Council of Thirty

The council of Thirty is the ecumenical nineteenth council recognized by the Roman Catholic church. He is convened by the Pape Paul III in 1545, in answer to the requests formulated by Martin Luther within the framework of the Protestant Réforme. He is held in eighteen years, out of twenty-five sessions, four Pontificat S and three cities.

Against the Protestant theses, it defines the authority of the Bible, the Original sin and the justification and confirms the seven Sacrement S, the worship of the Saint S and the Relique S as well as the dogma of the Transsubstantiation. On the disciplinary level, it creates the Séminaire S diocesans, intended to form the priest S. Thirty is one of the most important councils of the history of Catholicism; it is most abundantly quoted by the Concile Vatican II.

In its book to finish some with the Middle Ages , the historian Régine Pernoud presents this council like the cut between the medieval Church and the Church of traditional times.

History

Context

The first call to the council emanates from Luther itself, initially the September 28th 1518, then the October 11th 1520: he asks for the arbitration of a council in his conflict with papacy. Indeed, the beginning of the 16th century is still strongly marked by the idea that the council, incarnation of the universal Church, is the authority, higher than the pope, where any injustice is judged. Papacy knows this risk well and Pie II, in 1460, does not hesitate to assimilate call to the general council and Hérésie in its bubble Execrabilis .

Papacy thus challenges at once the call of Luther. Quickly, this one gains a broad audience, mainly in Germany where in 1523, the Protestant States of the Holy roman Empire claim officially the behavior of a German council. If Charles Quint is favorable to the behavior of a council, he refuses the convocation of an only German assembly. However, the war with François I {{er}} of France makes impossible the behavior of an assembly universal.

In 1534, the pope Clément VII dies. Paul III, his successor, wishes that the Church take again the initiative. It thus accepts the idea of the council from a point of view of general reform. With this intention, it raises with the crimson cardinalice Italian reformers and constitutes the Commission emendenda Ecclesia , “for the reform of the Church”. The June 2nd 1536 is published the bubble of indiction, AD Dominici gregis curam , which fixes the opening of the council the May 23rd 1537 at Mantoue.

To Thirty

Little time after, the war begins again between Charles Quint and François Ist In parallel, the place of the behavior of the council poses problem: the duke of Mantoue formula of the disproportionate requirements while the République of Venice refuses with half-word to lodge the assembly, which is thus deferred. The May 22nd 1542, Paul III publishes a bubble of indiction again, but the war again delays the opening of the council until the December 13rd 1545, this time at Thirty, in the the Alps, ground of Empire.

For the meeting of opening, crowd is thin: three legates, four archbishops, twenty bishops, the prosecutor of the Archbishop of Mainz and five generals of orders. Calvin will joke on this subject: “ if it estoit only one provincial synod, ilz devroyent to have shame to be if little. ” Worse still, the Christian States consider that the council is under the cut of the Emperor. France condescends to send only three bishops to it. At the time of the seventh session, in March 1547, only 68 prelates are present. It should be said that only the Italians can go conveniently to Thirty.

Quickly, however, the Fathers of the council intend to free themselves from the imperial supervision. Against Charles Quint who intended to limit them to the ecclesiastical abuses, they also seize dogmatic questions. Against its will also, they condemn the Protestant doctrines: the April 8th 1546, it make Tradition an element of the Revelation; the June 17th, they reiterate of it the catholic design of the original sin and the January 13rd 1547, they make in the same way for the justification. In front of their audacity, Paul III worries, whereas its relations with the Emperor are tightened.

In March 1547, Giovanni Maria LED Goes up, pontifical legate and secretary of the council, benefits from an epidemic with Thirty to make transfer the council to Bologna.

In Bologna

Furious, Charles Quint prohibited his prelates from leaving Thirty, and declares invalid the transfer. Consequently, the meetings held in Bologna are purely formal. The Fathers of the council take care not to make any decision, which would be disputed by the Emperor: no decree is voted during this session.

In parallel, Charles Quint does not make continue work of the remained German prelates with Thirty. In 1548, it imposes in the Empire the Intérim of Augsburg, solution purely German, which maintains the dogma catholic with two concessions near: the communion under the two species and the marriage of the priests. Paul III must open the negotiations quickly, of fear of a Schisme. In September 1549, it authorizes the fathers remained in Bologna to regain Thirty.

