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 Arles.

THE Bishops of Majorinus's Party having lost their Cause in the Council of Rome, address'd * 1.1 themselves to the Emperour, and complain'd of the Judgment which was given at Rome, alledging that their Judges did not hear all that they had to say. The Emperour desiring they might be solemnly Judg'd, that so they should have nothing to reply, call'd a 1.2 a Council in the Year 314 in the City of Arles. This Council was composed of 33 Western Bishops b 1.3, with some Priests and some Deacons. Marinus Bishop of Arles presided there; the Legates of Pope Sylvester were present c 1.4, but that the Emperour was not there d 1.5. The Council heard the Accusations which were form'd against Caecilian; but when his Accusers could not prove him guilty of the Crimes whereof they ac∣cused him, they were rejected or condemned by the Council. After this cause was judged, the Bi∣shops thought it their Duty, since they were assembled, to make some Rules concerning the Discipline of the Church; and they made 22 Canons.

In the 1st. they ordain, That the Feast of Easter should be celebrated on the same Sunday in all the Churches of the World, and that the Bishop of Rome should give Notice of the Day to the Churches according to Custom.

In the 2d. they enjoyn Ministers to continue in the Churches where they were ordain'd.

In the 3d. they excommunicate those who make use of Arms in a time of Peace.

In the 4th. they Ordain, That those who run Races in the Cirque, shall be separated from the Communion while they follow that employment.

In the 5th. they make the same Regulation for those who act upon the Theatre.

In the 6th. they ordain, That Imposition of Hands shall be given to those who having fallen Sick, declare, That they desire to believe in Jesus Christ.

In the 7th. they permit the Faithful to enter upon Offices, without being deprived of the Commu∣nion of the Church; but upon Condition that the Bishop of the place where they shall take an Office, shall superintend their Conduct, and that if they do any thing contrary to the Discipline of the Church, they shall be separated from his Communion.

The 8th. determines the famous Question about the re-baptization of Hereticks, and ordains con∣cerning the Africans, who had always re-baptized them, That if any one leave a Heresy and return to the Church, he shall be ask'd concerning the Creed, and if it be known that he was baptized in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Imposition of Hands only shall be given him that he may receive the Holy Spirit; but if he does not acknowledge the Trinity, he shall be re-baptized.

The 9th. declares, That in Order to their being received into Communion in a Foreign Church, they should not any longer carry Letters of Recommendation from the Confessors, but Letters of Communion from their Bishop.

In the 10th. they say, That those who find their Wives in the act of Adultery must be counselled not to marry others, while they are living, tho' the Laws permit them to do it.

In the 11th. they separate for some time from the Communion of the Church the Christian Virgins that marry Infidels.

In the 12th. they excommunicate the Clergy that are Usurers.

In the 13th. they ordain, That those shall be turned out of the Clergy, who shall be proved by the Publick Acts to have delivered up the Holy Scriptures; but those who they had ordained shall con∣tinue in their Station. They forbid Men to hearken to these Accusations, unless they be proved by the Publick Acts.

In the 14th. they separate from the Communion until the Point of Death, those who falsly accuse their Brethren.

In the 15th. they say, That the Deacons should not offer, as they did in many places.

In the 16th. they ordain, That those who are separated from the Communion, shall be restored no where else, but in the place where bey were excommunicated.

The 17th. ordains, That one Bishop shall not despise the Judgment of another. This is rather a consequence of the preceding Canon, than a Canon by it self.

The 18th. enjoyns Deacons in Cities to reverence the Priests.

The 19th. grants to Foreign Bishops the Power of celebrating the Oblation.

In the 20th. the Bishops of this Council forbid one Bishop alone to ordain another Bishop; they would have Seven of them meet if it be possible, but if this cannot be done, they do absolutely for∣bid any one to Ordain, unless he has three Bishops with him.

In the 21st. they forbid Priests and Deacons, under pain of Deposition to relinquish the Churches in which they were fix'd by their Ordination.

In the 22d. they declare, That Communion is not to be given to those who having Apostatized, continue a long time out of the Church without doing Penance, waiting till they fall Sick to ask Communion; unless they recover their Health, and give Signs of a sincere Repentance.

At last the Bishops of this Council wrote to St. Sylvester Bishop of Rome, as the chief Bishop of the World, an Account of every thing that they had ordain'd, that he might publish these Canons throughout the Catholick Church. They assure him in this Letter, that they were very sorry, that he could not be present himself in Person at this Council, and they pray him to publish their Deci∣sions over all the World.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of Arles, 314.
• a 1.2

  Call'd.] 'Tis certain that the Emperour call'd this Synod. We have in Euseb. B. X. of his Hist. Ch. 5. the Letter which he wrote to Chrestus Bishop of Syracuse, wherein he commands him to be present at this Coun∣cil of Arles; he wrote of it likewise to all the other Bi∣shops. Some have said that the Donatists appeal'd to a Council after the Decision of Rome, but St. Austin who had studied this History exactly, says in an infinite number of places, that they complained only of the Judgment given at Rome, but did not Appeal till after the Decision of the Council of Arles.
• b 1.3

  Compos'd of 33 Western Bishops.] Baronius thought that this Council consisted of 200 Bishops, which he grounded upon a Passage of St. Austin in his Book against the Epi∣stle of Parmenianus Ch. 5. but he misunderstood that Passage, for there he does not speak of the Council of Arles, but of the Council of Rome, which consisted on∣ly of 19 Bishops, and not of 200, as they are reckon'd in the Text of St. Austin according to the common Edi∣tions; but this place has been restored in the last Edi∣tion by a Manuscript of the Vatican Library, and instead of reading as it was, Ut ducentos Judices apud quos victi sunt, victis litigatoribus credant esse postponendos, it is now thus restored, ut contra Judices, apud quos victi sunt, victis litigatoribus credant, &c. There are but 33 Names at the head of the Council's Letter; but of these 33 there are 4 Priests, and one Deacon, and six Exorcists. They endeavour to prove that there was a greater number of Bishops at this Council, because Constantine in his Letter to Chrestus, and the second Council of Arles testify, That there were Bishops in it from all Parts of the World: But these 19 Bishops are found to be from all Parts of the West, and so it is not necessary to admit a greater number of them, to verify what is said by Constantine and the Fa∣thers of the second Council of Arles. Ado says, that 600 Bishops were present at this Council; but this is no-wise probable.
• c 1.4

  Marinus Bishop of Arles presided there, &c.] His Name is at the head of the Bishops, named at the beginning of the Epistle to St. Sylvester, before those of the Pope's Legates.
• d 1.5

  That the Emperour was not there.] Some Authors have said that he was, but they are mistaken; for it appears by the Letter of Constantine written after the Synod, that he was not, and the Donatists would not have appeal'd to his Judgment, if he had been present at the Sentence given by the Synod and approved it.