concluding

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

s of the synod condemned the Manichaeans for their actions, and declared many of their practices

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 ...

tised. The canons of the synod condemned and anathematised the practices of: * the condemnation of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

* forbidding the eating of most forms of meat * urging slaves to flee their mastersCanon 3. If any one shall teach a slave, under pretext of piety, to despise his master and to run away from his service, and not to serve his own master with good-will and all honour, let him be anathema. * arguing that married priests could not perform valid sacraments * condemning normal church services and holding their own * distributing church revenues without the consent of the bishop * remaining celibate for reasons other than

holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

* reviling married persons and the celebration of Christian love-feasts * wearing certain types of ascetic clothing "as if this gave him righteousness" and condemning others * women wearing men's clothing under the pretense of asceticism * women leaving their husbands * parents abandoning their children * children leaving their parents * women cutting off their hair "from pretended asceticism" *

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

on a Sunday under the pretense of asceticism * refusing to honour

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at t ...

s Although merely a local synod, its decisions were later ratified by the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...

, which is of immense importance in the early

history of Christianity The history of Christianity concerns the Christianity, Christian religion, Christendom, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various Christian denomination, denominations, from the Christianity in the 1st century, 1st century ...

(see also First seven Ecumenical Councils). Most modern Christian groups, whether

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, or

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

, accept the Council of Chalcedon's decisions, but some Eastern Christians, including the Oriental Orthodox and the Assyrians, reject it.

References

External links

The Synodal Letter, Canons and Epilogue of the Council of Gangra.
The Greek and Latin texts (with dictionary lookup links) at www.earlychurchtexts.com.

An English translation at www.earlychurchtexts.com.

Gangra 340 340s in the Roman Empire Manichaeism {{Manichaeism-stub