The Eighth
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 ...
commenced on 16 December 653 in the church of the
Holy Apostles
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minis ...
in
Toledo in Spain. It was attended by fifty two bishops in person, including the aged
Gavinio of
Calahorra
Calahorra [] ( an, Calagorra, la, Calagurris) is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During Ancient Rome, Ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as ''Calagurris ...
, who had assisted at the
Fourth Council, and another ten by delegation, ten
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
s, and the archpriest and ''primicerius'' of the cathedral. Also, for the first time, secular officials, sixteen
counts palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
, participated in the discussion, voting, and affirmation of the council's acts.
This was the second of
King Chindasuinth's two councils, held under the names of both he and his co-reigning son,
Reccesuinth
Recceswinth (died 1 September 672) was the Visigothic King of Hispania, and Septimania in 649–672. He ruled jointly with his father Chindaswinth until his father's death in 653.
Name
His Gothic name is believed to have been *𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌺 ...
. The eighth council was unique in its convocation in that Chindasuinth had written a ''tomus'' to the bishops describing the issues he wished them to address.
Eighth
653
7th century in the Visigothic Kingdom
7th-century church councils
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