TheFirst Synod of Tyre or theCouncil of Tyre (335 AD) was agathering of bishops called together atTyre by EmperorConstantine I for the primary purpose of evaluating charges brought againstAthanasius, thePatriarch of Alexandria, who was deposed by the council.[1][2]
Athanasius was involved in the early Christianchristological andtrinitarian debates, and supported the position of theCouncil of Nicaea in opposition to that ofArius and hisfollowers.[3][4][5]
In 328, Athanasius was elected asbishop orpatriarch of Alexandria.[6][7][8]Alexandria happened to be the city in which Arius was apriest.[9][10][11] Opponents of Athanasius tried to prevent him from becoming bishop by alleging that he had not been elected properly,[12] or that Athanasius had not yet reached the age of 30, which was the minimum age for bishops in the church;[12] at Tyre, they alleged that he had facilitated his election throughbribery.[2]
After Athanasius succeeded to the see of Alexandria, the Arians had accused Athanasius of, among other things: immoral conduct, illegally taxing the Egyptian people, supporting rebels to the Imperial throne, and even murdering a bishop and keeping his severed hand for use in magical rites.[12] More to the point, Constantine was persuaded to ask Athanasius to re-admit Arius to the church—which he would not do.[13] In 334 Athanasius was summoned before a synod inCaesarea, which he did not attend.[14]
The emperor Constantine had ordered a Synod of bishops to be present at the consecration of the church which he had erected at Jerusalem (the precursor to theHoly Sepulchre). He directed that, as a secondary matter, they should on their way first assemble atTyre, to examine charges that had been brought against Athanasius.[15][non-primary source needed] The Emperor also sent a letter to Athanasius, making clear that if he did not attend voluntarily, he would be brought to the Synod forcibly.
Eusebius of Nicomedia played a major role in the council and, according toEpiphanius of Salamis, presided over the assembly.[16] About 310 members attended.[citation needed] Athanasius appeared this time with 48 Egyptian bishops.[citation needed] The council affirmed Arius's views as orthodox, admitted theMelitians to communion, and condemned Athanasius, who had already fled, convinced that he was not getting a fair hearing;[2] from there, Athanasius went toConstantinople to make an appeal to theemperor.[2]
According to Athanasius's account of the council, the emperor was sympathetic to Athanasius's cause until Athanasius's opponents produced the further charge that Athanasius had threatened to cut off the grain supply to Constantinople from Egypt.[2] This one charge, which was important to the Empire's livelihood, was enough for the emperor to exile Athanasius toTrier, then part of theGallic prefecture of Rome (in present-dayGermany).[2]
Athanasius did not return from exile until the death of Constantine in 337.[2]
Arianism was ultimately condemned by theFirst Council of Constantinople.[17]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Tyre".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.