Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIV/The Third Ecumenical Council/Canons/Canon III

Canon III.

any of the city or country clergy have been inhibited by Nestorius or his followers from the exercise of the priesthood, on account of their orthodoxy, we have declared it just that these should be restored to their proper rank.&#160; And in general we forbid all the clergy who adhere to the Orthodox and Ecumenical Synod in any way to submit to the bishops who have already apostatized or shall hereafter apostatize.

Notes.

To whom Nestorius forbids the priesthood, he is most worthy; but whom he approves is profane.

It would seem from this canon that any bishop who had become a member of the Conciliabulum of John, was considered as eo ipso having lost all jurisdiction.&#160; Also it would seem that the clergy were to disregard the inhibition of Nestorian prelates or at least these inhibitions were by some one to be removed.&#160; This principle, if generally applied, would seem to be somewhat revolutionary.

(Apos. Fath. Ign. Ad Rom. i., Vol. II., Sec. I., p. 191.)

The words &#967;&#8182;&#961;&#959;&#962; (&#8220;place&#8221;), &#967;&#8061;&#961;&#945; (&#8220;country&#8221;), and &#967;&#969;&#961;&#8055;&#959;&#957; (&#8220;district&#8221;), may be distinguished as implying locality, extension, and limitation, respectively.&#160; The last word commonly denotes either &#8220;an estate, a farm,&#8221; or &#8220;a fastness, a stronghold,&#8221; or (as a mathematical term) &#8220;an area.&#8221;&#160; Here, as not unfrequently in later writers, it is &#8220;a region, a district,&#8221; but the same fundamental idea is presumed.&#160; The relation of &#967;&#8182;&#961;&#959;&#962; to &#967;&#969;&#961;&#8055;&#959;&#957; is the same as that of &#7940;&#961;&#947;&#965;&#961;&#959;&#962;, &#967;&#961;&#965;&#963;&#8057;&#962; to &#7936;&#961;&#947;&#8059;&#961;&#953;&#959;&#957;, &#967;&#961;&#965;&#963;&#8055;&#959;&#957;, the former being the metals themselves, the latter the metals worked up into bullion or coins or plate or trinkets or images, e.g. Macar. Magn. Apocr. iii. 42 (p. 147).