Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

(ancient Arelate) in the south of

Roman Gaul Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacent parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century B ...

(modern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) hosted several councils or

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

s referred to as ''Concilium Arelatense'' in the history of the early Christian church.

Council of Arles in 314

The first council of Arles"Arles, Synod of" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 597. took place a year after the

Edict of Milan The Edict of Milan (; , ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. (1965). ''The Early Church''. SPCK, p. 137. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and ...

, in which Christianity became a legal religion. The council is notable also for the presence of British bishops, documenting the presence of Christianity in Roman Britain. This council was the first called by Constantine and is the forerunner of the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea ( ; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325. This ec ...

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

called it an Ecumenical Council. It had the following outcomes: * Excommunication of "those who lay down their weapons in peacetime". The relevant canon has variously been interpreted as excommunicating peacetime

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

s, supporting conscientious objectors, supporting Roman citizenship and excommunicating gladiators.Nonviolence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea, Mark Kurlanski, 2006 *

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

should be held on the same day throughout the world, rather than being set by each local church. *

Donatism Donatism was a schism from the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Carthage from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christianity, Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers and ...

was condemned as a

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

and Donatus Magnus was excommunicated. This had begun as an appeal by the Donatists to

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

against the decision of a synod in Rome in 313 at the Lateran under Pope Miltiades. The appeal had turned out unfavorably to the Donatists who afterwards became enemies of the Roman authorities. *

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

against the non-residence of clergy, * Canon against participation in races and gladiatorial fights (to be punished by excommunication), * Canon against the rebaptism of heretics, * Clergymen who could be proven to have delivered sacred books in persecution (the traditores) should be deposed, but their official acts were to be held valid. *

Ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

required the assistance of at least three bishops. * Excommunication of all actors (theatrici) and charioteers * Canons on other matters of discipline.

Council of Arles in 353

Called in support of

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

. It was attended, among others, by two

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

s, Bishop Vincentius of Capua and Bishop Marcellus of Campania. The legates were tempted into rejecting communion with Athanasius, while the synod refused to condemn

Arius Arius (; ; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaica, Cyrenaic presbyter and asceticism, ascetic. He has been regarded as the founder of Arianism, which holds that Jesus Christ was not Eternity, coeternal with God the Father, but was rather created b ...

, despite an agreement to do so entered into before the synod began, an act which filled

Pope Liberius Pope Liberius (310 – 24 September 366) was the bishop of Rome from 17 May 352 until his death on 24 September 366. According to the '' Catalogus Liberianus'', he was consecrated on 22 May as the successor to Julius I. He is not mentione ...

with grief. Their consent was ultimately forced out of them by the Emperor Constantius, an Arian himself.

Council of Arles in 435

A council was held on New Year's Day of 435, to settle the differences that had arisen between the Abbot of Lérins and the Bishop of Fréjus.

Councils of Arles in 443 and 452

In the synod of 443 (452), attended also by bishops of neighbouring provinces, fifty-six canons were formulated, mostly repetitions of earlier disciplinary decrees. Neophytes were excluded from major orders; married men aspiring to the priesthood were required to promise a life of continency, and it was forbidden to consecrate a bishop without the assistance of three other bishops and the consent of the Metropolitan.

Council of 451

A council of 451 held after the close of the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; ) 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, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 Oct ...

in that year, sent its adhesion to the "Epistola dogmatica" of

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I () ( 391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (; ), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November 461. He is the first of the three Popes listed in the ''Annuario Pontificio'' with the title "the ...

, written by Flavian of Constantinople (see

Eutyches Eutyches (; c. 375–454) or Eutyches of Constantinople

)

Council of 463

Apropos of the conflict between the archiepiscopal See of Vienne and Arles a council was held in the latter city in 463, which called forth a famous letter from St. Leo I. Bishop Leontius of Arles presided; twenty bishops attended.

