Carthage, Canons 16–30

Canon 16. That no bishop, presbyter or deacon should be a “conductor”; that readers should take wives; that the clergy should abstain from interest; and at what age they, or virgins, should be consecrated.

Likewise it seemed good that bishops, presbyters and deacons should not be “conductors” or “procurators,” nor seek their living by any base and degrading business. For they should remember how it is written: “No one fighting for God entangles himself in worldly affairs.” [a]

It also seemed good that readers, when they reach the age of puberty, should be compelled either to take wives or else to profess self-control. [c] Likewise it seemed good that if a clergyman has lent money, he should get back the money, and if he has lent goods, he should receive back the same kind as he gave. [d] And deacons are not to be ordained, nor virgins consecrated, before they are twenty-five years old. And readers are not to greet the people. [e]

Canon 17. That a province may have its own primate because of its distance. It seemed good that Mauretania Sitifensis, as it requested, should have a primate of its own, with the consent of the primate of Numidia, from whose synod it had been separated. And with the consent of all the primates of the African provinces and of all the bishops, permission was given, because of the great distance between them. [f]

Canon 18. That anyone ordained to the clergy ought to be warned to keep the church’s statutes. [h] And that neither the eucharist nor baptism is to be given to the bodies of the dead. And that every year the metropolitans of every province are to meet in synod. [i]

Greek canon 19. It seemed good that before bishops or other clergy are ordained, the provisions of the canons should be brought to their attention, so that they may not afterward regret having acted against the law through ignorance.

Canon 19. That if any bishop is accused, the case should be brought before the primate of his own province.

Aurelius the bishop said: “Whenever a bishop is accused, the accuser shall bring the case before the primates of the province to which the accused belongs. The accused shall not be suspended from communion because of the crime charged against him unless, having been duly summoned by letter, he fails to appear on the appointed day to argue his case before the chosen judges, that is, within the space of one month from the day on which he is found to have received the letter. But if he can prove some real necessity that plainly made it impossible for him to appear, he shall have the chance to argue his case within another full month. After the second month, however, he shall not be in communion until he is acquitted. “But if he is not willing to come to the yearly general council so that his case may be settled there, he shall be judged to have pronounced the sentence of his own condemnation at the time when he is out of communion, and he shall not be in communion either in his own church or in his diocese. “But his accuser, if he has not missed any of the days for pleading the case, shall not be shut out from communion. If, however, he has missed some of them by withdrawing himself, then the bishop shall be restored to communion and the accuser shall be removed from communion, yet in such a way that the possibility of going on with the case is not taken from him, if he proves that his absence was caused by lack of power and not by lack of will. “And this is enacted: if, when the case against the bishop has come to argument, the accuser turns out to be a criminal himself, he shall not be allowed to testify, unless he claims that the matters are personal and not of the church.”

Canon 20. On accused presbyters or other clergy. But if presbyters or deacons have been accused, the lawful number of colleagues from the neighboring places shall be joined with the bishop of the diocese, colleagues whom the accused shall request from him: that is, together with the bishop himself, six in a case against a presbyter, and three in a case against a deacon. They shall examine the cases, and the same form shall be kept with regard to days, postponements and removals from communion, and in examining the persons of the accusers and the accused. But the cases of the rest of the clergy the bishop of the place shall hear and decide alone.

Canon 21. That the sons of clergy are not to be joined in marriage with heretics. Likewise it seemed good that the sons of clergy should not be joined in marriage with pagans and heretics. [j]

Canon 22. That bishops or other clergy shall give nothing to those who are not catholics. And that neither bishops nor clergy shall give anything at all of their possessions by way of gift to those who are not catholic Christians, even if they are blood relatives. [k]

Canon 23. That bishops are not to go overseas. Likewise, that bishops are not to go overseas without consulting the bishop of the primatial see of their own province, so that they may receive from him a formal letter, or letter of commendation. [l]

Canon 24. That nothing is to be read in church besides the canonical Scripture. Likewise, that besides the canonical Scriptures nothing is to be read in church under the name of divine Scripture. The canonical Scriptures are these:

Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua the son of Nun. Judges. Ruth. Kings, four books. [m] Chronicles, two books. Job. The Psalter. The five books of Solomon. [n] The twelve books of the Prophets. [o] Isaiah. Jeremiah. Ezekiel. Daniel. Tobit. Judith. Esther. Ezra, two books. [p] Maccabees, two books. The New Testament: The Gospels, four books. The Acts of the Apostles, one book. The letters of Paul, fourteen. [q] The letters of Peter the apostle, two. The letters of John the apostle, three. The letter of James the apostle, one. The letter of Jude the apostle, one. The Revelation of John, one book.

Let this be sent to our brother and fellow bishop Boniface, and to the other bishops of those parts, so that they may confirm this canon. For these are the things we have received from our fathers to be read in church. [r]

Canon 25. On bishops and the lower ranks who serve at the most holy mysteries. It has seemed good that these should abstain from their wives. Aurelius the bishop said: “We add this as well, dearest brothers. Since we have heard of the lack of self-control of certain clergy, even of readers, toward their wives, it seemed good that what has been enacted in various councils should be confirmed: namely, that subdeacons who serve at the holy mysteries, and deacons and presbyters, as well as bishops according to former statutes, should abstain from their wives, so that they may be as though they had none. Unless they do so, let them be removed from office. But the rest of the clergy are not to be compelled to this, unless they are of mature age.” And the whole council said: “What your holiness has said is just, holy and pleasing to God, and we confirm it.” [s]

Canon 26. That no one should take from the possessions of the church. Likewise it seemed good that no one should sell anything belonging to the church. If there is no income, and some other great necessity presses, the matter may be brought before the metropolitan of the province, so that he may consider with the appointed number of bishops whether it should be done. If such urgent necessity lies on a church that it cannot take counsel beforehand, let its bishop at least call together the neighboring bishops as witnesses, taking care to report all the needs of his church to the council. If he does not do this, he shall be held accountable before God, and as a seller in the eyes of the council, and he shall thereby lose his honor.

Canon 27. Presbyters and deacons convicted of the graver crimes are not to receive the laying on of hands, as laymen do. It was also confirmed that if presbyters or deacons have been convicted of any of the greater crimes for which they must be removed from the ministry, hands are not to be laid on them as on penitents, or as on faithful laymen. Nor is it to be permitted that they be baptized over again and then advanced to the rank of clergy. [u]

Canon 28. Presbyters, deacons or other clergy who see fit to carry appeals in their cases across the sea are not to be admitted to communion at all. It also seemed good that if presbyters, deacons and others of the lower clergy are dissatisfied with the judgments of their bishops in cases they have, the neighboring bishops should hear them, with the consent of their own bishop, and the bishops who have been called in should judge between them. But if they think they have grounds for an appeal from these, they shall not take themselves to courts overseas, but to the primates of their own provinces, or else to a general council, as has also been decreed concerning bishops. But whoever sees fit to carry an appeal across the sea shall be received into communion by no one within the borders of Africa. [v]

Canon 29. If anyone who has been excommunicated receives communion before his case is heard, he brings condemnation on himself. Likewise it pleased the whole council that anyone who has been excommunicated for any neglect, whether he is a bishop or any other cleric, and who has presumed to receive communion while still under sentence and before his case has been heard, shall be considered by doing so to have passed sentence on himself.

Canon 30. On the accused or the accuser. Likewise it seemed good that the accused, or the accuser, if he lives in the same place as the accused and fears that some harm may be done to him by a disorderly crowd, may choose for himself a place nearby where the case may be decided and where there will be no difficulty in producing the witnesses.