Monte Valiña near Cádabo. Still the site of an annual Christian pilgrimage from nearby Villabade.
The Council of Toledo in A.D.400 marked the beginning of the end of Priscillianism. Its object was to put pressure on the erring bishops and clergy of the Spanish province of Galicia to abandon the veneration of the martyrs of Trier and restore peace and harmony among the Iberian churches. It sought to follow the guidelines of Ambrose and of pope Siricius which gave the conditions under which the recanting Priscillianists could be received back into communion. It was the occasion of the introduction of the metropolitan system of authority into the Spanish provinces, with the metropolitan of the province having the right to consecrate other bishops and perhaps more important, the power of veto. It was one more stage in the eventual all encompassing power of Rome.
The canons of the council of Toledo appear to have re-affirmed many of those promulgated at Saragosa. That most of these would be anti-Priscillianist is apparent by comparing the list on page 174 in Chadwick, with the earlier list on page 14.(1) That these major on the possible offences of women, both married and consecrated virgins, says much about the mind set of the bishops at that time. I will return to this in my final summary.
The elderly Symposius recanted and was effectively put under house arrest with 'watchdogs' to see that he behaved! His son Dictinius 'assistant bishop' of Astorga was only conditionally pardoned and could not ordain.
Four bishops remained recalcitrant and refused to place Priscillian and his teachings under anathema. Chadwick lists their names but their sees are unknown. It was at this point that "one of Herenias' clergy cried out before the council, 'of his own accord, not under interrogation', that Priscillian was catholic and a holy martyr who had been orthodox to the end and had suffered persecution at the hands of the bishops".(2) Needless to say the four bishops and their clergy were promptly condemned for 'lying perjury'. Warning was given by the council to all orthodox bishops to beware that "those excommunicated should not hold private devotional meetings in women's houses and read apocrypha which have been condemned".(2)
From A.D. 407 onwards the secular imperial authorities made laws confiscating personal propery of any known Priscillianists. Slaves were declared free to abandon Priscillianist masters, and any estate where Priscillianist meetings were known to be held were declared forfeit to the treasury.
In A.D. 409 the Vandals, Alans and Sueves invaded the Spanish provinces through the undefended passes of the Pyrenees. The writ of Imperial Rome no longer ran in Galicia and other north-western provinces. The separation from the empire meant that the persecuted Priscillianists of Galicia were free to flourish without interference from the the court of Honorius at Ravenna. The fulminations of Augustine (3) and Orosius (4) from Africa would have little effect, with Galicia isolated from the influence of the Roman church. Orosius explains that his reason for leaving Galicia was to seek out the true theology. Implying that the only theology available in Galicia was Priscillianist!
With the tensions between Catholicism and Arianism in the north of Spain, the Priscillianists seem to have been largely ignored. There are occasional references to them up to the middle of the seventh century. A letter from Braulio, the bishop of Saragosa from A.D. 631 - 651, notes that a heresy capable of misleading Orosius until he was corrected by Augustine needs to be treated "with anxious respect". (5)
It would seem that by the end of the seventh century, Priscillianism was a spent force. The Galician country folk would no doubt retain a folk memory of his teaching. It may be that his name was remembered and used in invocations for crops and herds in the countryside in which he had lived and worked.
(1) see blog "Priscillian - The beginning of the Story" on Tuesday, 20 August 2013
(2) Chadwick. p. 185.
(3) Augustine of Hippo A.D. 354 – 430. especially "Liber ad Orosium contra Priscillianistas et Origenistas".
(4) Orosius c. A.D. 375, died after 418. Consultatio sive commonitorium ad Augustinum de errore Priscillianistarum et Origenistarum - usually shortened to "Commonitorium".
(5) Braulio. Ep.44. Quoted in Chadwick. p.230.
The canons of the council of Toledo appear to have re-affirmed many of those promulgated at Saragosa. That most of these would be anti-Priscillianist is apparent by comparing the list on page 174 in Chadwick, with the earlier list on page 14.(1) That these major on the possible offences of women, both married and consecrated virgins, says much about the mind set of the bishops at that time. I will return to this in my final summary.
The elderly Symposius recanted and was effectively put under house arrest with 'watchdogs' to see that he behaved! His son Dictinius 'assistant bishop' of Astorga was only conditionally pardoned and could not ordain.
Four bishops remained recalcitrant and refused to place Priscillian and his teachings under anathema. Chadwick lists their names but their sees are unknown. It was at this point that "one of Herenias' clergy cried out before the council, 'of his own accord, not under interrogation', that Priscillian was catholic and a holy martyr who had been orthodox to the end and had suffered persecution at the hands of the bishops".(2) Needless to say the four bishops and their clergy were promptly condemned for 'lying perjury'. Warning was given by the council to all orthodox bishops to beware that "those excommunicated should not hold private devotional meetings in women's houses and read apocrypha which have been condemned".(2)
From A.D. 407 onwards the secular imperial authorities made laws confiscating personal propery of any known Priscillianists. Slaves were declared free to abandon Priscillianist masters, and any estate where Priscillianist meetings were known to be held were declared forfeit to the treasury.
In A.D. 409 the Vandals, Alans and Sueves invaded the Spanish provinces through the undefended passes of the Pyrenees. The writ of Imperial Rome no longer ran in Galicia and other north-western provinces. The separation from the empire meant that the persecuted Priscillianists of Galicia were free to flourish without interference from the the court of Honorius at Ravenna. The fulminations of Augustine (3) and Orosius (4) from Africa would have little effect, with Galicia isolated from the influence of the Roman church. Orosius explains that his reason for leaving Galicia was to seek out the true theology. Implying that the only theology available in Galicia was Priscillianist!
With the tensions between Catholicism and Arianism in the north of Spain, the Priscillianists seem to have been largely ignored. There are occasional references to them up to the middle of the seventh century. A letter from Braulio, the bishop of Saragosa from A.D. 631 - 651, notes that a heresy capable of misleading Orosius until he was corrected by Augustine needs to be treated "with anxious respect". (5)
It would seem that by the end of the seventh century, Priscillianism was a spent force. The Galician country folk would no doubt retain a folk memory of his teaching. It may be that his name was remembered and used in invocations for crops and herds in the countryside in which he had lived and worked.
(1) see blog "Priscillian - The beginning of the Story" on Tuesday, 20 August 2013
(2) Chadwick. p. 185.
(3) Augustine of Hippo A.D. 354 – 430. especially "Liber ad Orosium contra Priscillianistas et Origenistas".
(4) Orosius c. A.D. 375, died after 418. Consultatio sive commonitorium ad Augustinum de errore Priscillianistarum et Origenistarum - usually shortened to "Commonitorium".
(5) Braulio. Ep.44. Quoted in Chadwick. p.230.
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