Return to Thirty

Little time after, Paul III dies. The secretary of the council is elected pope and takes the name of Jules III. Considered anti-imperial, it turns casaque at once crowned and, in the hope to bring back Parma in the family inheritance, it is combined with the Emperor, thus making it possible the council to be reopened on May 1st 1551, under the presidency of the legate Marcello Crescenzio. Henri II of France, furious, challenges the council and prohibited with its prelates to go there. For its part, Charles Quint forces his Protestant States to dispatch representatives with the council. Only the dukes of Saxony and Wurtemberg, the voter of Brandebourg and the town of Strasbourg yield there. As soon as arrived, the Protestant ambassadors lay down their conditions, which are rejected by the council which, on the contrary, reaffirms the dogma of the Transsubstantiation. In parallel, the Spanish Fathers and papacy are opposed on the disciplinary reform of the clerks.

In 1552, the Protestant States and Henri II declare the war with Charles Quint. The army of Maurice of Saxony threat south of Germany. The April 28th, the council is raised and evacuates the city.

Jules III takes note of the failure of the council as regards Christian unit. He folds up himself on the reform of the Catholic church and prepares a bubble which he does not have time to publish. Its successor, Paul IV, fulminates against the Simonie, but does not raise the conciliar idea. In 1559, Henri II finds death accidentally. Charles IX of France and Catherine de Médicis, vis-a-vis torn France, then wishes to convene a purely French council to settle the religious question - It will be the attempt of the Colloque of Poissy. For papacy, a separate council is unacceptable. Black and white IV, elected in 1559, thus convenes again the council with Thirty by the bubble AD Ecclasiæ regimen (November 29th 1560).

The January 18th 1562, the council is again opened, this time with more prelates, but still mainly Italian. This session of the council relates mainly to the sacrament of the order, more precisely on the episcopal residence. In November, the French delegation arrives, chaired by the cardinal of Lorraine. The debate goes then on the definition of the pontifical capacity. After much as difficulties, the Fathers describe the episcopal residence of “divine precept” but abstain from prudently on the pontifical capacity.

In their dash, the Fathers of the council intend to attack the abuses the princes. At once, the kings of France and Spain announce their dissatisfaction. The French ambassadors leave Thirty after grinds protests. The decree project is finally isolated. The council is completed by a succession of decrees on the Purgatoire, the worship of the saints or the Relique S.

Enclose

The 3 and December 4th 1563 are held the closing session. The whole of the decrees of the council is read in front of the Fathers, gathered in the cathedral Saint-Vigil of Thirty. At the end of this reading, the legate Giovanni Morone, secretary of the council, ask the Fathers if they wish to close their assembly. All having answered amen , the cardinal of Lorraine returns grace:

with the various popes of the council;
in Charles Quint, the emperor Ferdinand and the “sérénissimes kings” (not named) having protected the council;
with the apostolic legates;
with the cardinals and ambassadors;
with the bishops.

Each one of her acclamations the crowd of the Fathers of the council answers. Lastly, he exclaims: “ Anathema with all the heretics! ”, taken again by the Fathers: “ anathema, anathema ! ”

Conciliar contribution

Dogmatic work

First characteristic of the doctrinal work of the council, it is conceived directly in answer to the Protestant theses. It thus does not have anything systematic.

The Revelation

Being the sources of the Revelation, the council defines, at the time of its IVe session (April 8th 1546), the Canon - i.e. contents considered as authentically revealed -, in which are included books that the Protestant qualify apocryphal book S and the catholic of deuterocanonic. The Vulgate, Latin translation written by Jerome de Stridon, is proclaimed authentic. The editions of the Bible from now on are subjected to the censure of the ecclesiastical authorities:

The saint council decides and declares that the old edition of the Vulgate, approved in the Church by the use of so much of centuries, must be held for authentic in the public lessons, the discussions, preachings and the explanations, and that nobody must have the audacity to reject it, under any pretext.

The question of the translation in vernacular language is tackled, but after abundant debates, the council chooses not to slice. In practice, all the editions of the Bible in vulgar language will be put at the Index in 1559.

