As follows is a machine translation of the Lateran Council in 769 under the auspices of Pope Stephen III, touched up for the sake of being coherent. The original Latin is here, any improvements in translation would be appreciated, which is why I include page numbers. The council is fragmentary so I present it here in the most coherent order possible so that this is useful as a resource to English-language learners. Perhaps the most important historical detail was the council’s emphatic endorsement of iconodulia, something that 14 Frankish bishops who attended signed onto. Two decades later, Nicea II would occur and the Franks suddenly acquired amnesia as to their former view on iconodulia. The council’s long attendance list indicates how Roman councils maybe were not general councils of the West, but were conducted with the idea of being representative of mainly Italy.

THE ROMAN COUNCIL 769. April 12-14.

[Presumably Session/Act 1]

[79] In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, reigning (our Lord Jesus Christ) as one of the same holy trinity with the same Father and the Holy Spirit throughout the infinite ages, in the month of April, on the twelfth day, the seventh indiction.

[80] Presided over in the midst of the four gospels of Christ, with the thrice-blessed and co-angelic Stephen presiding, the supreme pontiff of this city of Rome and the third universal pope, in the venerable basilica of our Savior Jesus Christ, which is called Constantiniana next to the Lateran, (sitting) also with him the most reverend and most holy bishops. that is Ioh(anne) ven(erabili) deacon(ono) of the holy church of Ravenna presenting the place of (1) Sergius (archbishop of Ravenna) 1, (2) (Vu)lechario, archbishop of the province of Gaul, city of Senensis, (3) George bishop of Ostiensi, (4) Bulferamus bishop of Malta, (5) Lullon bishop of Magnantia, (6) Gavienno bishop of Turin, (7) Adonis bishop of Lugdon, (8) Herminarius bishop of Vethorica, (9) (Daniel bishop of Narbon, (10) Hermenberto bishop Ioshione, (11) Verabulpo bishop Burtevulgi, (12) Erlulf bishop Lingonicensi, (13) (Tilpino bishop) Remensi, (14) Giselberto bishop Noviomu, (15) Joseph bishop Derzonae, (16) Lanfrid bishop of Castri, (17) Aurinando bishop of Tuscany, (18) (Radoino bishop) of Balneoregensis, (19) Peter bishop of Poland, (20) Felerado bishop of Lunes, (21a) Theodore archpresbyter and (21b) Peter deacon of acting in the place of (21) (Hieronimo) the bishop of Papia Ticinus, (22) Peter the bishop of Caera, (23) Maurinus the bishop of Polimartius, (24) Leo the bishop of Castelli, (25) Sergius the bishop

[81] Ferentini, (26) (Jordane) bishop of Signine, (27) Adonis bishop of Ortens, (28) Ansuald bishop of Narnia, (29) Nirgotius bishop of Anagni, (30) Agathone bishop of Sutri, (31) (Steph)ano bishop Centum Cellarum, (32) Theodosius, bishop of Tiburtina, (83) Pinius, bishop of the Tribes of Taberna, (34) Bonifa, bishop of Priverna, (35) (Leo)nino, bishop of Alatrino, (36) Valerian, bishop of Trebe, (37) Bono bishop of Manturian, (38) Gregorio bishop of Silva Candida, (39) (E)ustratio bishop of Alba, (40) Potho bishop of Nepes, (41) Cidonato bishop of Porto, (42) Anthony bishop of Cesina, (43) John the bishop of Fentine sent by the aforesaid Sergius the archbishop of Ravenna, (44) Stabilinus the bishop of Pensauri, (45) Maurus the bishop of Fanensi, (46) Juvianus the bishop of Gallis, (47) George the bishop of Senogalia, (48) Sergius to the bishop of Ficuclen, (49a) Sabbatius acting as the legate for the presbyter (49) Tiberius, the bishop of Ariminens, (50) Florentino to the bishop of Eugubi, (51a) Gregory the presbyter and legate of Maurin bishop Orbinius, (52) Cidonato, bishop of Villitria–as for the venerable presbyters: (53) Gregory the archpresbyter, (54) Theophis the presbyter, (55) Eustace the presbyter, (56) Clement the presbyter, (57) Donatos the presbyter, (58) Armogenius the presbyter, (59) Theophilactus to the presbyter and (60) Theodosius the presbyter; attending also: (61) Anastasius the archdeacon and all the religious servants of God, both of the Latin monasteries and of the Greek cynoviaries, and the nobles of the church and the whole clergy, the nobles also of the militia and army, and the honorable citizens and to the whole people.

