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==Presumed context of origin== | ==Presumed context of origin== | ||
According to Stüber, Scintillae, the collection arose from a specific historical occasion. A connection with the disputed episcopal ordination of Emerius of Saintes is assumed. Emerius had been ordained bishop of Saintes during the lifetime of the Frankish king Chlothar I (d. 561). According to Gregory of Tours, Leontius of Bordeaux, the responsible metropolitan, was not present at this ordination and therefore did not give his consent. Emerius, however, is said to have obtained a charter of Chlothar (''decretum regis''), according to which his ordination was lawful despite the absence of the metropolitan. After Chlothar’s death, Leontius then held a provincial synod in Saintes, deposed Emerius, and installed a successor. The accusation was that Emerius had attained office “non-canonically”. King Charibert I, the successor of Chlothar, however reversed this decision and had the designated successor of Emerius sent into exile. | According to {{Author|Stüber}}, [https://doi.org/10.1515/fmst-2022-0002 Scintillae de canonibus], the collection arose from a specific historical occasion. A connection with the disputed episcopal ordination of Emerius of Saintes is assumed. Emerius had been ordained bishop of Saintes during the lifetime of the Frankish king Chlothar I (d. 561). According to Gregory of Tours, Leontius of Bordeaux, the responsible metropolitan, was not present at this ordination and therefore did not give his consent. Emerius, however, is said to have obtained a charter of Chlothar (''decretum regis''), according to which his ordination was lawful despite the absence of the metropolitan. After Chlothar’s death, Leontius then held a provincial synod in Saintes, deposed Emerius, and installed a successor. The accusation was that Emerius had attained office “non-canonically”. King Charibert I, the successor of Chlothar, however reversed this decision and had the designated successor of Emerius sent into exile. | ||
Although no canons of the Synod of Saintes have survived, scholarship has established a connection with the Synod of Paris (ca. 561), which is not mentioned by Gregory of Tours. The canons of this synod are preserved. The eighth canon of Paris – this is the only Merovingian canon included in the ''Scintillae de ordinationibus'' – is in content clearly tailored to the Emerius affair. Moreover, Leontius of Bordeaux was among the synodal fathers at Paris, making coincidence very unlikely. It is also striking that the eighth canon of Paris takes up various regulations, all of which are contained in the other canons of the ''Scintillae | Although no canons of the Synod of Saintes have survived, scholarship has established a connection with the Synod of Paris (ca. 561), which is not mentioned by Gregory of Tours. The canons of this synod are preserved. The eighth canon of Paris – this is the only Merovingian canon included in the ''Scintillae de ordinationibus'' – is in content clearly tailored to the Emerius affair. Moreover, Leontius of Bordeaux was among the synodal fathers at Paris, making coincidence very unlikely. It is also striking that the eighth canon of Paris takes up various regulations, all of which are contained in the other canons of the ''Scintillae''. The canon further emphasizes that it seeks to restore the ''antiqua statuta canonum'', which had recently been neglected. Yet not only in terms of content, but also with regard to its history of transmission (see the [[Appendix in Paris BnF lat. 1454]]), an origin of the ''Scintillae'' in connection with the conflict over Emerius is fairly plausible. If the brief compilation served the purpose of providing canonistic material by means of which the deposition of Emerius could be legally justified, it is very likely that it was composed on the occasion of the provincial synod of Saintes (ca. 561). | ||
==Literature== | ==Literature== | ||
Revision as of 21:27, 30 December 2025
| Title | Scintillae de canonibus |
|---|---|
| Size | very small (less than 100 canons) |
| Century | saec. VI |
| Author | Till Stüber |
| Structure | by topic |
| No. of manuscripts | some (2–9) |
The Scintillae de canonibus uel ordinationibus episcoporum is a very small systematic collection of conciliar canons on episcopal elections.
It is extant in four copies (see Category:Manuscript of Scintillae de canonibus) as part of the Appendix in Paris BnF lat. 1454.
Contents and tendency
The collection consists of seven canons only, which are partially abridged:
1. Nicaea (325) c 6, end (Interpretatio Gallica)
2. Ancyra (314) c. 18 (Interpretatio Gallica)
3. Serdica (342) c. 2
4. Antioch (ca. 330) c. 9 (Interpretatio Isidori)
5. Antioch (ca. 330) c. 19 (Interpretatio Isidori)
6. Antioch (ca. 330) c. 20, beginning (Interpretatio Isidori)
7. Paris (ca. 561) c. 8
The canons lay down the conditions for the election and ordination of bishops; at the same time, they call for the deposition of elects who have unlawfully attained the episcopal office. Also noteworthy is the emphasis on the rights of the metropolitan: a bishop who has been ordained without the consent of his metropolitan is to be deposed (Nicaea c. 5, Antioch c. 19, Paris c. 8), and without the metropolitan’s consent the suffragans are generally permitted to undertake nothing (Antioch c. 9). Simony is likewise a subject of the collection; simoniacs are in principle unworthy of the episcopal office (Serdica c. 2, Paris c. 8). A characteristic of the small collection is its restriction to what is essential: the canons are in part abbreviated, and it may be assumed that the omitted passages were not relevant for the purposes of the anonymous compiler.
Presumed context of origin
According to Stüber, Scintillae de canonibus, the collection arose from a specific historical occasion. A connection with the disputed episcopal ordination of Emerius of Saintes is assumed. Emerius had been ordained bishop of Saintes during the lifetime of the Frankish king Chlothar I (d. 561). According to Gregory of Tours, Leontius of Bordeaux, the responsible metropolitan, was not present at this ordination and therefore did not give his consent. Emerius, however, is said to have obtained a charter of Chlothar (decretum regis), according to which his ordination was lawful despite the absence of the metropolitan. After Chlothar’s death, Leontius then held a provincial synod in Saintes, deposed Emerius, and installed a successor. The accusation was that Emerius had attained office “non-canonically”. King Charibert I, the successor of Chlothar, however reversed this decision and had the designated successor of Emerius sent into exile.
Although no canons of the Synod of Saintes have survived, scholarship has established a connection with the Synod of Paris (ca. 561), which is not mentioned by Gregory of Tours. The canons of this synod are preserved. The eighth canon of Paris – this is the only Merovingian canon included in the Scintillae de ordinationibus – is in content clearly tailored to the Emerius affair. Moreover, Leontius of Bordeaux was among the synodal fathers at Paris, making coincidence very unlikely. It is also striking that the eighth canon of Paris takes up various regulations, all of which are contained in the other canons of the Scintillae. The canon further emphasizes that it seeks to restore the antiqua statuta canonum, which had recently been neglected. Yet not only in terms of content, but also with regard to its history of transmission (see the Appendix in Paris BnF lat. 1454), an origin of the Scintillae in connection with the conflict over Emerius is fairly plausible. If the brief compilation served the purpose of providing canonistic material by means of which the deposition of Emerius could be legally justified, it is very likely that it was composed on the occasion of the provincial synod of Saintes (ca. 561).
Literature
Maassen, Geschichte pp. 873-874. – Stüber, Scintillae de canonibus.
