Synod of Neuching

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The Synod of Neuching is next to the Synod of Aschheim and the Synod of Dingolfing one of the three big ones under the Agilolfingen Duke Tassilo III. held synods in Bavaria. It was presumably held on October 14, 771 or 772 at Niuhuinga (= Neuching ) and mainly secular laws, i.e. those that affect the people ( De popularibus legibus ), were passed in addition to the Lex Baiuvariorum .

At the synod, 18 canons were agreed; In addition, a Pastotal Ordinance is attached, which recalls the tasks of bishops and priests as well as abbots and monks. The text was probably written down or dictated by Bishop Arbeo .

In the introduction to the text on the Council of Churches, it is said that the prince, inspired by the divine spirit, called the greats of his kingdom (the proceres ) together to cut away, with the consent of the whole people, and by decrees in to bring a legal form. Initially, it was also stated that the pastoral care of the people (with exceptions in emergency situations) should not be carried out by the monks, but should be the responsibility of the world priests and the bishops. At the end of the council meeting, everyone decided unanimously that anyone who wished to deviate from the regulations should be removed from their midst, pending a repeated examination at a new public synod. This indicates the early emergence of a landscape with a say in the country’s greats.

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The resolutions of the Synod are:

A serf may not be sold outside the boundaries of his district; in the event of a violation, Wergeld is due (Art. 1). Stolen things (including animals) may not be sold or removed by magic (Art. 2). Anyone who steals property or people from someone else's home and is killed in the process will not receive redress; the stolen has the right to kill it inside or outside the house. However, the perpetrator must report this to his neighbors (Art. 3).

Nobody may accept or hide a stolen item (Art. 7). Anyone who cannot prove the crime to a thief by bringing witnesses (witness discipline ) should atone as if he had stolen the thing himself (Art. 11). Those released can be forced to attend courts called Urtella (= God's judgment ) (Art. 8).

Anyone who resists a visitation ( Selisuchen ) in his house should be punished with 40 shillings (Art. 12). Anyone who opposes someone who wants to re-appropriate his stolen thing (= Handalod ) should pay the state 40 shillings and return the stolen thing (Art. 13). If a thief was killed in the act and a relative wanted to avenge this, he should lose his property (Art. 14).

A duel ( vuehandik ) should only take place when the parties are ready, so that no reenactments are made through songs or devilish arts (Art. 4). Anyone who dares to bring the same thing up against the plaintiff in a dispute called Kampfvuch (fight for life and death), in which the judgment has been pronounced, should take an oath in the church, called an abbey (= eighth oath), with three Give witnesses (Art. 5). In an act that the boyarians call staffsaken (= an oath taken in front of an idol), the guilty party must withdraw this and stretch out his right hand for the just judgment of heaven (Art. 6).

People who have gained freedom through the church should keep it both themselves and their descendants (Art. 9). If one of these is killed, the value for it should be paid to that church from which he was freed (Art. 10).

Anyone who dishonors a seal and does not implement the ordinances should be charged the first time, the second time they have to pay a 40 shillings fine, the third time they replace the estimated price and the fourth time they are chased out of office (Art. 15). If a judge does not condemn a thief after the second or third act and releases him because of the diabolical gain, he should compensate those whom he has cheated for the damage as well as his own fault (Art. 16). If a man has divorced his wife because of adultery and one of her relatives should persecute him because of this, he should be expelled from his father's inheritance (Art. 17).

If a cleric, after having received a tonsure , wants to “curl” his hair like the people, or a veiled virgin wants to take off her veil, they must be expelled and excluded from the Church (Art. 18).

In the attached pastoral ordinance, the bishops are reminded of their duties with regard to their way of life and of the regulations towards deacons. Priests must be carefully chosen so that pastoral care is exercised not out of greed but for the benefit of the soul. The bishop must also be attentive to the formation of priests to lead the people entrusted to them and to read mass. Baptism should be performed twice a year. A priest must also keep a book of sacraments that the bishop can consult. Priests are admonished to make sacrifices to God and refrain from fornication, perjury, and the defilement of idols. There are also references to the clothing of the priests, they should not wear secular clothing and no weapons. A school for the formation of priests is to be established in every town.

Significance of the Synod

The resolutions passed are important in terms of church, legal and state policy. The preliminaries express that the duke acts out of his own efforts (and not on the orders of a king or the pope). At the same time, he secured the approval of the nobility and clergy, and the rights of ordinary people were emphasized. Then bishops and secular priests are strengthened by limiting the monks to their monasteries and not doing the pastoral care of the normal people. However, a compromise is sought between bishops and abbots. One recognizes in it the endeavor to push back the remnants of paganism. The stand of the freedmen will also be upgraded. Property and homes are given special protection and theft is threatened with severe penalties. Even judges who do not want to carry out these sentences run the risk of paying instead of the wrongdoer. The protection of the ducal seal meant for those receiving orders a closer and punitive bond up to the loss of office to the duke. It is also worth mentioning that those who do not adhere to the resolutions will be excluded from among those responsible and that changes can only be made at a new synod.

literature

  • Jahn, Joachim: Ducatus Baiuvariorum: The Bavarian Duchy of the Agilolfinger. Cape. 12.4 The Synod of Neuching (771), pp. 475–476. Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-7772-9108-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Synod in Neuching 771. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  2. ↑ Johannes Merkel: Monumenta Germaniae Historica. 1863, pp. 462-468.
  3. ↑ Joachim Jahn, 1991, p. 475.
  4. ↑ Historical treatises of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences. 1st volume. Lindauerische Buchhandlung, Munich 1807, pp. 137–143.
  5. ↑ Joachim Jahn, 1991, p. 476.