GANGRA

Gangra, the capital of the Roman province of Paphlagonia, today Cankiri, northeast of Ankara, Turkey. It probably had a bishop at the Council of nicaea in 325, but the story of the stoning of Bishop Hypatius by the Novatians after his return from that council is not based on historical data [Roman martyrology Nov. 14, Acta Sanctorum dec. Propyl. 521–522, Analecta Bollandiana 51 (1933) 392–395]. Its first bishop was probably Eusebius, who presided at the Council of Gangra (J. D. Mansi Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio 2:1095–1122). Although the date is uncertain, the council is the most important event of Gangra's Christian history. Sozomen (Church History 3.24 and 4.24) dated it before the synod of Antioch in 341. Twenty canons of the council described and condemned the exaggerated asceticism of eustathius of sebaste, who would have required all Christians to follow monastic discipline with regard to dress, marriage, and abstinence. He also ordered fasting on Sunday rather than according to the practice of the Church, and he claimed that rich or married people could not be saved. The 20 canons were sent to all Armenian bishops and were later included in gratian's Decretum. After the Turkish conquest of 1423, the metropolitan See of Gangra along with its five suffragan sees was suppressed. Its ancient cathedral of St. Demetrius has since been converted into a mosque.

Bibliography: c. j. von hefele and h. leclercq, Histoire des conciles d'après les documents originaux (Paris 1907–38) 1.2:1029–45. Paulys Realenzyklopädie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft, ed. e. wissowa (Stuttgart 1893—) 7.1:707. g. bardy, Dictionnaire de droit canonique, ed. r. naz (Paris 1935–65) 5:935–938. Catholicisme 4:1745–46. a. bigelmair Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 4:514.

[j. van paassen]