The council also recognizes the Tradition (Christianity) like source of the Revelation. It defines it as “ the not written traditions which, received by the Apostles of the mouth of Christ himself or transmitted as with hand in hand by the Apostles under the dictation of the Holy Spirit arrived to us. ” the council takes care well, however, not to draw up the list of these traditions. Calvin concludes that “ all that ilz will propose, how much that it is by no means founded in Escriture, will be put at the number of the traditions, which they want that one croye as much as the loy and the prophets. ” the decree on the Revelation causes reserves in certain Fathers concilaires, inter alia Giacomo Nacchiante.

Safety

The dogma of the original sin is defined at the time of Ve session, the June 17th 1546. If it touches all the men, it is erased by the baptism: “ in those which were born again, nothing is the object of the hatred of God. ” By this decree, the council is opposed resolutely to the Protestant theses of an irremediably corrupted human nature: for them, the man intrinsically any more sinning, but is not involved with the sin by the concupiscence, to which it must resist.

According to a tough legend, this council would have ruled on the heart of the women. This misunderstanding does not originate in the Council of Thirty, but a regional council older good, the second council of Mâcon in October 585. The question of a bishop about the use of the word homo in the Writing for the woman wrongfully gives rise to the legend on the question of the heart of the woman in the Church. It would have been astonishing that this rumor exact considering the devotion is carried to holy and in particular to Marie, and considering the women were never private sacraments, except for ordination.

The council approaches then, in its Life session (January 13rd 1547), the problem of the “justification”, i.e. methods of the hello. In a very long text (16 chapters, 33 guns), the council explains why the faith is at the origin of the hello of the man. However, “ nobody can know, of an absolute certainty of faith excluding any error, which it obtained the grace of God ”: the council is opposed there not only to the Protestants, but to an old medieval tradition. The man must thus fight unceasingly, and progress in the faith by his works and a regular administration of the sacraments. The sacrament of penitence thus makes it possible to the Christian to be again justified if it were let go to the concupiscence.

It there thus has rejection at the same time justification by the faith alone, defended by Luther, and the thesis of the “double justice”, left consensus between catholics and Protestants defended to Thirty by the cardinal Girolamo Seripando, general of Augustins.

The definition of the sacraments

The council confirms the list of the seven Sacrement S released by the Church at the end of the 13th century: baptism, eucharistie, penitence, confirmation, order, marriage and extreme unction. These sacraments are declared effective by themselves ( ex operates operato ), independently of that which manages them, and even that which receives them.

By defining the eucharistie, the council maintains and confirms the dogma of the Transsubstantiation:

The Fathers thus draw aside the thesis Lutheran of the Consubstantiation and the sacramentary thesis, denying the real Présence.

Following this council was written the Catéchisme of the Council of Thirty.

This council was the dogmatic last Concile with being concluded, because the the Vatican I was not concluded and the following is the ecumenical council the Vatican II, known as pastoral Concile.

Disciplinary work

The Fathers of the council intend to reform the Church of the interior. They do not hesitate to quote their own example to denounce the ecclesiastical abuses: thus of the cardinal of Lorraine, archbishop at 14 years. Taking again medieval guns, the council fixes at 25 years the minimal age of the priesthood.

The residence of the bishops is approached at the time of the Life session, the January 13rd 1547. The council remains careful: there envisages sanctions against the faulty bishops, going until the deprivation of their temporal, but also of the cases of exemption, the pope remaining the referee on the matter. The capacities of the bishops are reinforced: from now on, they must visit each year all the churches of their diocese, even those which profit from an exemption granted by the pope. The council manages to spare pontifical susceptibilities by recalling that the bishop draws his capacity from the Holy See itself.

The council stresses the pastoral role of the Church: at the time of its Ve session, it institutes a station of reader in Writings in each cathedral, brood or monastery, and a post of Master of grammar in the smaller churches. He recalls to the bishops their obligation to preach or make preach. He institutes Séminaire S for the training of the clergy. However, it lets remain a blur between school for poor children and training center of the clerks. The model of the seminar tridentin is established clearly only at the time of the distinction between small and great seminar, this last accommodating of the older pupils, having received a minor order. Lastly, the council invites the artists to respect the decency and to present clear doctrinal models.

See too

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