Neocaesarea - Canon 15

The deacons ought to be seven in number, according to the canon, even if the city be great.  Of this you will be persuaded from the Book of the Acts.

Spurred by the letter of the Law rather than the Spirit behind it, this council affirmed that seven deacons were required for any church by virtue of the number of men serving in Acts 6 without regard for any unspoken circumstance or need.  I wonder what thought was given to the idea that seven was an efficient number to care for those needing the service rendered. Instead, it was now being sanctioned as a perfect number for a local church regardless of size.

Neocaesarea - Canon 14

The chorepiscopi, however, are indeed after the pattern of the Seventy; and as fellow-servants, on account of their devotion to the poor, they have the honor of making the oblation.

This canon appears to be a continuation of the previous.  The chorepiscopi were not considered sufficiently qualified to be full overseers but could administer the Lord's Supper without undue restriction.

Neocaesarea - Canon 13

Country presbyters may not make the oblation in the church of the city when the bishop or presbyters of the city are present; nor may they give the Bread or the Cup with prayer.  If, however, they be absent, and he [i.e., a country presbyter] alone be called to prayer, he may give them.

The eldership of outlying areas was considered lower than that of the main city.  The country elder was not allowed to administer the Lord's Supper a city elder was present, though it was permissible when such were absent.  The distinction is superficial unless a country elder was considered to be a journeyman type of position until he might reach full mastery as a city elder.

Neocaesarea - Canon 12

If any one be baptized when he is ill, forasmuch as his [profession of] faith was not voluntary, but of necessity [i.e. fear of death] he cannot be promoted to the presbyterate, unless on account of his subsequent [display of] zeal and faith, and because of a lack of men.

The person was sick so that death was feared, spurring the baptism.  Lest this be equated to a last rite, remember that catechumens sometimes waited three years to be baptized in order to make their faith plain to all.  Once baptized, they were considered true believers with all the rights, responsibilities, and repercussions.  This outward act was and is a demarcating line of faith properly understood and practiced.  Upon recovery that man was considered unfit to be an elder by virtue of his prior immaturity.  His baptism would not have suddenly made him able to rightly divide the word of God.  If however his ensuing life demonstrated the character and growth needed, he might be considered as an elder if there was a lack of suitable men.  This concession stemmed from an acknowledgment that what training in sound doctrine he had would likely be put to proper use.

Neocaesarea - Canon 11

Let not a presbyter be ordained before he is thirty years of age, even though he be in all respects a worthy man, but let him be made to wait.  For our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized and began to teach in his thirtieth year.

Scripture does not give a specific age for elders to be recognized.  Those around within the Christian community should be able to discern who has sufficient wisdom and experience to be heeded.  Had I a voice into this council, my plea would have been to make the minimum age higher.  Elders are by definition older than those they lead.  I realize there are small groups of "20-somethings" meeting together for worship and mutual edification trying to be led by someone not much older than they.  Regardless of his Bible knowledge, he simply does not have the life experience of faithful application of scripture.  Take this advice from one who in his mid-20s knew everything and over the next three decades discovered he didn't.

Why did this council pick 30?  More than one thing is acting on the decision.  First is the reason given: Jesus began his ministry about age 30.  That is insufficient reason for ordination in and of itself.  Behind this mention of Jesus' age is God's wisdom in timing.  The Levites were not allowed to begin service in the tabernacle until age 30 (Numbers 4).  For the Lord Jesus to be, in the eyes of the people, a viable rabbi and minister in all things pertaining to God, he needed to meet this basic qualification.

Second is the desire to maintain the formal hierarchical structure that had been implemented some time before.  Elders were considered junior overseers.  With enough time and preparation, a future promotion came as reward.  Some delineation of age and experience requirement needed to be established in order to make a separation from the common people.  This Levitical age requirement suffices.

Third, or possibly as an extension of the first two, was the shift toward the Law as a basis for church life.  As one follows church history, the rites of the declining Jerusalem church with its distinct Jewish culture were taken up by the Gentile churches.  Gradually, the types, pictures, and shadows of the Moses were solidified within the Church.  Grace gave way to Law so that the outward expression became the goal rather than the outflow of individual and corporate life.

Neocaesarea - Canon 10

Likewise, if a deacon have fallen into the same sin, let him have the rank of a minister.

This refers back to Canon 9 and the elder confessing sexual sin prior to ordination.  Should the same scenario happen with a deacon, he would no be allowed to move further up the clerical ladder as an elder or overseer.

Neocaesarea - Canon 9

A presbyter who has been promoted after having committed carnal sin, and who shall confess that he had sinned before his ordination, shall not make the oblation, though he may remain in his other functions on account of his zeal in other respects; for the majority have affirmed that ordination blots out other kinds of sins.  But if he do not confess and cannot be openly convicted, the decision shall depend upon himself.

It was possible that an elder confessed a sexual sin that occurred before his appointment to the current position.  If so, he was no longer able to handle the bread and wine for the Lord's supper but continued in all other respects.

The clause concerning the blotting out of sin is most curious.  Ordination has no biblical power to blot out sin.  No work of man could, though perhaps this was an application of absolution mentioned in Matt 18:18-19 and John 20:23.  Conversely, it was recognized that sexual sins were not removed though others could be.  Possibly this might have been how the required blameless character (1 Tim 3:2; Tit 1:7) was addressed when the past sin came to light.  The last sentence lends some light in that the sexual partner might have been able to bring charges.  If she either did not or could not do so, the elder could just remain quiet and continue on faithfully in his duties without the confession.

