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First Synod of Tyre

 
First Synod of Tyre

 
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The First Synod of Tyre (335 c.e.) was a gathering of bishops
Synod

A synod is a council of a Ecclesia , usually a Christianity church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. An ecumenical council is so named because it is a synod of the whole church ...
 called together by Emperor Constantine I for the primary purpose of evaluating charges brought against Athanasius, the Patriarch of Alexandria
List of Patriarchs of Alexandria

The bishop or Patriarch of Alexandria is the highest-ranking bishop of Egypt and exists separately in both the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
.

nasius was involved in the early Christian christological and trinitarian debates, and supported the position of the Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicea was convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperors Constantine I in 325 CE. The Council was historically significant as the first effort to attain consensus decision-making in the church through an legislature representing all of Christendom....
 in opposition to that of Arius
Arius

Arius was a Berber people Christian priest from Alexandria, Egypt in the early fourth century whose teachings, now called Arianism, were deemed heretical by the Church....
 and his followers
Arianism

Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heresy at the First Council of Nicea, later exonerated and then pronounced a heretic again after his death....
.

In 328, Athanasius was elected as bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 or patriarch
Patriarch

Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised Autocracy authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy....
 of Alexandria.






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The First Synod of Tyre (335 c.e.) was a gathering of bishops
Synod

A synod is a council of a Ecclesia , usually a Christianity church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. An ecumenical council is so named because it is a synod of the whole church ...
 called together by Emperor Constantine I for the primary purpose of evaluating charges brought against Athanasius, the Patriarch of Alexandria
List of Patriarchs of Alexandria

The bishop or Patriarch of Alexandria is the highest-ranking bishop of Egypt and exists separately in both the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
.

Background

Athanasius was involved in the early Christian christological and trinitarian debates, and supported the position of the Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicea was convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperors Constantine I in 325 CE. The Council was historically significant as the first effort to attain consensus decision-making in the church through an legislature representing all of Christendom....
 in opposition to that of Arius
Arius

Arius was a Berber people Christian priest from Alexandria, Egypt in the early fourth century whose teachings, now called Arianism, were deemed heretical by the Church....
 and his followers
Arianism

Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heresy at the First Council of Nicea, later exonerated and then pronounced a heretic again after his death....
.

In 328, Athanasius was elected as bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 or patriarch
Patriarch

Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised Autocracy authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy....
 of Alexandria. Alexandria
Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
 happened to be the city in which Arius was a priest
Priest

A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities....
. The situation was further complicated, as Athanasius had not yet reached the age of 30 - the minimum age for bishops in the church.

After Athanasius succeeded to the see of Alexandria, they had accused him of, among other things: immoral conduct, illegally taxing the Egyptian people, supporting rebels to the Imperial throne, and even murdering a bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 and keeping his severed hand for use in magical rites. More to the point, Constantine had decided that he wanted Athanasius to re-admit Arius to the church -- which he would not do. In 334
334

EventsBy placeRoman Empire* The Goths protect the Roman Empire against an invasion by the Vandals in the region near the Danube....
 Athanasius was summoned before a synod in Caesarea
Caesarea Palaestina

Caesarea Maritima , called Caesarea Palaestina from 133 AD onwards, was a city and harbor built by Herod the Great about 25?13 BC. Today, its ruins lie on the Israeli coastal plain of Israel about halfway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the site of Pyrgos Stratonos ....
, which he did not attend.

The Synod

While a group of bishops were en route to Jerusalem to dedicate a new church (the precursor to the Holy Sepulcher), Constantine requested that they gather in the city of Tyre to consider the case against Athanasius. The Emperor also sent a letter to Athanasius, making clear that if he did not attend voluntarily, he would be brought to the Synod forcibly.

Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea

Eusebius of Caesarea became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima c 314. He is often referred to as the Father of Church History because of his work in recording the history of the early Christianity church, especially Chronicon and Church_History_....
 presided over the assembly, and about 310 members attended. Athanasius appeared this time with forty-eight Egyptian bishops. The Synod condemned Athanasius, but he fled to Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 and confronted the Emperor personally.

Aftermath

At a hearing in the presence of the Emperor, Athanasius was cleared of all charges except one: threatening to cut off the grain supply to Constantinople from Egypt. This one charge was enough for the Emperor to exile Athanasius to Trier
Trier

Trier is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp....
.

Athanasius did not return from exile until the death of Constantine in 337.

The Arianism of the Synod of Tyre was ultimately overturned by the Council of Constantinople
Council of Constantinople

Council of Constantinople can refer to:*The First Council of Constantinople in 360.*The First Council of Constantinople in 381 or 383.*The Second Council of Constantinople in 553....