The Presbyters Project

[Titulum secundum cod. A] XXXIII [sic!]. Qualiter clerici iudicia publica adeant.

[Titulum secundum cod. R] XXXII. Clerecus non praesumat apud secularem iudicem epm non permittentem quemcumque pulsare, uel si clericis saeculares personam pulsauerit.

[Titulum secundum coll. Hispanam] XXXII. Vt clericus inconsulto episcopo ad iudicem saecularem non pergat.

Clericus ne quemquam praesumat apud saecularem iudicem episcopo non permittente pulsare; sed si pulsatus fuerit, respondeat, non proponat, nec audeat criminale negotium in iudicio saeculari proponere. Si quis uero saecularium per calumniam ecclesiam aut clericum fatigare tentauerit et euictus fuerit, ecclesiae liminibus et a catholicorum communione, nisi digne paenituerit, arceatur.

(ed. Munier 1963: 207, 221, 223, 224)

[Title according to cod. A] XXXIII [sic!]. In what way should clerics appeal to the public courts.

[Title according to cod. R] XXXII. A cleric should not dare to accuse someone in front of the secular judge without the permission of his bishop, or if a layman accused a clerical person.

[Title according to the Hispana collection] XXXII. That a cleric should not appeal to the secular judge without prior consultation with a bishop.

A cleric should not dare to accuse someone in front of the secular judge without the permission of his bishop. But if he himself is accused, he should answer that he cannot put forward or be subject of a criminal case in a secular court. If a layman made an attempt to harass a church or a cleric with false accusations and was defeated [in court], he must be banned from entering the church and from communion with Catholics, unless he will atone in an appropriate manner.

(trans. J. Szafranowski)

Place of event:

Region

Gaul

City

Agde

About the source:

Title: Council of Agde, Concilium Agathense anno 506
Origin: Agde (Gaul)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

The Council of Agde was held in September of 506 under the auspices of Cesarius, bishop of Arles, and with the permission of the Visigothic King Alaric. The first 47 canons are considered genuine, since only those are present in the oldest codices. The rest, present in some manuscripts, must have been taken from the other council acts, especially those of the Council of Epaone in 517. This council was attended by 24 bishops, and 8 presbyters and 2 deacons, who represented their bishops. More on the council, see Klingshirn 1994, 97-104.

Edition:

Ch. Munier ed., Concilia Galliae a. 314-a. 506, Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 148, Turnhoult 1963.

Bibliography:

W.E. Klingshirn, Caesarius of Arles: the making of a Christian community in late antique Gaul, Cambridge 1994, 97-104.

Categories:

Described by a title - Clericus

Public law - Ecclesiastical

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

Relation with - Secular authority

Administration of justice - Ecclesiastical

Administration of justice - Secular

Administration of justice - Excommunication/Anathema

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER942, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=942