Execution of Priscillian in 385, the first execution of Christians for heresy, on the accusation of bishops
The Spanish layman Priscillian preached strict asceticism and largely rejected marriage. A synod of bishops excommunicated him in 380, and Spanish bishops invoked imperial power against him. On the accusation of Bishop Ithacius, Emperor Maximus had Priscillian and several followers executed in Trier in 385, burned alive according to the Britannica, put to the sword according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. The property of other followers was confiscated. Martin of Tours, Ambrose and the pope condemned the proceedings, and Ithacius was deposed.
Deaths
Priscillian and six companions(counted, in Trier in 385, burned alive according to the Britannica)Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911)
„with six of his companions he was burned alive at Treves in 385“
Priscillian (layman, later Bishop of Avila, executed in 385) Ithacius of Ossonuba (bishop, Priscillian's accuser) Maximus (Roman emperor, had Priscillian executed)
What happened to the people
How were they charged and sentenced?
The leading Priscillianists did not appear before the synod of Spanish and Aquitanian bishops to which they had been summoned and were excommunicated at Saragossa in 380. The orthodox party then appealed to Emperor Gratian, who issued an edict threatening the leaders with banishment.
Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Priscillian
„the leading Priscillianists, who had failed to appear before the synod of Spanish and Aquitanian bishops to which they had been summoned, were excommunicated at Saragossa in October 380“
After the death of Gratian, the new Emperor Maximus had a synod held in Bordeaux in 384. Priscillian appealed to the emperor in Trier, where Bishop Ithacius acted as his accuser. A prefect found Priscillian and others guilty of magic.
Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„Thereupon Priscillian appealed to the emperor at Trier . Ithacius acted as his accuser“
Priscillianism, Artikel Priscillianism.
Original · Archive copyEvidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„He found Priscillian and some others guilty of the crime of magic.“
In 385 Priscillian was executed in Trier together with several companions. The sources describe the execution differently: according to the Britannica he was burned alive with six companions, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia the emperor had Priscillian and several followers put to the sword. The property of other followers was confiscated and they were banished.
Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Priscillian
„with six of his companions he was burned alive at Treves in 385“
Priscillian, Artikel Priscillian.
Original · Archive copyEvidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„the emperor who put Priscillian and several of his followers to the sword; the property of others was confiscated and they were banished“
Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Emperor Maximus wanted to win the favour of the orthodox party and to replenish his treasury through confiscations. According to the Britannica, the conflict had been triggered above all by Priscillian's demand for continence in marriage, which went beyond the Church's compromise.
Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„Maximus, wishing to curry favour with the orthodox party and to replenish his treasury through confiscations“
Martin of Tours had spoken out against bringing an ecclesiastical case before a civil tribunal. The pope and Ambrose condemned the proceedings, and Ithacius was deposed by a synod of Spanish bishops. The synod of Trier, by contrast, approved the execution in the same year; according to the Britannica it was the first application of the Theodosian law against heretics.
Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„after expressing his disapproval of bringing an ecclesiastical case before a civil tribunal“
Priscillianism, Artikel Priscillianism.
Original · Archive copyEvidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„The pope censured not only the actions of Ithacius but also that of the emperor.“
Priscillianism, Artikel Priscillianism.
Original · Archive copyEvidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 12 (1911), Artikel Priscillianism
„who was subsequently deposed from his see by a synod of Spanish bishops“
When the case was reviewed at the Council of Toledo in 400, fifteen years after the execution, the most serious charge that could still be raised was, according to the Britannica, a linguistic error in translating a Greek term. The persecution of his followers continued into the 6th century.
Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Priscillian
„fifteen years after Priscillian’s death, when his case was reviewed, the most serious charge that could be brought was the error of language“
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