Neocaesarea - Canon 8

If the wife of a layman has committed adultery and been clearly convicted, such [a husband] cannot enter the ministry; and if she commit adultery after his ordination, he must put her away; but if he retain her, he can have no part in the ministry committed to him.

If a woman had been accused and convicted of adultery,¹ her husband was banned from serving as overseer, elder, or deacon.  While the man is the one to be recognized or ordained to a position, this does not absolve the woman of responsibility in conduct.  They are one flesh, and as such Paul relates how wives are to be faithful to their husbands for them to be considered and serve (1 Tim 3:4-5, 11).

The surprising portion of this canon is the requirement for divorce if she committed adultery after he was ordained.  While the need for purity in the marriage of a spiritual leader is paramount, severing the bond is highly extreme.  Possibly the intent of the canon was to protect the cleric from a wayward spouse, thus allowing him to continue in his office.


¹ This accurately describes what was required in the Law (Deut 19:15-21) forming a basis of what was taught by Christ (Matt 18:15-20) and Paul (1 Tim 5:17-20).

Neocaesarea - Canon 7

A presbyter shall not be a guest at the nuptials of persons contracting a second marriage; for, since the digamist is worthy of penance, what kind of a presbyter shall he be, who, by being present at the feast, sanctioned the marriage?

Canons of Ancyra and Neocaesarea had already referred to digamy unfavorably requiring penance.  An elder would not be thought to sanction such a union by his presence.  No penalty is specified, therefore we might understand that this simply gave the reason for an elder's refusal to attend.

Neocaesarea - Canon 6

Concerning a woman with child, it is determined that she ought to be baptized whensoever she will; for in this the woman communicates nothing to the child, since the bringing forward to profession is evidently the individual [privilege] of every single person.

Judging from the language of the canon, there must have been a question concerning the need to baptize an infant after birth if the mother had been baptized while pregnant.  With the prevalence of paedobaptism, this would have been an understandable concern.  The conclusion to the matter was correct, as the individual is responsible for his own trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Neocaesarea - Canon 5

If a catechumen coming into the Church has taken his place in the order of catechumens, and falls into sin, let him, if a kneeler, become a hearer and sin no more.   But should he again sin while a hearer, let him be cast out.

At the time of this canon, two types of catechumen were known: the hearer who listened to the reading of the scriptures then departed and the kneeler who participated in the prayers.  The latter was to be more mature in the faith, so that a sin at this point was dealt with more seriously.  Then if that same person sinned again while being set back, he was excommunicated.

Neocaesarea - Canon 4

If any man lusting after a woman purposes to lie with her, and his design does not come to effect, it is evident that he has been saved by grace.

This canon was peculiar in that it did not directly regulate a matter of polity but focused on thoughts and intentions in relation to actions: probably both having a view of discipline in mind. The man was certainly guilty of adultery/fornication according to his intentions (Matt 5:27-30), but the canon recognized the sanctifying work that grace has wrought in keeping him from physically fulfilling his desire and thus keeping him from further harm and degradation.  Such is the work of our Lord for his people.

This does not absolve the man from need to contend with his sin nature and consider his members dead (Rom 6:12-14).  Obviously, some work remains to be done by the abiding word and Holy Spirit.

Neocaesarea - Canon 3

Concerning those who fall into many marriages, the appointed time of penance is well known; but their manner of living and faith shortens the time.

This canon applied to multiple spouses whether contiguously (polygamy) or consecutively (digamy or trigamy).  An already accepted time of penance was prescribed to be carried forward for these cases with the understanding that the evidence of Christian growth manifesting itself might lessen the period.

Times of penance, though enacted and carried down, were not always officially recorded. Basil had recounted in a letter to Amphilochius concerning trigamy that the time was "not by the canons, but following the precept of our predecessors,"¹ thus giving deference to the wisdom demonstrated in past practice.


¹ "To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons," Basil: Letters and Select Works, (NPNF² 8:225).

Neocaesarea - Canon 2

If a woman shall have married two brothers, let her be cast out until her death.  Nevertheless, at the hour of death she may, as an act of mercy, be received to penance, provided she declare that she will break the marriage, should she recover.  But if the woman in such a marriage, or the man, die, penance for the survivor shall be very difficult.

While polygamy has had a wide acceptance, the same cannot be said of the reverse.  A moral society might accept and even promote a man taking more than one wife based either on cultural norms or rationalizing from the biblical patriarchs and kings.  And marrying sisters might even be considered acceptable from Isaac's example with Leah and Rachel.  Only the most corrupt would consider such a relationship for a woman with multiple husbands and being brothers besides.

If a polyamorous woman had been brought in as a believer, she was to be excommunicated without mercy until her deathbed.  At that point allowing a penitential position of the woman is allowed if she agreed to be rid of her extra husband through whatever means.

In the event that one spouse might die, the other would be hard-pressed to find mercy even to be penitent.  So great was the sin committed by virtue of the union that the church assumed those in the relationship could not be a true follower of Christ.

Neocaesarea - Canon 1

This begins a series on the council of Neocaesarea in Pontus. This council followed Ancyra but predated the others.¹

If a presbyter marry, let him be removed from his order; but if he commit fornication or adultery, let him be altogether cast out and put to penance.

This canon echoes a sentiment behind Ancyra - Canon 10 concerning matrimony for church leaders.  This canon gave a strict ruling in regards to elders for either marriage or sexual sin. To the former, the council required that the elder be removed from his position in the church, though some measure of respect would continue based on wisdom and experience.  As for the latter case, the elder was removed from communion altogether.  This rule recognized the severity of sin in spiritual leaders, and the need to deal with it "in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear " (1 Tim 5:20).


¹ The Seven Ecumenical Councils, (NPNF² 14:78).