A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

398 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[364]his own parish, both to manage it with piety, which is incumbenton every one, and to make provision for the whole district whichis dependent upon his city; to ordain presbyters and deacons;and to settle everything with judgment. But let him not undertakeanything further without the bishop of the metropolis; neither thelatter without the consent of the others.Canon 10. The holy synod decrees that those [bishops] livingin village and country districts, or those who are calledchorepiscopi, even though they have received ordination to theepiscopate, shall regard their own limits and manage the churchessubject to them, and be content with the care and administrationof these; but they may ordain readers, subdeacons, and exorcists,and shall be content with promoting these; but they shall notpresume to ordain either a presbyter or a deacon, without theconsent of the bishop of the city to which he and his district aresubject. And if he shall dare to transgress these decrees, he shallbe deposed from the rank which he enjoys. And a chorepiscopusis to be appointed by the bishop of the city to which he is subject.(c) Council of Sardica, A. D. 343 or 344, Canons, Bruns, I, 88.Cf. Mirbt, n. 113, and Kirch, nn. 448 ff.The Council of Sardica was intended to be composed ofrepresentatives from the entire Empire who might be able tosettle once and for all the Arian question. It met at Sardicaon the boundary between the two divisions of the Empire asthey were then defined. The Eastern ecclesiastics, stronglyArian, found themselves outnumbered by the Western bishopswho supported Athanasius and the Nicene definition of faith.The Eastern representatives withdrew to Philippopolis nearby, and held their own council. The following canons wereintended to provide a system of appeal for cases like that ofAthanasius, and although they do not seem to have been actedupon enough to have become a part of the Church's system,