Canon Law and Episcopal Authority: The Canons of Antioch and Serdica (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs)

Christopher W. B. Stephens Focuses On Canon Law As The Starting Point For A New Interpretation Of Divisions Between East And West In The Church After The Death Of Constantine The Great. He Challenges The Common Assumption That Bishops Split Between Nicenes And Non-nicenes, Arians Or Eusebians. Instead, He Argues That Questions Of Doctrine Took Second Place To Disputes About The Status Of Individual Bishops And Broader Issues Of The Role Of Ecclesiastical Councils, The Nature Of Episcopal Authority, And In Particular The Supremacy Of The Bishop Of Rome. Canon Law Allows The Author To Offer A Fresh Understanding Of The Purposes Of Councils In The East After 337, Particularly The Famed Dedication Council Of 341 And The Western Meeting Of The Council Of Serdica And The Canon Law Written There, Which Elevated The Bishop Of Rome To An Authority Above All Other Bishops. Investigating The Laws They Wrote, The Author Describes The Power Struggles Taking Place In The Years Following 337 As Bishops Sought To Elevate Their Status And Grasp The Opportunity For The Absolute Form Of Leadership Constantine Had Embodied. Combining A Close Study Of The Laws And Events Of This Period With Broader Reflections On The Nature Of Power And Authority In The Church And The Increasingly Important Role Of Canon Law, The Book Offers A Fresh Narrative Of One Of The Most Significant Periods In The Development Of The Church As An Institution And Of The Bishop As A Leader. -- Introduction -- Part I. The Canons Of Antioch. The Canons Of Antioch And The Dedication Council -- The Canons Of Antioch In Context -- Part Ii. Antioch And Serdica. The Dedication Council -- Serdica, Rome, And The Response To Antioch -- Part Iii. Canon Law And Episcopal Authority. Law, Authority, And Power -- Constantine, Control, And Canon Law -- Appendix I. The Canons Of Antioch -- Appendix Ii. Additional Notes On The Subscription Lists -- Appendix Iii. The Origin Of The Canons: The Two-collection Theory. Christopher W.b. Stephens. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 255-278) And Index. Cover Canon Law and Episcopal Authority: The Canons of Antioch and Serdica Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Abbreviations Syriac Manuscripts Works, Journals and Collections Introduction Part I: The Canons of Antioch 1: The Canons of Antioch and the Dedication Council 1.1. THE CANONS OF ANTIOCH: EARLY APPEARANCES AND ATTRIBUTIONS 1.1.1. Historical Narratives 1.1.2. Early Collections of Canon Law 1.1.3. John Chrysostom and Palladius 1.2. THE CANONS OF ANTIOCH: REJECTING TRADITION 1.2.1. Impossible Attributions 1.2.2. Subscription Lists 1.3. LOCATING THE CANONS OF ANTIOCH 1.3.1. The Canon-Writing Council 1.3.2. Chronological Complexities 1.3.3. Identifying the Canon-Writing Council 1.3.4. The Sequence of Events 2: The Canons of Antioch in Context 2.1. METHODOLOGICAL NOTE 2.2. THE SYNODICAL LETTER 2.2.1. Note on Origin 2.2.2. Content of the Letter 2.3. THE CANONS 2.3.1. After Eustathius 2.3.2. The Role of Eusebius 2.3.3. Legislative Patterns 2.3.4. The Canons as Post-Constantinian Legislation 2.3.5. Corroboration 2.3.6. The Exiles 2.4. THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION 2.5. THE COUNCIL OF ANTIOCH Part II: Antioch and Serdica 3: The Dedication Council 3.1. CONCILIAR STRUCTURE 3.1.1. Historical Difficulties 3.1.2. The Dedication Council as a Collective Term 3.1.3. Precursor to the Permanent Synod 3.2. THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES 3.2.1. The Standard Tradition 3.2.2. Implicit Heresy 3.2.3. Nicene Interpretations 3.2.4. Inherited Arianism 3.2.5. Positioning Nicaea 3.2.6. The Significance of