Libellatici, Libelli (Catholic Encyclopedia article)
James Bridge · 1913
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Description
The libelli were certificates issued to third-century Christians. Certificates of conformity attested that holders had met the religious tests of Decius's edict. Certificates of indulgence carried the intercession of confessors or martyrs for the lapsi, those who had apostatized. The scornful term libellatici applies only to holders of the first kind. Decius's edict of 249 or 250, after a long peace, frightened many Christians into submission.
Submission took several forms: apostates who left the faith, sacrificati and thurificati who joined pagan rites, and libellatici who bought conformity certificates. Three such libelli survive, all Egyptian, in which the petitioner claims constancy in sacrificing and begs commissioners to sign. Sometimes the declaration stood for the deed, or the paper was bought. For reconciling lapsi, confessors sent libelli pacis to the bishop, asking their own merits to win remission of temporal punishment, believed to avail before God.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | James Bridge |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 1913 |
| COLLECTION | REFERENCE |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 3 KB |
| LICENSE | PUBLIC_DOMAIN |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | New Advent — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) |