The Presbyters Project

Canon 32

De subintroductis adoptivis mulieribus.

Nullus episcopus neque presbyter neque diaconus neque omnino aliquis ex clero licentiam habeat intromittendi ad se quasi adoptivam aliquam mulierem, quasi in loco filiae aut sororis aut matris, nisi forte sororem veram ex germanitate aut sororem matris vel patris et illas solas personas quae ab omni mala suspicione alienae sunt. Similiter et religiosis feminis laicorum alienorum familiaritatem et consortium prohibemus, et eorum qui nec in Dei timore subiecti sunt nec continentiae retinent disciplinam.

(ed. Barlowe 1950: 133)

Canon 32

On the adoptive women introduced in secret (subintroductae).

No bishop, presbyter, or deacon, and absolutely no one from the clergy shall have a right to introduce to his house a woman accepting her in place of daughter, sister, or mother, unless it is really his true sister-german, or sister of mother or father, or any other person free of any wrong suspicion. Similarly, we forbid religious women to be in familiar relations with unrelated laymen and with those who are not bound by the fear of God nor keep the discipline of continence.

(trans. M. Szada)

Discussion:

Cf. canon 3 of the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and canon 6 of the First Council of Toledo in AD 400.

Place of event:

Region

Iberian Peninsula

City

Braga
Toledo

About the source:

Author: Martin of Braga
Title: Collectio orientalium canonum, seu Capitula Martini, Capitula Martini, Collection of the Eastern canons
Origin: Braga (Iberian Peninsula), Nicaea (East)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

In the manuscript tradition the canons of the Second Council of Braga (Iberian Peninsula) in AD 572 are followed by the Eastern canons collected and translated into Latin by Martin of Braga (Iberian Peninsula). He was using a Greek collection, impossible to identify with any of the collections known today, which gathered the canons of the several Eastern councils. Martin quotes also the canons of the First Council of Toledo AD 400. Martin dedicated his work to Bishop Nitigisius of Lugo (Iberian Peninsula). Those two bishops met on the Second Council of Braga, and possibly the collection was composed for this occasion (Barlowe 1950: 84-87).

Edition:

C. Barlowe ed., Martini episcopi Bracarensis opera omnia, New Haven 1950.

Categories:

Family life - Permanent relationship after ordination

Family life - Offspring

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Relation with - Father/Mother

Relation with - Brother/Sister

Relation with - Children

Relation with - Other relative

Relation with - Woman

Private law - Ecclesiastical

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1112, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1112