The Canons of Ælfric (Of the Synod of Priests)

I say to you priests, that I will not bear your negligence in your service but I will truly say to you how it is constituted with regard to priests. Christ himself established Christianity and chastity, and all those who walked with him, in his way, forsook all worldly things, and society of woman; for he himself said in one of his gospels: He who hateth not his wife is not a disciple worthy of me.

Then after Christ's ascension again to heaven's kingdom, and after the death of his venerable apostles, so great a persecution was raised up in the world, that God's servants could not be assembled in a synod, by reason of the heathen murderers, who meditated their death; until the emperor Constantino turned to Christianity, who had the whole globe in his power.

He then assembled a synod in the city of Nice, of three hundred and eighteen bishops, of all nations, for confirmation of the faith. There were so many great bishops at that synod, that they might have wrought miracles, and so they did. They there excommunicated the mass-priest Arius, because he would not believe that the Son of the living God was as mighty as the great Father is. Then they all condemned the devil's man, but he would not cease, till, at last, his intestines all fell out, when he went to the house of office.

At this synod were appointed the holy church services and the mass-creed, and many other things respecting God's worship, and God's servants.

They all decreed, by an unanimous determination, that neither bishop, nor mass-priest, nor deacon, nor any regular canon, should have in his house any woman, unless it were his mother, or his sister, or his father's sister, or his mother's sister, and that he who should do otherwise should forfeit his order.

Now this will seem to you strange to hear, because ye have brought your wretchedness so into a custom, as if it were no danger that the priest live as the ‘ceorl.’ Now ye say, that ye cannot be without the services of a woman; but how could then those holy men live without wives? They have now, therefore, the meed of their mind's chastity, ever without end, in the life eternal. Priests now often say, that Peter had a wife: they say very truly, because he must so then, by the old law, before he turned to Christ; but he forsook his wife, and all worldly things, after he had turned to Christ, who established chastity.

By the old law, a bishop must take to him a pure maiden, and with her cohabit at fixed times; because that one race should always be of that order, and of no other tribe might there be any bishop; he might not, however, marry more than once nor might he marry a widow, nor a repudiated woman, but, as we before said, a maiden. They might well have wives in those days, because they never celebrated mass, nor administered the housel to men, but offered beasts in the old wise, until Christ hallowed the housel before his passion, and appointed the mass, which now stands through him.

There was also determined at that same synod, that he who took a widow, or a repudiated woman, or he who married again, that he should never afterwards be received into any order, nor hallowed for a priest; but he who before had a pure wife was chosen to the pure order, so as the apostle Paul hath written in his epistle.

Nor may any priest be at the marriage anywhere where a man marries a second wife, or a woman a second husband, nor together bless them, as may be signified to him; so that it were better for them that they continued in chastity. The layman may, however, with the apostle's leave marry a second time, if his wife desert him; but the canons forbid the blessings thereto and have established penances for such men to do.

Seven degrees are established in the church: one is ostiarius, the second is lector, the third exorcista, the fourth acoluthus, the fifth subdiaconus, the sixth diaconus, the seventh presbyter.

Ostiarius is the church door-keeper, whose duty it is to announce the hours with bells, and unlock the church to believing men, and to shut the unbelieving without

Lector is the reader, who reads in God's church, and is ordained for the purpose of preaching of God's word.

Exorcista is in English, he who with oath conjures, in the Saviour's name, the accursed spirits, which torment men, that they forsake those men.

Acoluthus he is called who bears the candle or taper, in God's ministries, when the gospel is read, or when the housel is hallowed at the altar; not to dispel, as it were, the dim darkness, but, with that light, to announce bliss, in honour of Christ, who is our light

Subdiaconus is truly underdeacon, who bears forth the vessels to the deacon, and humbly ministers under the deacon, at the holy altar, with the housel vessels.

Diaconus is the minister who ministers to the mass priest, and sets the offerings upon the altar, and also reads the gospels at God's ministries. He may baptize children, and housel the people. They shall minister to the Saviour in white albs, and lead a spiritual life in chastity, and all be efficient persons, so as is befitting the order.

Presbyter is the mass-priest, or old ‘wita;’ not that every one is old, but that he is old in wisdom. He hallows God's housel, as the Saviour commanded. He has to instruct the people in belief with preaching, and with pure morals give example to Christians, and his life should not be as that of laymen. There is no difference betwixt a mass-priest and a bishop, save that the bishop is appointed for the ordaining of priests and confirming of children, and hallowing of churches, and to take care of God's dues; for it would be too multifarious if every mass-priest so did: but they have one order, though the latter have precedence.

There is no order appointed in the ecclesiastical ministries but these seven, as we have just said. Monkhood and abbothood are in another manner, and are not reckoned in this number, nor also is nunhood named herein. These orders are holy, and bring to heaven the souls of those priests who seriously observe them.

Now it behoves mass-priests, and all God's servants, to officiate in their churches with holy service, and to sing the seven canonical hours therein, which are appointed to them, so as the synod has directed: matins, prime, tierce, sext, none, vespers, and compline seventh.

And they shall fervently pray for the king, and for their bishop, and for those who do good to them, and for all Christian people.

He shall also have for the spiritual work, before he is ordained, these weapons; that is, these holy books: psalter, epistle book, gospel book, and mass book, book of canticles, and manual, numeral, and pastoral, penitential, and reading book. These books the mass-priest should necessarily have, and he may not be without them, if he will properly observe his order, and rightly inform the people, who look to him; and let him be careful, that they are well directed.

He shall also have mass-vestments, that he may reverently minister to God himself; so is it becoming, that his vestment be not dirty, nor by any means torn, and his altar cloths in good condition. Let his chalice also be wrought of pure material, incorruptible, and so also the dish, and the corporale be clean, such as is befitting Christ's ministries. Such things cannot be produced without labour, but they will forever be honourable with God, who well minister to him, with wisdom and with chastity.