the Canons of Antioch 3.3. THE DEDICATION COUNCIL AS DEFENDER OF CONCILIAR AUTHORITY 3.4. THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE DEDICATION COUNCIL 4: Serdica, Rome, and the Response to Antioch 4.1. RESPONDING TO ANTIOCH 4.1.1. Canon Law as Legislative Progression 4.1.2. Canon Law as Legislative Reaction 4.1.3. Disputes and Authority 4.1.3. The Canons in Detail 4.2. ECCLESIASTICAL POLITICS 4.3. THE ROLE OF AND APPROACH TO CANON LAW 4.3.1. The Place of Canon Law 4.3.2. The Authority of Canons 4.4. HERESY AND POLEMIC 4.5. CONCILIAR STRUCTURE AND AUTHORITY 4.5.1. The Canons of Nicaea—the Canons of Serdica 4.5.2. Early Origins 4.5.3. Conciliar Structure 4.6. THE IMPORTANCE OF SERDICA Part III: Canon Law and Episcopal Authority 5: Law, Authority, and Power 5.1. THE AUTHORITY OF CANON LAW 5.1.1. Antioch
Serdica 5.1.2. Individual Laws and Collections of Laws 5.1.3. Representation and Obligation 5.1.4. Beyond Representation 5.1.5. Choice or Force 5.2. INFLUENCING FACTORS: THE NATURE OF CANON LAW 5.2.1. Common Patterns 5.2.2. Slow Developments 5.3. INFLUENCING FACTORS: CODIFICATION 5.4. INFLUENCING FACTORS: THE SECULAR LEGAL CONTEXT 5.4.1. Cross-Currents of Influence 5.4.2. Common Traits, Common Challenges 5.4.3. The Exercise of Power 5.5. LIMITS AND DIVISIONS 6: Constantine, Control, and Canon Law 6.1. EMPEROR AND BISHOPS 6.1.1. Divided Leadership 6.1.2. New Possibilities 6.1.3. The Absence of Power 6.1.4. Rome 6.2. CONCLUSIONS: LAW AND LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CRISIS AND OF OPPORTUNITY APPENDIX I: The Canons of Antioch Synodical Letter Canons Note on this translation APPENDIX II: Additional Notes on the Subscription Lists II.i. MS A II.ii. MS E II.iii. Theodotus of Laodicea APPENDIX III: The Origin of the Canons: the Two-Collection Theory Bibliography Source Texts Scripture Canon law and accompanying epistles Theodosian Code Asterius ‘the sophist’ Athanasius of Alexandria Basil of Caesarea Cyprian of Carthage Epiphanius of Salamis Eusebius of Caesarea Gelasius of Cyzicus Gregory of Nazianzus Hilary of Poitiers Innocent I of Rome Jerome Leo (the Great) of Rome Marcellus of Ancyra Optatus of Milevis Origen Palladius of Helenopolis Philostorgius Socrates Scholasticus Sozomen Theodoret Secondary Literature Index "Christopher W. B. Stephens focuses on canon law as the starting point for a new interpretation of divisions between East and West in the Church after the death of Constantine the Great. He challenges the common assumption that bishops split between "Nicenes" and "non-Nicenes," "Arians" or "Eusebians." Instead, he argues that questions of doctrine took second place to disputes about the status of individual bishops and broader issues of the role of ecclesiastical councils, the nature of episcopal authority, and in particular the supremacy of the bishop of Rome. Canon law allows the author to offer a fresh understanding of the purposes of councils in the East after 337, particularly the famed Dedication Council of 341 and the western meeting of the council of Serdica and the canon law written there, which elevated the bishop of Rome to an authority above all other bishops. Investigating the laws they wrote, the author describes the power struggles taking place in the years following 337 as bishops sought to elevate their status and grasp the opportunity for the absolute form of leadership Constantine had embodied. Combining a close study of the laws and events of this period with broader reflections on the nature of power and authority in the Church and the increasingly important role of canon law, the book offers a fresh narrative of one of the most significant periods in the development of the Church as an institution and of the bishop as a leader." -- Provided by publisher