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[Titulus in recensione Iuliana] XI Quod sacerdotes Spaniae in diebus quadragesimae "Alleluia" decantent

[Titulus in recensione Vulgata] XI De non decantandum in quadragesima "Alleluia"

Canon 11

Item cognouimus quosdam Spaniae sacerdotes, quod in quadragesimae diebus "Alleluia" decantent praeter in ultima hebdomada paschae; quod deinceps fieri interdicimus, statuentes ut in omnibus praedictis quadragesimae diebus, quia tempus est non gaudii sed maeroris, "Alleluia" non decantetur. Tunc enim opus est fletibus ac ieiuniis insistere, corpus cilicio et cinere induere, animum maeroribus deicere, gaudium in tristitiam uertere, quousque ueniat tempus resurrectionis Christi, quando oporteat "Alleluia" in laetitia canere et maerorem in gaudium commutare. Hoc enim ecclesiae uniuersalis consensio in cunctis prouinciarum partibus roborauit, quod et a nobis omnibus ut conseruetur per Spanias Galliasque prouincias oportebit. Si quis igitur episcopis aut presbyter aut diaconus aut quilibet ex ordine clericorum fuerit repertus qui arbitrium suum huic constitutioni aestimet praeferendum, ordinis sui officium carere cogatur et communione eiusdem paschae priuetur.

(eds. Martinez Diez, Rodriguez 1992: 163, 171, 199-200)

[Title in the recension Iuliana] XI That priests in Spain chant Alleluia in Lent

[Title in the recension Vulgata] XI That Alleluia shall not be chanted in Lent

Canon 11

We have learnt that some priests in Spain chant Alleluia during Lent except for the Holy Week. We forbid doing it from now on and we decree that Alleluia is not to be chanted on any day of Lent, because it is a time of sorrow, and not of joy. In that time we have to cry and fast, dress our bodies in sackcloth and ashes, humble our souls with grief, change joy into sadness until the time of the resurrection of Christ comes when Alleluia should be chanted in jubilation, and then the sorrow shall be turned into joy. This is confirmed by the agreement of the universal Church in every part of every province, and we also have to maintain it in the provinces of Spain and Gaul. If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a cleric is found to prefer his own will to this constitution, he shall be deprived of his office and of the Easter communion.

(trans. M. Szada)

Discussion:

It is one of several canons (5-19) concerning the liturgy, and mainly the celebration of the mass (Orlandis, Ramos-Lissón 1986: 272-275).

Here, "Gaul" means here Septimania, the only region in Gaul that was still at the time under the jurisdiction of the Visigothic kings.

Place of event:

Region

Iberian Peninsula

City

Toledo

About the source:

Title: Fourth Council of Toledo (633), IV Council of Toledo, IV Concilium Toletanum, IIII Concilium Toletanum, Concilium Toletanum quartum a. 633
Origin: Toledo (Iberian Peninsula)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

The Fourth Council of Toledo was a council of the whole Visigothic church (86 bishops were present) gathered by King Sisenand (631-636) in 633 and held under the presidency of Isidore of Seville. It is sometimes claimed on stylistic grounds that Isidore was an author of the decrees (Collins 2004: 79).

The acts of the Fourth Council of Toledo are transmitted in the 7th-century canonical collection from Spain, the so-called Hispana. Its authorship has been attributed to the Isidore of Seville (it is still accepted by Martinez Diez 1966; other scholars reject this attribution: Munier 1966; Gaudemet 1967: 122-124; Schaferdiek 1967: 144-148; Landau 1968: 406-418). This collection has several recensions: a primitive one, the so-called Isidoriana, lost today; the Juliana recension edited after 681 and attributed to the Julian of Toledo, that adds to the previous recension the acts and canons of the councils from the Fifth Council of Toledo do the Twelfth (in 681); the Vulgata recension edited between 694 and 702 that adds the acts and canons of the councils from the the Thirteenth Council of Toledo up to the Seventeenth held in 694, this recension was the most widespread during the Middle Ages (more bibliography see Kéry 1999: 61-67). The two recensions Iuliana and Vulgata give different titles to the canons of the Fourth Council of Toledo (Martinez Diez 1992: 17-20).

Edition:

G. Martínez Díez, F. Rodríguez eds., La colección canónica Hispana, Monumenta Hispaniae sacra. Serie canónica 5, Madrid 1992.

Bibliography:

R. Collins, Visigothic Spain, 409-711, Oxford, OX, UK; Malden, MA, USA 2004.

J. Gaudemet, review of: "G. Martinez Diez, La coleccion canonica Hispana 1," Revue historique de droit français et étranger 4e ser. 45 (1967), 122-124.

L. Kéry, Canonical collections of the early Middle Ages (ca. 400-1140): a bibliographical guide to the manuscripts and literature, Washington, D.C 1999.

P. Landau, review of: "G. Martinez Diez, La coleccion canonica Hispana 1," Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte Kanonistische Abteilung 54 (1968), 406-414.

G. Martínez Díez, La Colección canónica Hispana, vol. 1 Estudio, Madrid 1966.

C. Munier, "Saint Isidore de Séville est-il l’auteur de I’Hispana chronologique?," Sacris Erudiri 17 (1966), 230-241.

Ramos-Lissón

K. Schaferdiek, review of: "G. Martinez Diez, La coleccion canonica Hispana 1," Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 78 (1967), 144-148.

Categories:

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Ritual activity - Eucharist

Ritual activity - Presiding at prayer

Administration of justice - Ecclesiastical

Administration of justice - Excommunication/Anathema

Administration of justice - Demotion

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER391, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=391