Neo-caesarea, Council of

Neo-Caesarea, Council of

(Concilium Neocesarense), was held at Neo-Caesarea, in Pontus, about the year 314, shortly after the Council of Ancyra. It was composed, for the most part, of the same bishops who assisted at the latter, and Vitalis of Antioch is believed to have presided. Fifteen canons of discipline were published. The most important acts are: 1, enjoining the degradation of priests who marry after ordinations very important measure, and of interest to the inquiring student into the history of celibacy (see Lea, Hist. of Sacerdotal Celibacy, pages 48, 49); 2, depriving of communion, through life, women who, having married two brothers, refuse to dissolve the marriage; 6, permitting to baptize women with child whenever they will; 7, forbidding priests to be present at the second marriage of any person; 8, forbidding to confer holy orders upon a layman whose wife has committed adultery: orders that if she has committed adultery after his ordination he shall put her away, and declares that if he shall continue to live with her he cannot retain the ministry committed to him; 11, forbidding to admit any one, however well qualified, to the priesthood under thirty years of age, because the Lord Jesus Christ at that age began his ministry; 13, directing that, where both are present, the city priests shall celebrate the holy eucharist in preference to those from the country; 14, declaring that the Chorepisoopi are after the pattern of the Seventy, and permitting them to offer; 15, ordering that there shall be seven deacons in every city, as is approved by the book of Acts. See Labbe, Cone. 1:1480; Landon, Manual of Councils, pages 420, 421; Neander, Ch. Hist. 2:147, 156, 318.