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Introduction:
The Council of Serdica in 343 can rightly be considered a disastrous encounter between East and West.  Rather than resolve any differences, the meeting only accentuated the disagreements between the two parties and created further tensions.  At the opening of the Council, the West insisited that certain bishops who had previously been deposed by eastern councils, especially Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas of Gaza be allowed to take part in the deliberations.  The eastern bishops objected and finally abandoned Serdica and departed to Philippopolis.  There they affirmed their decisions from the Council of Antioch in 341 and published their own encyclical letter stating as much.  Meanwhile, the western bishops reaffirmed the decisions of the Council of Rome in 341 and declared Athanasius, Marcellus, etc. to be orthodox.  They likewise published their own canons, letters, and depositions.

Key Facts:

Date 343
Summoned by Constans
West East a
Location
Serdica (modern Sophia) Philoppolis aaaaaaaaaaaaai
Number of Participants
c. 94 c. 76[
Key Participants
Ossius of Cordova, Protogenes of Serdica, Maximinus of Trier aaaaaaaaaaa Stephen of Antioch, Ursacius, Valens Marcellus of Ancyra*, Athanasius*, Asclepas of Gaza*
Key Issue To resolve the disagreements between East and West over the Arian controversy.
Primary Source Descriptions Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica 2.20, 2.22; Sozomen, Historia Ecclesiastica 3.11.3-3.12.7; Theodoret, Historia Ecclesiastica 2.7, 2.8; Athanasius, Apologia Secunda 36-50, Historia Arianorum 15.3, 18.3, De Synodis 25, Tomus ad Antiochenos 5, 10; Hilary Collectanea Antiariana Parisinia B.1-2, Liber ad Constantium 1.1-2.3

*deposed eastern bishops

Surviving Documents from the West: Surviving Documents from the East:
  • A Synodical Letter to all Churches (Theodoret, Historia Ecclesiastica 2.8; Hilary, Collectanea Antiariana Parisinia B.2.1-2; [Wickham, pp 41-47] Athanasius, Apologia Secunda 44-49.)
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  • An Encyclical Letter (Hilary, Collectanea Antiariana Parisinia A.4.1-3.) [Wickham, pp. 20-41] aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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  • A Synodical Letter to the Church of Alexandria (Athanasius, Apologia Secunda 37-40.)
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  • The above mentioned letter contains a profession of faith (Hilary, Collectanea Antiariana Parisinia A.4.1-3 [Wickham, pp. 37-38]; Turner, Ecclesiae Occidentalis Monumenta Iuris Antiquissima, 1.637-640.)
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  • A Synodical Letter to the Bishops of Egypt and Libya (Athanasius, Apologia Secunda 41-43.)
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  • A Paschal Cycle (Turner, Ecclesiae Occidentalis Monumenta Iuris Antiquissima, 1.641-643.)
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  • A Synodical Letter to the Churchs of the Mareotis (Turner, Ecclesiae Occidentalis Monumenta Iuris Antiquissima, 1.659-62.)
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  • Letter of Athanasius from Serdica to the Clergy of Alexandria and the Parembole (Turner, Ecclesiae Occidentalis Monumenta Iuris Antiquissima, 1.654-56.)
  • Synodical Letter to Pope Julius (Hilary, Collectanea Antiariana Parisinia B.2.3-4.) [Wickham, pp. 47-52]
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  • Synodical Letter to the Emperor Constantius (i.e. Hilary’s Liber ad Constantium Imperatorem 1.1-5).
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    Bibliography

    H. Hess, The Early Development of Canon Law and the Council of Serdica, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).*

    R.P.C Hanson, The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God, (New York: T&T Clark, 1988).

    *This work is a second, augmented edition of Hess’ original The Canons of the Council of Sardica AD 343.

    MKM and JCB

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