A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

Of the COUNCIL of Laodicea.

IT has been commonly believed, That this Council was more ancient than that of Nice, but the Re∣gulations * 1.1 which are contain'd in its Canons, do sufficiently discover, that it was held at a time, wherein the Church flourished, and had been a long time delivered from the Pagan Persecutions; which shows that this Council could not have been assembled before the middle of the Fourth Cen∣tury. 'Tis very probable that it was celebrated between 360 and 370. We know nothing of its History; but we have 60 Canons of this Assembly, which regulate many considerable Points of Ec∣clesiastical Discipline, and have been received by the whole Church, and put into the Code of the Canons of the Universal Church.

The 1st. of these Canons declares, That by a kind of Condescention, the Communion ought to be given to those who are married a Second time, after they have for some time given themselves to Fasting and Prayer.

The 2d. is, That the Communion ought to be given to those Sinners who have done Penance for their Crimes.

The 3d. is, That those ought not to be promoted to a Bishoprick who were lately baptiz'd.

The 4th. That Clergy-men ought not to be Usurers.

The 5th. That Ordination should not be made in the presence of those who are in the Rank of Hearers.

The 6th. That Hereticks should not be suffered to enter into the House of the Lord.

The 7th. That in order to the receiving of Hereticks, such as the Novatians, the Photinians, the Quarto Decimani, they ought first to abjure and anathematize all Heresies, and chiefly that whereof they made Profession; and then after they are instructed in our Doctrine, they ought to be anointed with Chrism; and lastly, made partakers of the Holy Mysteries.

The 8th. That they must be wholly baptiz'd a-new who come from the Sect of the Montanist's.

The 9th. That the Faithful ought to be forbidden to go to the Coemiteries or Churches of Here∣ticks to pray there with them, and that those who do it ought to be excommunicated, and do Pe∣nance for their Fault.

The 10th. That Catholicks should not give their Daughters in marriage to Hereticks.

The 11th. That Priestesses should not be ordained in the Church.

The 12th. That the choice of Bishops should be approv'd by the Metropolitan, and by the Bishops of the Province.

The 13th. That the choice of a Bishop should not be wholly left to the People.

The 14th. That the Holy Mysteries ought not to be sent at Easter as a Benediction.

The 15th. That none but the Canon-Chanters who sit in high Chairs, and read in Books, shall sing in the Church.

The 16th. That the Gospel should be read together with the other Books of Scripture, on Saturday.

The 17th. That many Psalms should not be read together, but between every Psalm a Lesson.

The 18th. That the same Prayers should be read at Mattins as at Vespers.

The 19th. That after the Bishop's Sermon, the Prayers of the Catechumens shall be read apart by themselves, and when these are gone forth, then shall be the Prayer of the Penitents; and Lastly, after these have withdrawn having received Imposition of Hands, the Prayer of the Faithful shall be made at three times successively: That the First Prayer shall be made in silence, but the Second and Third Prayers shall be pronounced with a loud Voice, and after that the Peace shall be given; that when the Priests shall give it to the Bishop, the Laity shall give it to themselves, and afterwards the Obla∣tion shall go on till it be finished; and that none but those who are Holy shall be suffered to approach the Altar to receive the Communion.

The 20th. forbids Deacons to sit in the presence of a Priest without his leave, and it ordains like∣wise, That the other Ministers and all the inferiour Clergy shall show the same respect to Deacons.

The 21st. forbids Ministers to do the Offices of Deacons, and to touch the Holy Vessels.

The 22d. and 23d. forbids Ministers and Readers to carry the Stole.

The 24th. forbids all the Ecclesiasticks to go to a Publick House.

The 25th. declares, That Ministers must not give the Holy Bread nor bless the Cup.

The 26th. That those who were never ordained by Bishops, must not meddle with exorcising in the Church, or in Houses.

The 27th. That those Ecclesiasticks who are invited to the Love-Feasts, must not carry any Meat away with them to their own Houses.

The 28th. That these Feasts must not be made in Churches.

The 29th. That Christians must not observe the Ceremonies of the Jews, nor Feast on Saturday▪ but they must labour on this Day, and abstain from labour on Sundays.

The 30th. That an Ecclesiastick or Monk, must not wash in the Baths with Women.

The 31st. That Men ought to give their Children in marriage to Hereticks.

The 32d. That the Blessing of Hereticks ought not to be received.

The 33d. That the Faithful ought not to pray with them.

The 34th. That a Christian ought not to forsake the Martyrs of Jesus Christ to go and honour false Martyrs which have been Hereticks.

The 35th. That Christians ought not to forsake the Church to invoke Angels, and keep Meetings in private.

The 36th. That those ought to be cast out of the Church who practise Magick, Judicial Astrology, and Witchcraft, &c.

The 37th. That the Faithful ought not to celebrate the Feasts of Jews or Hereticks.

The 38th. That they ought not to use the unleavened Bread of the Jews, nor follow their Cere∣monies.

The 39th. That they ought not to celebrate the Feasts of Pagans.

The 40th. That the Eastern Bishops ought to be present at a Synod to reform others there, or to be reform'd themselves.

The 41st. and 42d. That a Clergy-man must not go out of his Diocess, without Canonical Letters, without the permission of his Bishop.

The 43d. That the Porters should not leave the Gates of the Church for a moment under pretence of praying.

The 44th. That Women ought not to come near the Altar.

The 45th. That none ought to be baptized in the Second Week of Lent.

The 46th. That he who is to be baptized, ought to be instructed in the Faith, and that he ought to give notice on Holy▪ Thursday to the Priests or the Bishop, that he will present himself to Baptism.

The 47th. That those who were baptized during their Sickness, ought to be instructed when they recover their health.

The 48th. That those who are baptized, after Baptism should be anointed with Heavenly Chrism.

The 49th. That no Offerings should be made during Lent but on Saturdays and Sundays.

The 50th. That they should not break their Fast in the last Week of Lent; but Fast throughout the whole Lent eating nothing but dry Meats.

The 51st. That the Feasts of the Martyrs ought not to be observed in Lent, but on Saturdays and Sundays.

The 52d. That Marriages should not be celebrated in Lent.

The 53d. That Christians ought not to behave themselves disorderly at Marriage-Feasts, nor Dance there, but take their Repast Modestly.

The 54th. That Clergy-men ought not to be present at the Shows or Balls, that are made during Mar∣riage-Feasts, but arise and be gone before the Mask begins.

The 55th. That neither Clergy-men nor Lay-men, ought to make Feasts at Taverns, by paying every one their Club.

The 56th. That Priests ought not to enter, nor go up into the Pulpit, before the Bishop be come into the Church, unless he be sick or absent.

The 57th. That Bishops must not be plac'd in Towns, nor Villages, but Visitors, who ought to do nothing without the Advice of the Bishop who is in the City, and that the Priests ought to observe the same thing.

The 58th. That neither Bishops nor Priests ought to make the Oblation in their own Houses.

The 59th. That private Psalms ought not to be sung in Churches, nor any Books read there which are not Canonical, but only the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament.

The 60th. and Last Canon contains an Enumeration of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament. It places in the number of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament those which the Jews acknowledged; and in this number it places Esther, Job and Ruth, but not Tobit, Judith, Eccle∣siaesticus, Wisdom, nor the Books of the Maccabees. The Canonical Books of the New Testament are the Four Gospels, the Acts, and the Seven Canonical Epistles, and the Fourteen Epistles of St. Paul; but the Revelation is not in this Catalogue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of Laodi∣cea, be∣tween 360 & 370.