The Council of Milevis.
THis Council was assembled at Milevis, a City of Africa, the 26th. of October, 402. It is * 1.1 one of those the Africans called General; that is, it was not composed of Bishops only of one Province, but of Deputies from all the Provinces of Africa. Aurelius, Bishop of Car∣thage, presided there. The Bishops confirmed at first what had been done in the last Councils of Hippo and Carthage; and then made some New Orders about some particular Contests among the African Bishops.
The First is concerning the Precedency of the Older Bishops. Having justified the Equity of following the ancient Order, according to the established Custom of Africa, it was ordained, to prevent the Contests that might happen upon that Subject, That they should keep Two Lists, which they called Matricula's, or Archives of all the Bishops of Numidia; the one to be preserved in the City of the chief See; that is, in Carthage, or in that City whose Bishop was Metropolitan by Seniority: and the other in the Civil Metropolis; that is, in Constantina. This Order seems to have been made upon the Occasion of that Contest betwixt Victorinus and Xantippus, Bishops of the Province of Numidia, who both pretended to the Primacy of that Province, as appears by St. Augustin's 59th. Letter.
The Second Canon is, touching the Accusation formed against Quodvultdeus, Bishop of Centuria. His Accuser presented himself to the Synod, and caused Quodvultdeus to be asked, Whether he would have his Cause debated in the Council. The Bishop consented at first; but the next day he was of another mind, and retired. The Bishops ordered, That he should not be admitted to the Communion of the other Bishops, till his Business was decided, yet without depriving him of his Bishoprick; because they thought it unjust to do it before his Cause was judged.
The next Order was, concerning Maximianus, Bishop of Vaga, who offered to quit his Bi∣shoprick for the good of the Church, (as it is observed in St. Augustin's 69th. Letter.) The Council ordained, That a Letter should be sent both to him, and to his People, to oblige him to withdraw; and, That the People should chuse another.
The Fourth Canon is likewise to prevent Contests about the Seniority of the Bishops; en∣joyning the Bishops Ordained in Africa, to take Testimonial-Letters of those that Ordained them; marking both the Day and the Year of their Ordination.
The Last Canon forbids any Man to be admitted into the Clergy of one Church, who per∣formed the Duty of a Reader in another.
These Canons are in the Code of the African Church, from the Eighty sixth, &c. to the Ninetieth inclusively.