Council of Sardica

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One of the series of councils called to adjust thedoctrinal and other difficulties caused by theArian heresy, held most probably in 343. (For date see Hefele, French Tr., "Histoire des conciles", II, pt. II, 737-42, and Duchesne, "Hist. ancienne de l'Église", II, 215.) It was convoked by the Emperors Constans and Constantius at the urgent entreaty of Pope Julius.Hosius of Cordova and other Westernbishops, desirous of peace and hoping to secure a final judgment in the case ofSt. Athanasius and otherbishops alternately condemned and vindicated by councils in the East and the West; desirous, also, of settling definitively the confusion arising from the manydoctrinal formulæ in circulation, suggested that all such matters should be referred to ageneral council. In order to make the council thoroughly representative, Sardica in Dacia (now Sofia, inBulgaria), was chosen as the meeting place.Athanasius, driven from Alexandria by the Prefect Philadrius in 339, was summoned by the Emperor Constans fromRome, where he had taken the latter place he metHosius, who was commissioned by thepope and the emperor to preside over the council, and whom he accompanied to Sardica. Pope Julius was represented by thepriests Archidamus and Philoxenus, and thedeacon Leo. Ninety-six Westernbishops presented themselves atSardica: those from the East were not so numerous.

Being in the minority, the Easternbishops decided to act as a body, and, fearing defections, they all lodged in the same place. On the ground of being unwilling to recognizeAthanasius,Marcellus of Ancyra, and Asclepas, who had beenexcommunicated in Easternsynods, they refused to sit in council with the Westernbishops.Hosius of Cordova attempted to effect a compromise by inviting them to present privately to him their complaints againstAthanasius, and by promising, in caseAthanasius should be acquitted, to take him toSpain. These overtures failed. The Easternbishops — although the council had been called expressly for the purpose of reopening the case in regard to those who had beenexcommunicated — defended their conduct on the fictitious plea that one council could not revise the decisions of another. They withdrew fromSardica and met at Philippopolis, where they composed anencyclical and a new creed, which they falsely dated fromSardica. The Westernbishops, thus abandoned, examined the cases ofAthanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas. No fresh investigation of charges againstAthanasius was considerednecessary, as these had already been rejected, and he and the other twobishops, who were permitted to present exculpatory documents, were declared innocent. In addition to this, censure was passed on the Easterns for having abandoned the council, and several of them were deposed andexcommunicated.

The question of a new creed containing some additions of that of Nicxa was discussed, but although the forumlæ had been drawn up, thebishops wisely decided to add nothing to the accepted symbol, and thus gave theArians no pretext for saying that hitherto they had not been explicitly condemned. Though the form of the proposed creed was presented to the council, it was bit inserted in the encyclical addressed by the council to "all thebishops of theCatholicChurch". Before separating, thebishops enacted several important canons, especially concerning the transfer and trial ofbishops and appeals. These canons, with the other documents of the council, were sent to Pope Julius with a letter signed by the majority of the attendingbishops. The council failed entirely to accomplish its purpose. The pacification of theChurch was not secured, and the Easternbishops grew bolder and more contumacious.

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