Council of Epaone
Encyclopedia
The Council of Epaone or Synod of Epaone was held in September 517
at Epaone (or Epao near the present Anneyron
) in Burgundy
, France. It was one of three national councils of bishops of the land that formed Gaul
(modern France
). The councils were: Agde (506) for Arian Visigothic Kingdom; Orléans (511), for the Kingdom of the Franks; Epaone (517), for that of the Burgundians.
The synod enacted the first legislation against wooden altar
s, forbidding the building of any but stone altars. It also witnessed the rise of the practice of mitigation of canonical penance that became necessary due to the changing times and social conditions of Christians: a more severe penance could be replaced with something new and milder.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/legislation300_800.html - Legislation of the Western Kingdoms: The Burgundians
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09472a.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06378a.htm
http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/7224/Rick/chron6.htm&date=2009-10-25+07:45:43
http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc04/htm/0165=149.htm
http://www.rotula.de/aniane/literatur/feuillebois.htm (in French)
http://www.amdg.easynet.be/sankt/oct03.html (in French)
517
Year 517 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Agapitus and Paulus...
at Epaone (or Epao near the present Anneyron
Anneyron
Anneyron is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...
) in Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
, France. It was one of three national councils of bishops of the land that formed Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
(modern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). The councils were: Agde (506) for Arian Visigothic Kingdom; Orléans (511), for the Kingdom of the Franks; Epaone (517), for that of the Burgundians.
The synod enacted the first legislation against wooden altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s, forbidding the building of any but stone altars. It also witnessed the rise of the practice of mitigation of canonical penance that became necessary due to the changing times and social conditions of Christians: a more severe penance could be replaced with something new and milder.
Edicts passed
- Canon 26: Only stone pillars/altars to be consecrated with chrismChrismChrism , also called "Myrrh" , Holy anointing oil, or "Consecrated Oil", is a consecrated oil used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in Old-Catholic churches, as well as Anglican churches in the administration...
(a mixture of oil and spices). quotes the canon as saying "Altaria nisi lapedea crismatis unctione non sacrentur". - Canon 15: Attendance at Jewish banquets prohibited.
- Canon 16: allowed baptized heretics to be admitted to the Church by a rite of unction (Presbyteros, . . . si conversionem subitam petant, chrismate subvenire permittimus). This was the practice also in the East, but in Rome and Italy admission was by laying on of hands.
- Clergy forbidden to hunt.
- Completely abrogated in the entire Kingdom the consecration of widows who are named Deaconesses.
Those present
- St. Viventiolus (515-523), who presided
- St. AvitusAvitus of VienneAlcimus Ecdicius Avitus was a Latin poet and archbishop of Vienne in Gaul.Avitus was born of a prominent Gallo-Roman senatorial family in the kinship of Emperor Avitus.-Life:...
, also presiding. - St. Constantinus , bishop of Gap.
- Catulin, bishop of Embrun.
- Laymen were also present and had a chance to question the morality of the local clergymen.
External links
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03135b.htm - St. Caesarius of Arleshttp://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/legislation300_800.html - Legislation of the Western Kingdoms: The Burgundians
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09472a.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06378a.htm
http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/7224/Rick/chron6.htm&date=2009-10-25+07:45:43
http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc04/htm/0165=149.htm
http://www.rotula.de/aniane/literatur/feuillebois.htm (in French)
http://www.amdg.easynet.be/sankt/oct03.html (in French)