Synod of Trier

The Synod of Trier was a church assembly convened in Treveris in 385 under the Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus . It dealt mainly with Priscillian , the bishop of Avila accused of heresy , and his followers. Because magic , sexual excesses and Manichaeism of several Gallic and Hispanic bishops displayed Priscillian was condemned by the emperor with several of his followers to death and then executed with a sword.

The Gnostic Manichaeic views and strict asceticism that Priscillian represented, as well as the rapid expansion of his following, made him a serious danger to his fellow bishops, who had come to terms with the convenience of their offices. The most important accusers were the bishops Hydatius of Emeritia and Ithacius of Ossonoba. The role that the newly elected Bishop Felix von Trier played in the trial against Priscillian should lead to his isolation within the Gallic bishops after the end of the synod.
Priscillian's wealth will certainly also have played a role in the imposition of the death sentences, since the condemned man's property went to the state and filled the empty cash register of the emperor Magnus Maximus. The interventions of important churchmen like Martin of Tours or Ambrosius of Milan not to carry out the death penalty were unsuccessful.

The after Priscillian, the first Christian who was executed as a result of an indictment by church representatives, named Priscillianism should have for centuries, especially in Galicia remain widespread.

literature

• Henry Chadwick : Priscillian of Avila. The Occult and the Charismatic in the Early Church. Clarendon, Oxford 1997.