Bracarian Council I (561) – canons against the demonic duality of Priscillianism

# The First Council of Braga (561)## Background and Significance The *First Council of Braga* (May 1, 561), held in Braga under the presidency of Bishop Saint Lucrecio, is one of the earliest councils in the Iberian Peninsula and the most significant regional magisterial text on angelology/demonology from Late Antiquity. Its 17 canons condemn Priscillianism, a Hispano-Galician-Roman heretic who advocated for a dualist belief between the good God, creator of souls, and Satan, creator of matter.## Council Details| **Aspect** | **Details** | |—|—| | **Council:** First Council of Braga (Bracarense I) | | | **Location:** Braga, Portugal | | | **Date:** May 1, 561 | | | **Presiding Bishop:** Saint Lucrecio, Bishop of Braga | | | **Topics:** 17 canons against Priscillianism (4th-6th centuries) | | | **Source:** Denzinger-Schoenmetzer 451-464 | |## Historical Context: Priscillianism Priscillianism was a heresy originating with Priscilian of Ávila (Spain), who was executed by civil authority in 385, marking the first execution of a heretic in Christian history. After his death, the heresy spread to Galicia and Portugal, persisting until the 6th century. Priscillianists held the following beliefs:– **Dualism:** Two eternal principles, the good God (spirit) and evil Satan (matter). – **Denial of Christ’s Real Incarnation (Docetism):** They did not believe in Christ’s full humanity. – **Astrology and Magic:** Integrated into their practice under the guise of “Christianity.” – **Denial of Physical Resurrection:** Refusing to accept the bodily resurrection. – **Satan as Creator:** Attributing creation of the material world and bodies to Satan.## Anti-Demonological Canons of the First Council of Braga### Canon 7: Against Demonistic Dualism > “If anyone says that the soul or body of a man was made by a demon, let him be anathema.” (Latin: *Si quis dicit, animam vel hominis corpus a daemone factum esse, anathema sit.)### Canon 8: The Devil is Not a Creator > “If anyone says that the first elements of the world, namely, the substances of creation, were created by an adverse principle from the beginning, as Manichaeans and Priscillians taught, let him be anathema.” (Latin: *Si quis dicit, primorum elementorum, mundi videlicet substantias unius creationis ab adverso principio creatas esse, sicut Manichaei et Priscillianus dixerunt, anathema sit.)### Canon 9: The Devil is Not Eternal > “If anyone says that the Devil was not previously a good angel created by God, nor that his nature was God’s work, but that he emerged from chaos and darkness, having no author of himself, and that he is himself the principle and substance of evil, as Manichaeans and Priscillians taught, let him be anathema.” (Latin: *Si quis dicit, diabolum non fuisse prius bonum angelum a Deo factum, nec Dei opificium fuisse naturam eius, sed dicit eum ex chao et tenebris emersisse, nec aliquem sui habere auctorem, sed ipsum esse principium et substantiam mali, sicut Manichaeus et Priscillianus dixerunt, anathema sit.)### Canon 10: Did the Devil Create Thunder and Storms? > “If anyone says that God’s creatures, namely human flesh and other such bodies, were created by Satan, let him be anathema.” (Latin: *Si quis dicit, creaturas Dei, id est carnes humanas et alia hujusmodi corpora a diabolo creata esse, anathema sit.)

English: If anyone says that God’s creatures, that is, human bodies and similar bodies, were created by the Devil, let him be anathema.

The Three Fundamental Principles of Demonology Established by Bracarense I

Bracarense I establishes three fundamental principles regarding demonology:

1. Absolute Monotheism: There is only one Creator God. The Devil is not a second creator principle (against Manichaeism)
2. Original Goodness of the Devil: The Devil was created good as an angel, before his fall. He is not evil by nature but by choice (cf. later Lateranense IV)
3. Goodness of Matter: Matter and bodies were created by God, not by the Devil (against Gnosticism and Manichaeism)

Historical Significance

Bracarense I anticipates by over 600 years the definition of Lateranense IV (1215). It is the first council (even if regional) to clearly establish dogmatically:

• That angels are creatures of God
• That the Devil is a fallen angel
• That there is only one principle of good and evil (the Creator God), and evil is only corruption of good by free choice

These affirmations are reaffirmed by:

• Fourth Council of Toledo (633)
• Eleventh Council of Toledo (675)
• Fifteenth Council of Toledo (688)
• Roman Catechism (1566)
• Council of Florence (1442) – Cantate Domino
• Fourth Lateran Council (1215) – Firmiter

Liturgical Heritage in Braga

Bracarense I gave rise to the so-called Braga Rite, one of several forms of medieval Western liturgy, which persisted in the Archdiocese of Braga until the post-conciliar period. This rite has particular Marian and angelic prayers, especially in Christmas Mass and Marian feasts.

Implications for Contemporary Demonology

The principles established by Bracarense I continue to govern contemporary Catholic demonology:

1. Against Dualistic Occultism: Which purports to invoke both God and «spirits» opposite
2. Against White/Black Magic: The Church does not recognize two «magics», only grace (good) and demonical work (evil)
3. Against Astrology: Stars are creatures of God, not «autonomous principles» that govern destiny
4. Against Modern «Satanism»: The Devil is not a parallel principle to God but a fallen creature subject to His sovereignty

Relation with Subsequent Magisterium

The canons of Bracarense I are considered magisterially binding in what concerns doctrine (even though it was a regional council, it was received by the Toledo Councils and implicitly ratified). The CCC n. 391 explicitly cites Lateranense IV (which reformulates Bracarense I).

Supplementary Reading

IV Lateran Council 1215 | Florence – Cantate Domino 1442 | CCC on Angels and Demons