On the eve of the great Nicene synthesis, three formative councils—Elvira, Arles, and Ancyra—stand as transitional beacons, illuminating the Church’s slow transformation from persecuted community to structured institution. Though they did not resolve doctrinal questions, they reveal the moral rigor, ecclesiastical maturation, and disciplinary consciousness that marked Christianity’s entrance into the Constantinian era. Each council, shaped by persecution’s aftermath, aimed to restore order, affirm clerical authority, and guard the integrity of Christian life in a world still laced with paganism and compromise.
Antecedents to Early Fourth-Century Synods
The Councils of Elvira, Arles, and Ancyra do not emerge in isolation; they follow in the wake of earlier synods that had already tested the conciliar mechanism in times of theological and ecclesiastical unrest. The Montanist controversy in Asia Minor, debates surrounding Origen, disputes over the Paschal feast, the Novatian schism, and the divisive question of heretical baptism all prompted synodal intervention. Notably, three councils met at Antioch (264–269) to deal with the heretical teachings of Paul of Samosata.
Yet these earlier councils were local and episodic. By contrast, Elvira, Arles, and Ancyra foreshadow the universalizing impulse of later ecumenical synods. They signify a movement from sporadic, reactive meetings to more deliberate and representative assemblies of the Church catholic.
1. The Synod of Elvira (306)
Held in Illiberis (modern-day Granada), the Synod of Elvira convened in 306, gathering nineteen bishops and twenty-six presbyters, primarily from southern Spain. Deacons and lay participants were also present, evidencing a broader base of involvement. Spain, spared the worst of the Diocletian persecution after the emperor’s abdication in 305, offered a relatively stable environment for ecclesiastical deliberation while the East still reeled under Galerius and Maximin.
The Elvira Synod produced eighty-one Latin canons aimed at eradicating lingering pagan immorality and fortifying church discipline. These canons are remarkable for their austerity: the Lapsed, for example, were denied communion even on their deathbed (canon 1)—a harsher ruling than that of the later Nicene Council.
Of particular historical note is canon 36, which forbids religious images on church walls: “There shall be no pictures in the church, lest what is worshipped and adored be depicted on the walls.” Protestant scholars later invoked this as evidence against image veneration, while Roman Catholic interpreters have offered more limited readings, suggesting the canon may have targeted portrayals of the divine or functioned as a pragmatic safeguard against pagan profanation.
The synod also reflects pronounced anti-Jewish sentiment, forbidding Christian-Jewish marriages, a decision indicative of the tensions between nascent Catholic orthodoxy and Jewish presence in Spain.
At the center of the Elvira council stood Hosius of Corduba (Cordova), the second name in the episcopal list. A native of Lucan and Seneca’s birthplace, Hosius would later emerge as one of the principal Western voices at the Council of Nicaea. Serving more than sixty years in the episcopate, he was lauded by Athanasius for his sanctity and sagacity in synodal governance. A pivotal figure bridging the era of persecution and the rise of imperial Christianity, Hosius would guide Constantine toward ecclesiastical involvement. Though a lifelong defender of Nicene orthodoxy, he tragically signed an Arian formula near the end of his life, before dying around age 100 in 358.
2. The Council of Arles (314)
In 314, Constantine summoned a synod at Arles in southern Gaul, a city of imperial prestige and ecclesiastical significance. This council followed an appeal by the Donatists, who sought imperial adjudication after a Roman council (313) had ruled against them. Thus, the Council of Arles became the first known instance of a Christian faction invoking secular authority to resolve an internal dispute—an ominous precedent for future entanglements of Church and state.
Augustine would later refer to Arles as “universal,” though it remained largely a Western gathering. Thirty-three bishops attended from Gaul, Italy, Sicily, North Africa, and Britain—whose three delegates came from York, London, and likely Caerleon on Usk. Pope Sylvester, though absent, sent two presbyters and two deacons as legates.
The council excommunicated Donatus and promulgated twenty-two canons addressing ecclesiastical discipline. Key rulings included:
– Mandating a uniform celebration of Easter across the Church.
– Banning clergy from attending gladiatorial games and races under penalty of excommunication.
– Condemning the rebaptism of heretics.
– Deposing clergy proven to be traditores (those who had surrendered sacred texts during persecution), though their ministerial acts were still deemed valid.
– Requiring the participation of at least three bishops in episcopal ordinations.
Arles stands as a forerunner of Nicaea, not only for its scale and diversity but also for its imperial sponsorship, which would become the new norm for future councils.
3. The Council of Ancyra (314)
Around the same time as Arles, the Council of Ancyra convened in the capital of Galatia, representing bishops from Asia Minor and Syria. It likely took place shortly after the death of Maximin, the last persecuting emperor, and sought to bring healing and restoration to a deeply wounded Church.
The council, presided over either by Marcellus of Ancyra or Vitalis of Antioch, included between twelve and eighteen bishops. Eleven of them would later attend the Council of Nicaea, demonstrating Ancyra’s pivotal role as a preparatory gathering.
Its twenty-five disciplinary canons focus on those who had faltered during persecution:
– Priests who had sacrificed to idols but later repented were barred from preaching or performing sacerdotal duties, though they retained their clerical office.
– Those who had apostatized before baptism could, after penance, be admitted to holy orders.
– Adultery incurred a seven-year penance, while murder required lifelong penance.
Shortly afterward, a similar council convened at Neo-Caesarea in Cappadocia, likely attended by many of the same bishops. It added fifteen additional disciplinary canons, further contributing to the emerging framework of Christian moral law.
Preparing the Church for Empire
Though none of these councils addressed christological or trinitarian dogma, their historical significance is profound. They reflect a Church emerging from persecution, eager to establish clarity in conduct, rigor in office, and holiness among its people. They laid the disciplinary groundwork for the doctrinal edifice soon to be erected at Nicaea and beyond.
Their moral strictness, clerical centrality, and occasional severity signal a Church not yet triumphant, but resolved to purify itself before entering imperial favor. Their canons echo with the stern wisdom of those who had seen too many fall, and knew the cost of compromise.