Stephen Bishop of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church

[82] said: Most holy brothers and fellow priests, therefore we sought to gather your holiness, dear to God and visible to God, into this sacrosanct, mother of all the churches of God, the Roman Church from different provinces, so that from the invasion and the new rash venture, as through [“Antipope”] Constantine and his followers that crept into the apostolic seat, I commanded that the merits of the matter should be carefully investigated, and that according to the decrees of the holy canons and the fathers, you endeavore to decide what the order of succession requires of reason.

The holy council answered: Let those who have chosen him and consecrated him come in our presence, and let them say what is the quality of the matter, so that we may know what can be canonical with the help of God. I have no knowledge of this cause, because when Lord Paulus the pope had departed from this life, all forsook him, (except I, who attended the funeral)*, and was in charge of the delivery of the burial. But behold, our beloved son Christopher is the first to publish what he knows.

*A parenthetical note, perhaps of the scribe—seemingly Christophorus, the first of the notaries of the holy apostolic see.

Then entered the most holy man Christopher, chief of the notaries of the holy apostolic seed, standing in the midst of the venerable council, and said: Most holy fathers, while the review of this far-fetched cause has been protracted, and while there are many things to be reported, I have caused those [documents] which I offer to you to be considered to be read in your presence.

And taking them Uilcarius, the archbishop of the Gauls, beloved of God, delivered them to Leontius, the regional notary and treasurer, to be read. This is the text:

The holy universal church of God, now more evidently demonstrates the merit of the matter, and I will give such important spiritual considerations of this angelic college, and, enlightened by God for its own defense, it also sees the assembled luminaries. Among whom, like the most splendid sun, the lord most holy prince and universal pope shines with wonderful splendor, who has earned the seat of the apostles of the blessed prince (Peter). For you [those attending from the Roman synod] are the most skillful of the worshipers of God according to the tradition of the holy fathers, as members of (this) sacred Roman Church, which is the head and first of all the churches of God; and you [of the Roman synod] must, obeying your head with the most sincere affection of mind and from the innermost year of your heart as those who look after the church for all [who worship] the same God, with a great spiritual insight, consider that which is written: “If the head is healthy, the rest of the members are also made healthy.” Indeed, it must be believed, since they also [with]

[83] the choir of angels, together with the assembly of all the saints, rejoice with us in ineffable joy, seeing that the Holy Spirit, the vivifier of all, is present in this most sacred council, since his presence is witnessed by the congregation of priests.

Stephen, the most holy and most blessed bishop of the holy Catholic and apostolic church of God, of the city of Rome, said: Informed by divine enlightenment, our beloved son Christopher first approaches us, which surely belongs to the great censure of the vigor of the holy catholic and apostolic church of our Roman Church, which is diffused throughout the world [I.e. Western Europe], and its worshipful tradition are known–and of course it is clear that, among other spiritual works, those studies are to be preferred, which are conducive to the salvation of souls. For good things follow, if first those things which are dearer to God are accomplished.

All the venerable bishops said: By a subtle report the most holy man Christophorus, the foremost of the notaries of the holy apostolic see, silences for us those things which were perpetrated by the strong arm of the transgressors and the invaders of the apostolic see by diabolical instigation; and a new presumption crept into this sacrosanct Roman church, inasmuch as, clearly recognizing the quality of the matter, we should be well instructed to decide what justice demands and to determine according to the institutions of the holy fathers and canons.

