The Synod of Ancyra was an ecclesiastical council, or synod, convened in Ancyra, the seat of the Roman administration for the province of Galatia, in 314. Together with the synods of Neocaesarea, Antioch, Gangra and Laodicea, the canons of the council formed the nucleus of nearly all future collections of church law.
Setting
The season was soon after Easter; the year may be safely deduced from the fact that the first nine canons are intended to repair havoc wreaked in the church by persecution, which ceased after the overthrow of Maximinus II in 313. Three lists of bishops who attended have been preserved, varying between 12 and 18 participating bishops. Though the lists might have been amended later, most participants can be dated to the period and were present at the council of Nicaea. Either Vitalis, Bishop of Antioch, or Marcellus of Ancyra, bishop of Ancyra,
Decrees
The synod issued 25 canons, with the oldest preserved version of the Greek text dating to the ninth or tenth century. The first nine canons of the council dealt with the readmission of clergy and laity who had lapsed during the persecutions. Depending on the clerical rank and circumstances of this apostasy, different penances were prescribed.
The Council also condemned both abortion and infanticide, though it only suggested a ten year excommunication compared to the lifelong excommunication imposed by the council of Elvira.