Ninth Council of Toledo
Encyclopedia
The Ninth Council of Toledo was a provincial synod
of bishops of Carthaginiensis. It began on 2 November 655 under the auspice
s of King Reccesuinth
. It ended on November 24 in the Church of Santa María.
It was attended by only sixteen or seventeen bishops, six abbots, two dignitaries, and four counts of the palace. The bishops promulgated seventeen canons about the honesty of the clergy, the property of the church, and clerical celibacy. The council closed by scheduling another synod for 1 November 655, but the Tenth Council of Toledo
, a general council, was called first and the planned provincial synod never met.
The council authorised bishops to transfer up to a third of the income of any church in their diocese to any other choice of their choosing. The council decided that if a cleric, from subdeacon to bishop, had a child by a woman, free or slave, that child became automatically a slave of the church in which his father served. No freed male or female ecclesiastic was allowed to marry a freeman (Hispano-Roman or Visigoth
) and if one did, the children of such a union were enslaved to the church.
The council gave a layman the privilege of Jus patronatus for each church he built, but the founder had no proprietary rights.
Finally, the synod declared that all conversos, not only converted Jews also others who had come during the Migration Period
, had to pass Christian festivals in the presence of their bishop so as to prove the veracity of their faith. Lack of compliance with this last rule resulted in flogging or forced fasting, depending on the age of the offender.
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of bishops of Carthaginiensis. It began on 2 November 655 under the auspice
Auspice
An auspice is literally "one who looks at birds", a diviner who reads omens from the observed flight of birds...
s of King Reccesuinth
Reccesuinth
Recceswinth, or Reccesuinth, Recceswint, Reccaswinth, Recdeswinth, Recesvinto , Reccesvinthus ; was the Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia in 649–672: jointly with his father from 649 and as sole king from 653.Beginning in 654 Recceswinth was responsible for the promulgation of a...
. It ended on November 24 in the Church of Santa María.
It was attended by only sixteen or seventeen bishops, six abbots, two dignitaries, and four counts of the palace. The bishops promulgated seventeen canons about the honesty of the clergy, the property of the church, and clerical celibacy. The council closed by scheduling another synod for 1 November 655, but the Tenth Council of Toledo
Tenth Council of Toledo
The Tenth Council of Toledo was summoned to meet on 1 December 656 by King Reccesuinth. In November 655, the bishops of Carthaginiensis had held a provincial synod in Toledo, the Ninth Council of Toledo...
, a general council, was called first and the planned provincial synod never met.
The council authorised bishops to transfer up to a third of the income of any church in their diocese to any other choice of their choosing. The council decided that if a cleric, from subdeacon to bishop, had a child by a woman, free or slave, that child became automatically a slave of the church in which his father served. No freed male or female ecclesiastic was allowed to marry a freeman (Hispano-Roman or Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
) and if one did, the children of such a union were enslaved to the church.
The council gave a layman the privilege of Jus patronatus for each church he built, but the founder had no proprietary rights.
Finally, the synod declared that all conversos, not only converted Jews also others who had come during the Migration Period
Migration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
, had to pass Christian festivals in the presence of their bishop so as to prove the veracity of their faith. Lack of compliance with this last rule resulted in flogging or forced fasting, depending on the age of the offender.
Sources
- Thompson, E. A. (1969) The Goths in Spain. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Synodus Toletana nona, minutes from the Collectio Hispana Gallica Augustodunensis (Vat. lat. 1341)