Council of 475

Another council was called "about the year 475". It was attended by thirty bishops; the pre-destinationist teachings of the priest Lucidus were condemned at this council. The bishops also insisted that Lucidus condemn his own opinions, and Lucidus complied, writing a letter retracting his "errors". Charles Joseph Hefele, ''A History of the Councils of the Church: From the Original Documents,'' Volume 4 (Edinburgh: Clark, 1895)
pp. 20-24
Charles Munier, ''Concilia Galliae, A. 314 — A. 506'', , (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), pp. 159-160.

Council of Arles in 506

Exemplified the close connection between the church and the

Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

Council of Arles in 524

A regional council was held in 524, with 14 bishops and 4 presbyters present. This council was held under the presidency of St.

Caesarius of Arles Caesarius of Arles (; 468/470 27 August 542 AD), sometimes called "of Chalon" (''Cabillonensis'' or ''Cabellinensis'') from his birthplace Chalon-sur-Saône, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Christianity in Merovingian Gaul, Mer ...

; its canons deal chiefly with the conferring of orders. A number of Caesarius of Arles' works have been published in Sources Chrétiennes.

Councils of Arles in 554 and 682

Little is known of the councils of 554 and 682.

Council of Arles in 648/60

Possibly a provincial council, at which Theudorius of Arles was to be judged.

Council of 813

An important council was held in 813, at the instigation of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, for the correction of abuses and the reestablishment of ecclesiastical discipline. Its decrees insist on a sufficient ecclesiastical education of bishops and priests, on the duty of both to preach frequently to the people and to instruct them in the Catholic Faith, on the obligation of parents to instruct their children, etc.

Council of 1034

In 1034 a council was held at Arles for the re-establishment of peace, the restoration of Christian Faith, the awakening in the popular heart of a sense of divine goodness and of salutary fear by the consideration of past evils.

Council of Arles in 1234/1236

The 1234 Council opposed the Albigensian heresy. In 1236 a further council was held under the presidency of Jean Baussan, Archbishop of Arles, which issued twenty-four canons, mostly against the prevalent Albigensian heresy, and for the observance of the decrees of the Lateran Council of 1215 and that of Toulouse in 1229. Close inspection of their dioceses is urged on the bishops, as a remedy against the spread of heresy; testaments are declared invalid unless made in the presence of the parish priest. This measure, met with in other councils, was meant to prevent testamentary dispositions in favour of known heretics.

Council of 1251 (Avignon)

In 1251, Jean, Archbishop of Arles, held a council near

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

(''Concilium Insculanum''), among whose thirteen canons is one providing that the sponsor at

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

is bound to give only the white robe in which the infant is baptized.

Councils of 1260, 1263, and 1275

In 1260 a council held by Florentin, Archbishop of Arles, decreed that confirmation must be received for fasting, and that on Sundays and feast days the religious should not open their churches to the faithful, nor preach at the hour of the parish Mass. The laity should be instructed by their parish priests. The religious should also frequent the parochial service, for the sake of good example. This council also condemned the doctrines spread abroad under the name of Joachim of Fiore, a 12th-century monk and mystic. He was further condemned at a Council held in 1263. In 1275, twenty-two earlier observances were promulgated anew at a Council of Arles.

References

External links

Schaff - The Councils of Elvira, Arles, and Ancyra

Primary Documents concerning the council
(of 314) * https://www.fourthcentury.com/arles-314-canons/ (of 314) {{DEFAULTSORT:Arles 314 310s in the Roman Empire 353 4th century in Roman Gaul 350s in the Roman Empire 435 5th century in sub-Roman Gaul 430s in the Roman Empire 443 440s in the Roman Empire 451 450s in the Roman Empire 452 463 475 506 6th century in Francia 7th century in Francia 9th century in France 1030s in France 1230s in France 1250s in France 1260s in France 1270s in France 524 554 648 660 682 813 1034 in Europe 1234 in Europe 1236 in Europe 1251 in Europe 1260 in Europe 1263 in Europe 1275 in Europe 4th-century church councils 5th-century church councils 6th-century church councils 7th-century church councils 9th-century church councils 11th-century church councils 13th-century Catholic Church councils Arles Catholic Church councils held in France Arianism Catharism History of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur 13th-century Catholicism Christianity in Francia