Exercise of Coercive Authority in the Early Church

[iskander]

Hi everyone,

I am researching the exercise of punitive or coercive authority in the early church - from biblical times onwards - as part of my research in contemporary Roman Catholic penal law.

I wonder if anybody could point me in the right direction of references to the exercise of such punishment. The scriptural origins are fairly complete, but the body of literature from the early church is quite scattered. I'm essentially looking for references to excommunication, censure or even other punishments sanctioned by legitimate church authority.

This is not for any kind of polemical work, but is rather historically looking at how the Church came to see its authority in enforcing the laws which has enacted for its own members.

Many thanks.

Paul is , perhaps, the first documented case of excommunication latae sententiae ,( 1 Cor 5: 1-8) Et dicuntur homines tradi Satanae, cum a tota ecclesia separantur.

[andrewcriddle]

Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch c 260 to 268 is interesting. After a synod deposed him for heresy, the roman authorities awarded control of the assets of the church of Antioch to a candidate acceptable to the wider church.

It would seem the first example where disciplinary measures by the church were supported by the roman state.

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

Origen, Roman Senate.

[Secret Alias]

Eusebius also cites Apollonius c 180 CE

[andrewcriddle]

Origen, Roman Senate.

Jerome may mean "senior roman clergy" by "senate"
He may simply be anachronistic.
https://earlychurchtexts.com/public/jer ... origen.htm

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

But why manipulate the text here. Origen clearly was being hunted by the Alexandrian church of Demetrius. Jerome may have been exaggerating. But I think the statement stands and has to be evaluated at face value as it is.