Folia Theologica 17. (2006)

Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi: The importance of the councils of Toledo of the 6th-8th centuries in the Spanish and in the universal canonical discipline of the Church

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COUNCILS OF TOLEDO 229

council ended, the Catholic faith became the official religion in the territory of the Visigoth Kingdom.4 As Constantine the Great made his fundamental decision on the side of the Catholic creed in the Council of Nicea, and that decision unified the Roman Empire, Recared could do the same through the conclusion of the Council of Toledo III.5 The Catholic Church incorporated those bishops and clerics wished to convert from the Arian community to the Catholic faith.6 From this time the relationship between Rome and the Visigoth Kingdom improved a lot, which is well supported by a papal letter addressed to Braulio, bishop of Saragossa (cf. St. Braulio) on occasion of the Council of Toledo VI (638).7 Moreover, we can see also a strong, direct influence of the general councils - which were held in East - on the text of the Iberian ecclesiastical legislation. This is especially true concerning the Council of Constantinople III (680-681) and the Council of Toledo XIII (683).

Concerning the Spanish Church, we must mention its well centralized institutional system, which developed especially from the end of the 6th century. At the head of this hierarchy we can find the archbishop of Toledo. The institution of the Toledo Councils as so-called "concilium generale" on the one hand made them the fo4 LOGAN, F.D., A History of the Church in the Middle Ages, London-New York N.Y. 2002. 21-22.

5 HILLGARTH, J.N., La conversion de los visigodos, in Analecta Sacra Tarraconensia 34 (1961) 21-46, especially 40.

6 Cf. (...) Non credimus vestram latere sanctitatem quanto tempore in errore Arrianorum laborasset spanian, et non multo post discessum genitoris nostri dies quibus nos vestra beatitudo fidei catholicae cognovit esse sociatos, credimus generaliter magnum et aeternum gaudium habuisse. (...) VIVES, J. (ed.), Concilios visigóticos e hispano-romanos, Barcelona-Madrid 1963. 108; cf. Council of Saragossa II (592) c. 1: Quum in nomine in urbem caesaraugustanam provinciae Tarraconensis ex permisso gloriosi atque sanctissimi principis Recaredi regis in anno septimo regni eius congregati fuissemus pro Dei timore tractantes id placuit sancto et venerabili synodo, ut presbyteri, qui ex haerese Arriana ad sanctam catholicam ecclesiam conversi sunt, qui sanctum et puram fidem atque castissimam tenuerint vitam, acceptam denuo benedictionem prebiteretu[s] Sancte et pure ministrare debeant, ceteri vero, qui hanc suprasriptam vitam adimplere vel tenere neglexerint, ab officio deposit sunt in clero. Ita de diaconibus sicut et de presbiteris constitutum est. VIVES, Concilios visigóticos, 154.

7 LYNCH, C.H.-GALINDO, P., San Braulio, Obispo de Zaragoza (631-651). Su vida y sus obras, Madrid 1950. 66, 117-120, 169-171.