en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod
2 corrections found
the fifteenth canon of the Second Council of Nicaea forbade a bishop from administering more than one see
This cites the wrong council. The anti-transfer rule for bishops is Canon 15 of the First Council of Nicaea (325), while Canon 15 of the Second Council of Nicaea (787) is about plural benefices.
Full reasoning
The statement identifies the Second Council of Nicaea as the source of the rule relevant to Formosus, but the canon it describes is actually from the First Council of Nicaea.
A primary text of First Council of Nicaea, Canon XV states that "neither bishop, presbyter, nor deacon shall pass from city to city"—the classic rule against translating a bishop from one see to another. That is the canon historically associated with the charges against Formosus.
By contrast, a standard summary of Second Council of Nicaea, Canon 15 says it is "Against pluralities of benefices". That is not the same canon, and it is not the famous anti-translation canon invoked in the Formosus controversy.
A secondary source discussing Formosus confirms this: it says the main charge against him was violating the fifteenth canon of the Council of Nicaea, which forbade the transfer of a bishop from one see to another. The Wikipedia text therefore appears to have conflated the two different Nicaean councils and named the wrong one.
3 sources
- Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIV/The First Ecumenical Council/Canons/Canon XV - Wikisource
Canon XV ... 'neither bishop, presbyter, nor deacon shall pass from city to city.'
- The Second Council of Nicaea - Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)
The council promulgated twenty-two canons ... Canon 15: Against pluralities of benefices.
- The Strange Case of Pope Formosus | Catholic Answers Magazine
'The main charge ... was the ostensible violation of the fifteenth canon of the Council of Nicaea, which forbade the translation or transfer of a bishop from one see to another.'
In 879, at another council held at Troyes, John may have confirmed the excommunications.
The year is off by one. Standard reference works place John VIII’s synod at Troyes in 878, not 879.
Full reasoning
The claim dates the Troyes synod to 879, but the historical sources place the relevant council at Troyes in 878.
The Catholic Encyclopedia's article on Pope Formosus says that "In 878 John himself came to France, and the deposition of Formosus ... was confirmed at the synod of Troyes." The Catholic Encyclopedia's article on Pope John VIII likewise says that, while in France, John had Formosus's sentence repeated and made him swear not to return to Rome, explicitly dating this to 878.
So the problem is not whether the Troyes proceedings happened, but the year given here: 879 should be 878.
2 sources
- Pope Formosus - Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)
"In 878 John himself came to France, and the deposition of Formosus, who appeared in person, was confirmed at the synod of Troyes."
- Pope John VIII - Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)
"When in France ... John caused the sentence ... to be repeated, and insisted on Formosus's signing a declaration that he would never return to Rome (878)."