Annales Ecclesiastici (Baronius, 1588-1607) – angelological and demonological references in the history of the Church (years 1-1198)
The Annales Ecclesiastici of Cesare Baronio (1538-1607), published in 12 original volumes (Rome 1588-1607, later reedited by Theiner in 20 vols in 1864), constitute the first great systematic Catholic ecclesiastical history. They cover, year by year, the period from the birth of Christ to 1198. For angelology/demonology, they are the primary collection of the patristic and conciliar sources up to Innocent III. Text in the Locus Mariologicus library.
| Author | Cardinal Cesare Baronio (1538-1607) |
| Volumes (Theiner ed. 1864) | 20 vols (originals: 12 vols 1588-1607) |
| Coverage | Year 1 (the birth of Christ) to 1198 (the end of the pontificate of Celestine III) |
| Continuation | Raynaldus continued 1198-1565, Laderchi continued 1566-1571 |
| Historiographical status | Fundamental source of Catholic historiography, the alternative to the Protestant “Magdeburg Centuries” |
Angelological/demonological themes in the Annales
Baronio organized the Annales in a year-by-year chronological format, citing primary sources (Mansi, Migne, papyri, manuscripts). For angelology/demonology, the Annales report:
I. Apostolic era (Vols 1-2, years 1-100)
- Year 33: Exorcisms of Christ and of the Apostles
- Year 36: Apparition of the Angel Saint Michael to Saint Peter in prison (Acts 12)
- Year 50: Council of Jerusalem, the role of the angels in the nascent Church
- Years 60-100: John the Apostle and his vision of the Apocalypse, Michael and the dragon
II. Late apostolic era + apostolic fathers (Vols 2-3, years 100-200)
- Ignatius of Antioch: mention of the angelic choirs in the liturgy
- Justin Martyr: against the pagan demons, First Apology
- Irenaeus of Lyons: against the Gnostics on angelology
- Year 195: Roman Council, antecedents of the exorcism in Baptism
III. Era of the persecutions (Vols 3-5, years 200-313)
- Origen (185-253): Peri Archon, book I, rebel angels (cf. SC 252)
- Saint Cyprian: De Spectaculis, pagan demons in the amphitheater
- Saint Anthony of the Desert (250-356): angelological battles against demons, Vita Antonii
- Years 305-311: Diocletian’s persecution, the martyrs and the protecting angels
IV. Constantinian era and councils (Vols 5-7, years 313-451)
- Council of Nicaea (325): implicit in defining the incarnate Word against Arianism (which reduced Christ to an angel)
- Council of Laodicea (363-364): can. 35 against the excessive cult of the angels
- First Council of Constantinople (381): the Creed’s “descendit de caelis”
- Council of Ephesus (431): Theotokos against Nestorius
- Council of Chalcedon (451): two natures in Christ
V. Byzantine and early medieval era (Vols 8-12, years 451-1000)
- Second Council of Constantinople (553): anti-Origenist anathemas (the apokatastasis of the Devil condemned)
- First Council of Braga (561): against Priscillianism
- Saint Gregory the Great (6th-7th c.): Homilies on the Gospels with the nine choirs
- Roman Council of 745: the Aldebert case (eight angels with apocryphal names)
- Second Council of Nicaea (787): the cult of angelic images
VI. Medieval era (Vols 13-19, years 1000-1198)
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153): treatise on the angels in the Song of Songs
- Hugh of Saint Victor (12th c.): the first scholastic synthesis
- Peter Lombard (1100-1160): Sentences, book II, on the angels
- Lateran Councils I, II, III (1123, 1139, 1179): condemn the Cathars (demonic dualism)
Raynaldus’s continuation (1198-1565)
Odorico Raynaldi (1595-1671) continued Baronio’s Annales, covering 1198 (Innocent III) to 1565 (Trent). For angelology/demonology it includes:
- 1215, Fourth Lateran Council (Innocent III): Firmiter credimus, the dogmatic definition of the angels
- 1442, Florence: Cantate Domino takes up Lateran IV
- 1481, Sixtus IV: the Constitution Grave nimis against the excessive cult of the saints
- 1517, Luther’s 95 Theses: the demonological context of the Reformation
- 1545-1563, Trent: definitions on demonology
Methodological importance of the Annales
Baronio wrote the Annales as the Catholic response to the “Magdeburg Centuries” (1559-1574), the Protestant church history that Matthias Flacius Illyricus had written. The Annales stand out for:
- Year-by-year chronology allowing each event to be located
- Citation of primary sources with precise references
- Use of Vatican manuscripts not yet published at the time
- Systematic treatment of the particular councils beyond the ecumenical ones
- Documentation of liturgical feasts and local devotions
Importance for angelological research
For the study of historical angelology/demonology, the Annales are useful because they:
- Document particular councils not included in the main Mansi
- Report miracles and exorcisms in the lives of the saints
- Cite ancient liturgies in full
- Compile papal bulls in precise chronological order
- Preserve Eastern traditions about the seven archangels
Further reading
Index of the Ancient Magisterial Sources | Lateran IV (1215) | Roman Council 745 | Braga I
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