Council of Reims (1148)

The papal entourage arrived in Trier on 30 November 1147, but shortly afterwards the pope, moved by complaints from the citizens of Trier, decided to move the proceedings, and announced in February 1148 that the council would move to Reims, but maintaining the date already fixed. A feature of the council was that the pope ordered the attendance of the various bishops and other Churchmen. Although some of those covoked were excused, the reason given was mostly ill health, not any need to deal with their particular office. Those who failed to attend were suspended from office. The Italian bishops, however, were mostly excused from attendance, as Eugene held a council at Cremona in July 1148 where the Reims decrees were announced.^[1]

Although the number of Spanish bishops attending is unknown, it is known that among them was

The precise overall number of bishops, archbishops, and abbots who attended is unknown. Estimates range from 1,100 to 400, with the lower number being much more likely. Those present were from what were later the countries of France, Germany, England, and Spain, and in keeping with the times, would have included not just the prelates who were summoned, but also their servants and officials, making the true number of people in Reims impossible to estimate with any ease.[1]

The council opened at Reims Cathedral on 21 March 1148, a Sunday. Pope Eugene and his attendants had arrived in Reims by 9 March. The main business of the council was to debate a number of canons. Most of these were not new measures, since they had been promulgated by Eugene's predecessor at the councils of Reims in 1131 and at the Lateran council of 1139. All of the proposed canons were approved, except for one on clerical attire which was opposed by Rainald of Dassel and other German ecclesiastics.^[1] This canon had prohibited cloaks made of fur.^[3] Another canon condemning clerical marriage was greeted with amusement, as the council members felt that all clergy should already know that marriage was forbidden to them.^[4]

The Reims council also condemned

4. We believe (and confess) that divinity itself, whether you call it divine substance or nature, is incarnate only in the Son.[7]

Although the council probably ended on 1 April, Eugene asked a number of attendees to stay after the formal close of the council to consider the case of Gilbert of Poitiers, who was under investigation for heresy, connected with his teachings.^[1] The main concern against Gilbert seems to have been his convoluted vocabulary and style of writing, which led to his writings being easily misunderstood.^[8] The specific problem came when Gilbert's writings attempted to explicate the relationship between God and his "divinity", which led to his opponents claiming that Gilbert was attempting to create two Gods, rather than just one. His opponents claimed that this occurred in Gilbert's treatise on Boethius' theological work De Trinitate.^[9]

Gilbert had previously been investigated by Eugene at Paris in April 1147, but this hearing came to nothing for two reasons. One was that Gilbert's opponents were not unified in what they opposed in Gilbert's teachings. The second reason was that no one had a copy of the treatise on Boethius by Gilbert that was in dispute. Prior to the second hearing at Reims, Bernard of Clairvaux, who was opposed to Gilbert's teachings, held a private meeting with a number of the attendees, where Bernard attempted to pressure them to condemn Gilbert. This offended the various cardinals in attendance, who then proceeded to insist that they were the only persons who could judge the case.^[10]

Although connected with the council, Gilbert was tried after the council closed, at a consistory held in the

No official records of the trial were kept, which subsequently led to considerable confusion.[1]