The first Council of Bracara.
LUcretius, Metropolitan of Bracara, held this Council of seven Bishops on the first day of May in the year 563, under King Ariamirus. Father L'abbee reckons it the second, but that which he places first is a Forgery. * 1.1
The Bishops begun with rejecting the Errors of the Priscilianists, by causing the Letter of St. Leo to Turribius, and the Canons of the first Council of Toledo, to be read; and by making seventeen Propositions against the Errors of Manichaeus and Priscilian. They read afterwards a Letter from the Holy See address'd to Profaturus, and made two and twenty Canons concerning Discipline.
The first is, That the same way of singing the Mattins and Vespers shall be every where observ'd, and that the private Customs of Monasteries shall not be mix'd with the Usage of the Church.
The second, That on solemn days the same Lessons shall be read.
The third, That the Bishops shall not salute the People after a different manner from the Priests, and that they shall only say, The Lord be with you; That the People shall answer, And with your Spirit: That this is the Practice of the whole East, which is of Apostolical Tradition.
The fourth, That in Divine Service that Order shall be observ'd which Profuturus has receiv'd from the Holy See.
The fifth, That the Usage of the Church of Bracara shall be observ'd in the Ceremonies of Bap∣tism.
The sixth, That the Bishops of the Province shall be rank'd according to their Antiquity.
The seventh, That the Revenues of the Church shall be divided into three Parts; That the first shall be for the Bishop, the second for the Clergy, and the third for maintaining the Church and the Light: That the Arch Priest or Arch-Deacon shall give an account of this last to the Bishop.
The eighth forbids Bishops to Ordain a Clergy-man of another Bishop without his leave in wri∣ting.
The ninth Ordains, That for the future Deacons shall wear their Stole upon their Shoulders, and not hide it under their Tunick, that they may be distinguish'd from Sub-deacons.
The tenth forbids Readers, who are not Ordain'd Sub-deacons, to carry the holy Vessels.
The eleventh forbids them to sing in the Church in a Secular Habit, and to suffer their Mustuche's to grow.
The twelfth declares, That they must not sing any Hymn in the Church but only the Psalms, and Passages of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament.
The thirteenth forbids Lay-men to enter into the Sanctuary to receive the Communion.
The fourteenth to remove all suspicion of being Priscilianists, Ordains the Clergy-men, who eat no meat, to taste of the Herbs which are boil'd with Meat.
The fifteenth is, That none shall communicate with a Clergy-man excommunicated by his Bi∣shop.
The sixteenth, That no Commemoration shall be made of those who lay violent Hands on them∣selves, and that their Corpse shall not be conducted to Burial with singing of Psalms: That the same shall be observ'd as to those who are condemn'd to death as Criminals.
The seventeenth, That no Commemoration shall be made, no Psalms shall be sung, for the Cate∣chumens that die without Baptism.
The eighteenth, That none shall be interr'd in the Churches, but without them, and round about the Walls.
The nineteenth forbids Priests to bless the Chrysm, or to consecrate the Altars.
The twentieth ordains that none shall be promoted to the Priesthood, who has not been at least one year a Reader.