Excursus on the Word Homousios .
Excursus on the Words γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα .
The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers Assembled in…
The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers Assembled in the City of Nice, in Bithynia.
Excursus on the Use of the Word “Canon.”
Excursus on the Word Προσφέρειν .
Excursus on the Extent of the Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome Over the Suburbican Churches.
Excursus on the Rise of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Excursus on the Public Discipline or Exomologesis of the Early Church.
Excursus on the Communion of the Sick.
Excursus on the Translation of Bishops.
Excursus on the Deaconess of the Early Church.
Excursus on the Number of the Nicene Canons.
The Captions of the Arabic Canons Attributed to the Council of Nice.
Canon X.
If any who have lapsed have been ordained through the ignorance, or even with the previous knowledge of the ordainers, this shall not prejudice the canon of the Church; for when they are discovered they shall be deposed.
Notes.
Ancient Epitome of Canon X.
Whoso had lapsed are to be deposed whether those who ordained and promoted them did so conscious of their guilt or unknowing of it.
Hefele.
The tenth canon differs from the ninth, inasmuch as it concerns only the lapsi and their elevation, not only to the priesthood, but to any other ecclesiastical preferment as well, and requires their deposition. The punishment of a bishop who should consciously perform such an ordination is not mentioned; but it is incontestable that the lapsi could not be ordained, even after having performed penance; for, as the preceding canon states, the Church requires those who were faultless. It is to be observed that the word προχειρίζειν is evidently employed here in the sense of “ordain,” and is used without any distinction from χειρίζειν, whilst in the synodal letter of the Council of Nicæa on the subject of the Meletians, there is a distinction between these two words, and προχειρίζειν is used to signify eligere .
This canon is found in Corpus Juris Canonici . Decretum . Pars I. Dist. lxxxi. c.v.