THE NICAEAN PROHIBITION ON LIVING WITH A ‘SISTER’ AND ITS CODIFICATION IN POST-CONSTANTINIAN ROMAN LAW
THE NICAEAN PROHIBITION ON LIVING WITH A ‘SISTER’ AND ITS CODIFICATION IN POST-CONSTANTINIAN ROMAN LAW

Summary/Abstract: At the First Council of Nicaea, which was attended by representatives from across the entire ecumene and held in the presence of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great—referred to by the Church as Saint Constantine the Great—not only was one of the most crucial issues concerning Christianity addressed, namely the overcoming of the Arian heresy and the adoption of the Nicene Creed, but decisions were also made on other matters designated for the council. Among these were regulations concerning members of the clergy who were not in marital unions with women but were instead engaged in so-called spiritual partnerships, with a prohibition imposed on the continuation of such relationships. The objective of this study is to examine whether the aforementioned prohibition existed prior to the Council itself and to determine whether it was subsequently incorporated into the secular legal framework of the Roman Empire, and how it was subsequently reflected in both the Orthodox and Catholic Church.

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