Christophorus, the first of the notaries of the holy apostolic see, accepting the words of the universal God of the Roman church and the clergy, said:

[84] On the fifth day of the month of June, on the twenty-ninth day of the holy remembrance, that Lord Paul(us) the pope had been withdrawn from this light by a divine call. They endeavored to slay him with evil complicity; hearing of my unhappiness, I forbade this to happen, and having summoned the same Toton or [one of] the other judges to my little house, I approached them with warnings and strong exhortations with oaths that I would be saved from such a heinous crime. And at last I was scarcely able to change the mind of the most impertinent of the men, lest they should mingle themselves in such a quarrel. After these things, having brought in the same house of my littleness the sacred four gospels of Christ, and the venerable chrism, and the other 10 mysteries (sacraments) of God, we provided each other with the (sacrament) of the pontificate [i.e. consecration to the episcopate] outside of another election,* ([deciding that] unless) he whom by (his own counsel and divine providence) was already from the body of our holy church, that is to say, from the priests (or deacons) according to the tradition of this apostolic see, we would choose for us an antistite and a “loaner” among us with the same (sacrament)–we believed in their pledge, affirming that none of the peasants [i.e. laity, particularly the army] would be allowed to enter the Roman city, the oft-fated lord Paulus [then] breathed his last in judgment, and from now on we all hastened with one accord to the basilica of the apostles on the Sunday itself and once again administered the sacraments [i.e. Eucharist, Absolution, etcetera] to the people for the preservation of each one’s justice. But when these things were done, and all returned to their own houses, the evil Toto himself, or his brother Constantine, suddenly gathered together the whole band of peasants with a strong arm, the same Constantine the layman, being present with arms, invaded the apostolic see, and the cleric was effected in the same patriarchate. When I heard this, I doubted whether to believe such an unheard-of new venture, and

*The translation is imperfect, but in short it is saying that Pope Paul and his allies decreed that there would no longer be popular elections to the episcopate nor the elevation of laity to episcopal offices.

[85] while I was about to leave, Constantine, the notary, immediately joined me, asserting that he had been so instructed by them, that I should meet at his election, threatening him with the strongest threats, that, unless I hastened to him on the same day, I should have come to a great end. For this I chose rather to die than to consent to a quicker election [i.e. renege on the agreement with Pope Paulus], and I did not go that way. But on another day, on the second day, the same invader of the apostolic see was consecrated deacon of the court in the oratory of the Lateran patriarch, and thus that wretch, so terrible and feared by these, unworthily took upon himself the culmination of his apostolate. Indeed, I, unhappy seeing that the holy church of God had become so humble, daily rivers of tears flowed from my eyes, and in a great howl of lamentation so lasting, did I cease to implore the element of God, that he might come to his holy church. And they, perceiving the sadness of my heart, at first, indeed, making Gregory the leader, an inhabitant of the province of Campania, plotting to kill me because of my destruction and afterwards, but the almighty Lord, who, hoping in our continued protection, revealed to me their plots, and at once I took refuge with my sons in the church of Bento (Peter), the prince of the apostles. And standing there, the same Constantine, relying on various persuasions, expelled me from the same most sacred apostolic court. And while for a long time it was looming, and he could by no means achieve his desire, to expel me from the same church, at last he advanced by himself to me the sacrament, before the most sacred confession of God the apostle himself, according to our will to fulfill himself, that is, until the venerable festival of Pascha He would permit me and my children to stay in our own houses, and afterwards he would give us permission. Therefore, when the Paschal festival was over, I constantly admonished him, together with my son Sergius, that we should, according to the sacrament of his promise, be absolved in the monastery, that is to say, in the parts of Spolitina, to him who is called the savior of our Lord Jesus…

—Ends Abruptly–

Fragment of Third Session/Act:

From the council of Lord Stephen III, the third act.

