Second Council of Toledo facts for kids

The Second Council of Toledo was a big meeting of important church leaders (bishops) from the Visigothic Kingdom. It happened in the city of Toledo in either 527 or 531 AD. The meeting was led by a bishop named Montanus, who was the main bishop of Toledo.

The main reason for this meeting was to talk about a religious belief called Arianism. This belief was different from what most Christians believed at the time. This council was also important because it was the first time Toledo was officially recognized as a very important church center, like a main headquarters for the region. During the council, five new rules, called canons, were created.

Rules from the Second Council of Toledo

Here are the main rules that were decided at the council, explained in a simpler way:

Rule 1: Young People in Church Service

This rule was about children whose parents decided they would work for the church.

• These children, after a special haircut (called a tonsure) or after becoming a lector (someone who reads in church), had to be taught by a church leader.
• They would learn in a building that belonged to the church, with the bishop watching over them.
• When they turned 18, the bishop would ask them if they wanted to get married.
• If they chose not to marry and promised to stay single, they could become subdeacons at age 20. If they were good enough, they could become deacons after they turned 25.
• It was very important that they kept their promise not to marry or live with someone secretly. If they broke this promise, they would be removed from the church.
• However, if at 18 they said they wanted to get married, they were allowed to.
• Older married people could also join the church offices if they and their partner agreed to live a life without physical intimacy.

Rule 2: Staying with Your Church

This rule said that if someone was trained to work for one church from a young age, they should not leave to work for another church. Also, no other bishop should accept them into their church.

Rule 3: Clerics and Living Arrangements

This rule was for church workers, from subdeacons and up.

• They were not allowed to live with any woman, whether she was free, a freed slave, or a slave.
• The only women allowed to live in their house were their mother, sister, or a very close female relative.
• If a cleric didn't have any close female relatives, the woman who helped take care of his house had to live in a separate house and could not enter his home for any reason.
• If a cleric broke this rule, they would lose their church job, be banned from the church, and even be stopped from talking to other Catholics, including regular people.

Rule 4: Church Land Use

This rule was about church workers who grew crops or grapes on church land for their own food.

• They could keep these farms or vineyards for their whole lives.
• But after they died, the land would go back to the church.
• They were not allowed to give this land to anyone else in their will, unless the bishop said it was okay.

Rule 5: Marriage Between Relatives

This rule simply stated that no Christian was allowed to marry someone who was a close blood relative.

See also

In Spanish: II Concilio de Toledo para niños