Council · 589 · 8 May
Third Council of Toledo
Toledo III brought Visigothic Spain from Arian Christianity into Catholic communion. That mattered politically, because it united the kingdom's ruling elite and Catholic population; it mattered theologically, because the old Arian question still had public consequences in the West. The council is also where the filioque appears in conciliar form, confessing that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. A local Spanish formula would later become one of the great East-West flashpoints.
At a glance
- Type
- Council
- Date remembered
- 8 May, AD 589
- What kind of event is this?
- A council or settlement that changed the church's public teaching, discipline, or historical direction.
- Key line
- Arian Spain becomes Catholic Spain.
Highlights
- Reccared converted.
- Arianism was rejected.
- The filioque appeared in conciliar form.
- Spain's church and kingdom were unified.
How it happened
What happened
King Reccared and the Visigothic elite renounced Arianism and entered Catholic communion.
The argument
The council resolved the kingdom's Arian-Catholic divide and confessed Nicene faith in a Spanish setting.
What changed
Visigothic Spain became officially Catholic, and the filioque appeared in conciliar form.
Why it matters
Toledo shows that Arianism still mattered in the West long after Constantinople I.
Aftermath
The filioque would later become one of the central disputes between East and West.
People in the story
Recommended reading
Primary texts from figures tied to this event.
Isidore of Seville
Etymologies · 627
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