The Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately 30 clerics from Anatolia, (now modern Turkey). It took place around 363-364 A.D., during the close of a 26 year Roman war with Persia. Anatolia (Greek: ανατολή anatolÄ“ or anatolí; see also List of traditional Greek place names), rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish falsely associated with Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of... Events Perisapora is destroyed by Emperor Julian. ... Events February 28 - Valentinian I is elected Roman emperor by the army. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ...

Historical context

Rome's war with Persia had continued under Augustus Julian, who died of battle wounds on the last campaign on June 26, 363. Officers of the army elected his successor, Jovian, on the battle field. Julian, the last non-Christian ruler of Rome, was the last direct line descendant of Constantine, the first Christian ruler of Rome. During Julian's rule, the Christian desecration of pagan temples and persecution of pagans in general was replaced by a return to the persecution of Christians and an attempted revival of paganism. Augustus (plural Augusti) is Latin for majestic or venerable. The greek equivalent is sebastos, or a mere grecization (by changing of the ending) augustos. ... Julian solidus, ca. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... Jovian siliqua, ca 363. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Constantine. ... Within a Christian context, Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are a catch-all terms which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ...

Left in a precarious position far from supplies, Jovian ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. Both he, and Valentinian, who soon succeeded him after his brief 8 month rule that ended on February 17, 364, professed the Nicene creed. Valentinian named his brother Valens, also a Christian, Co-Augustus. As the ruler of the eastern part of the empire, Valens worked to solve the theological problems that arose during Julian's non-Christian reign. During this turbulent time, west of the major battle sites of that war, clerics assembled in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana (now Denizli, Turkey). Medallion of Valentinian I (364-375) Thessalonika, 364-367 Valentinian I (321 - November 17, 375) was a Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire (364 - 375). ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nicene Creed, or the Icon/Symbol of the Faith, is a Christian statement of faith accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and most Protestant churches. ... Solidus minted by Valens in ca. ... Denizli is a province of Turkey in Western Anatolia. ... In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolian highlands, part of modern Turkey, from ca. ... Denizli is a province of Turkey in Western Anatolia. ...

Major concerns

The major concerns of the Council involved constricting the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the 59 or 60 canons decreed, several aimed at: In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ...

1. Limiting the privileges of neophytes,
2. Limiting duties of lesser clergy,
3. Limiting any dealings with anything heretical,
4. Limiting Judaizing among Christians.

This last one, canon 29, included no more resting on the Sabbath (Saturday), but restricted Christians to honoring the Lord on Sunday even though canon 16 says the Gospels are to be read on the Sabbath. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 approved the canon of this council, making these canon ecumenical. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Judaize, from the Greek Ioudaizo (ιουδαιζω), means literally to live as a Jew, however it was used primarily in a derogatory sense for Christians who chose to live more in accord with the Jesus described in the Bible, often this meant observing the Sabbath or the Quartodeciman or the dietary... This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ... Saturday is considered either the sixth or the seventh day of the week, between Friday and Sunday. ... The term God is capitalized in the English language as a proper noun when used to refer to a specific monotheistic concept of a Supreme Being in accordance with Christian, Jewish (sometimes as G-d - cf. ... Sunday is considered either the first or the seventh day of the week, between Saturday and Monday, and the second day of the weekend in some cultures. ... The Council of Chalcedon was an ecumenical council that took place from October 8—November 1, 451 at Chalcedon, a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor. ... Events April 7 - The Huns sack Metz June 20 - Attila, king of the Huns is defeated at Troyes by Aetius in the Battle of Chalons. ... In Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, an ecumenical council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ...

Biblical Canon

There was some confusion about the number of canons decreed by the Council. The 59th canon restricted the readings in church to only the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testaments. The 60th listed the Biblical canon, only omitting the Apocalypse of John. This 60th canon is missing from some manuscripts containing decrees of the council, giving rise to the impression that the 60th canon was added later. Such a list would be required in order to obey the 59th canon, so adding such a list, if absent, would be helpful. Cyril of Jerusalem circa 350 produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea. The Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures (also called the Hebrew Bible) constitutes the first major part of the Bible according to Christianity. ... The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... The holy Jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Visions of John the Evangelist, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... Cyril of Jerusalem was a distinguished theologian of the early Church ( 315 - 386). ... Events January 18 - Magnentius proclaimed Emperor by the army in Autun. ...

External links

Pages with complete lists of the 60 Canon:

• Questions Canon 60, but provides books listed
• An annotated list of the 60 Canon
• Questions authenticity of Canon 60
• Strongly in favor of authenticity of Canon 60