Talk:Canon Episcopi
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[edit] Author(s) of the Canon Episcopi
It was my understanding that Russell indicated that the writer was probably 'a secretary to the Archbishop of Trier about 900 A.D.' Has anyone found any evidence to corroborate this hypothesis? L Hamm 01:50, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
Yes: The earliest known publication of the Canon Episcopi was in 906 CE by Regino of Prüm (See the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia article on Regino here http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12719c.htm ). It appeared as Chapter 364 of the second book of Regino's collection of rules and regulations and lists of sins to be avoided, a work titled "De Ecclesiasticis Disciplinis et Religione Christiana" (see Jacques-Paul Migne, ed. "Patrologia Latina", from the "Patrologiae Cursus Completus", 1844-1865, vol 132).
The connection to Burchard is that he published two slightly edited version of the Canon about a century later: Burchard’s "Ecclesiae Episcopi Decretorum", bk 10 ch 1 (Migne, P.L., vol 140 p831-833); and Burchard’s bk 19 ch 5 (Migne, P.L., vol 140 p963-964).
The reason Russell refers to 'a secretary to the Archbishop of Trier' is that Regino was employed for a while by Archbishop Radbod of Trier (see the New Advent article cited above).
Regino appeared to credit the Canon to the Council of Ancyra, which was held in 314 CE (contrary to the Wikipedia article on the Canon, it is not doubted that this council was actually held - see the New Advent article on the Ancyra councils, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01465a.htm ). This particular council dealt mostly with the problem of newly-converted Christians relapsing to old Pagan ways. The Council called these people relapsi. Now, in parallel, the Canon Episcopi also expresses concern about people relapsing to Pagan ways - it says the people involved are "turning back" to the "errors or the pagans". Regino therefore said that the Pagan activities described by the Canon should be condemned because of the thrust of the provisions set out at Ancyra. Subsequent writers mistakenly took this as implying that Regino had credited the Canon itself to that Council.—Preceding unsigned comment added by DCPetterson (talk • contribs)
