The Presbyters Project

Canon 12

De his qui contra canones ordinati sunt, ut deponantur.

Qui contra decreta canonum indiscrete clericos usque nunc ordinauerunt, eis Dominus uel sancta ecclesiastica caritas ignoscat. Amodo uero si in tali ausu proruperint, decretum canonum quod circa eorum personas statutum est, id est ut nullum ordinare audeant, obseruetur. Vel qui deinceps ordinati fuerint, deponantur. Ii uero qui tales hactenus ordinati sunt, nullo tempore promoueantur.

(eds. Martínez Díez, Rodríguez 1984: 305)

Canon 12

On those who were ordained against the canons, that they should be deposed.

If bishops until now have been ordaining clerics without distinction against the canonical decrees, may the Lord and the holy mercy of the Church pardon them. But henceforth, if they have the temerity [to ordain without distinction], the canonical decree that has been constituted on such persons shall be observed. And those later ordained will be deposed, and those already ordained shall not be promoted.

(trans. M. Szada)

Discussion:

For the canons with the impediments see e.g. Canon 9 of the council of Nicaea (AD 325) and Canons 1 [867], 27 [939] and 43 [959] of the Council of Agde (AD 506). For the canonical decree on the bishops who ordain uncanonically see e.g. Canon 1 of the Council of Riez (AD 439) [393].

Place of event:

Region

Iberian Peninsula

City

Lerida

About the source:

Title: Council of Lerida 546, Concilium Ilerdense a. 546
Origin: Lerida (Iberian Peninsula)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

The date of the council is given in two different ways - the first is a date in the Spanish era which began in 38 BC, the second is a date according to the years of the reign of Theoderic. In the case of the council of Lerida the dates do not agree - year 584 in the Spanish era is AD 546 and the 15th year of the reign of Theoderic is AD 525. The other provincial council held in Valencia was also dated to the 15th year of Theoderic, but the date in the Spanish era there is 587 (so AD 549). The scholars assumed that the name of the ruler was corrupt in the manuscript tradition and they proposed that we should read Theudis. King Theudis began to reign in AD 531, so the 15th year of his reign would be AD 546 (with references to the early modern commentators Hefele 1895: 132; Orlandis, Ramos-Lissón 1986: 124-131).

Edition:

Editions:

J. Vives ed., Concilios visigóticos e hispano-romanos, Barcelona-Madrid 1963.

G. Martínez Díez, F. Rodríguez eds., La colección canónica Hispana, Monumenta Hispaniae sacra. Serie canónica 4, Madrid 1984.

Bibliography:

C.J. Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church from the Original Documents, v. 4, trans. by W.R. Clark, Edinburgh 1895.

M. Guallar Pérez, Los concilios tarraconenses celebrados en Lérida, (siglos VI-XV), Lérida 1975.

J. Orlandis, D. Ramos-Lissón, Historia de los concilios de la España romana y visigoda, Pamplona 1986.

M. Rodriguez Gil, 'Consideraciones sobre una antigua polemica: las Iglesias propias', Cuadernos de Historia del Derecho 6 (1999), 247-272.

Categories:

Described by a title - Clericus

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

Further ecclesiastical career - None

Further ecclesiastical career - Lay status

Administration of justice - Ecclesiastical

Administration of justice - Demotion

Impediments or requisits for the office

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER250, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=250