The Acts of the Church Synods of Orange (441) and Vaison (442) and the Role of the Bishop in Late Antique Gaul
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2025 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| www | |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.47743/saa-2025-31-1-10 |
| Klíčová slova | Gaul; migration period; church synods; episcopal rule; Gallic episcopate |
| Popis | This article examines the role of the Gallic episcopate in responding to the social and political crises of the fifth century, particularly through the lens of two early synods held in Orange (441) and Vaison (442). While the period was marked by the collapse of Roman administrative structures and the increasing vulnerability of local populations, the Gallic Church – and especially its bishops – began to assume key social functions that had been previously managed by the imperial state. The synodal canons from Orange and Vaison reveal early and systematic efforts by bishops to protect the poor and assert ecclesiastical authority over both spiritual and material realms. In particular, the acts emphasise episcopal responsibility for safeguarding Church property and the rights of the vulnerable, especially through the institution of ecclesiastical asylum. Canon 4 of the Synod of Vaison, which condemns those who withhold bequests to the Church as “murderers of the poor,” illustrates the moral and rhetorical strategies used to legitimise episcopal power. These developments are interpreted within the broader framework of Bischofsherrschaft (or “episcopal rule”) understood as a gradual and context-specific process. |