After this, the most holy bishops said: those things which pertain to the salvation of all those who wander, are known to have been dealt with and left behind;

[86] Constantine, the invader of the apostolic see, carried out what we discussed by common consent [i.e. an election], let us declare before all. First of all, we decree that the bishops whom the consecrat has appointed, if indeed they have been priests or deacons before, shall return in the same former honor, and afterward, after the usual decree of their election, come to the apostolic see with the plebs [I.e. laity] and decree for consecration, and the consecration by our [hands] let them receive the apostles immediately, as if they had not been at all ordained before. But all the other things that Constantius performed in the sacred offices, with the exception of baptism, are to be repeated. But those priests or deacons whom he ordained in this holy Roman church, in the former order of subdeaconry or in another office in which they served, should return, since it is afterwards in the power of your most holy almsgiving whether to ordain them or, as it pleases you, to dispose of them. As for those laymen who have been circumcised and consecrated by him, we decree that they should either be sent back to the monastery, or that they should remain spiritually in their own houses.

[87] But no one from the camps of Tuscany or Campania or from other places should dare to enter Rome, nor should they be invited by anyone or introduced into the city. But not one of the servants of both the clergy and the military should be found in the same election [of the Pope], nor any penitent with arms or clubs.

Fragments of Fourth Session/Act:

If we desire to come to the company of the saints, surely here we must venerate everything in honor of the same, whether the relics not only of bodies, sets and clothes, or churches commemorated by their names, or even their images and faces depicted in any place, with the highest honor.

It is to be feared lest, under the occasion of the icons, he erects a state of ill-assertion to the detriment of himself, and the bodies of the saints and the remains of the martyrs are forbidden to be worshiped as members of the Lord and to be venerated.

The question of Antiochus to St. Athanasius concerning images: How is it that the law and the prophets say, ‘Statues and likenesses are not worshiped, how do you make images and prostrate to them?’ He answered: ‘It is not as if we believe that we worship the images of the gods, far from it, as the pagans do, but only by the affection and charity of our souls do we show to the face of the image. Wherefore, with the countenance obliterated, like pure and common wood, we can burn which for a long time had been an image. For as Jacob, approaching death, worshiped the top of his staff, showing fondness to the virgin Joseph, so also the faithful do not worship images in any other way, except for through venerating the image, and many other similar things, as follows.

We adore and faithfully embrace the cross, for Christ was crucified on it.

If anyone does not want to venerate the holy images of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His mother and all the saints, according to the statutes of the holy fathers, let him be anathema.

[88] The canons of the apostles, promulgated by Saint Clement, are no longer to be accepted except fifty chapters, which are accepted by the living Roman Catholic Church of God.

If any one of the bishops or presbyters or monks or of the laity, breaking the statutes against the canons and the holy fathers, without the clergy, that is, of the presbyters, cardinals and deacons, should presume to go and invade this apostolic see, any of the aforesaid should attempt to invade the supreme pontificate if he wishes to rise to honor, let him and those who favor him be eternally anathema.

If anyone be found with arms in the election of the pontiff or other priests, let him be anathema.

If anyone presumes to invite or introduce into the Roman city anyone from any city or fortress or place of a pontiff after the former pontiff’s departure, before a pontiff is ordained in the seat of the blessed Peter, let him be anathema.

If any one presumes to resist the priests and primates of the church, or the entire clergy, in electing a pontiff for himself, let him be anathema according to this canonical tradition.

[89] [Passages from Pope Adrian I’s letters, usually JE2448, that apparently quoted Rome 769]

What synod I speak translated into Latin by our predecessor, once the most sane lord Stephen the Pope, in his council, which he himself made for the sacred images together with the different bishops of France and Italy, receiving and rereading, they were pleased both about the different testimonies of the holy fathers and about the symbol of faith [i.e. the Constantinopolitan Creed], where they were made, saying: If anyone has another term of faith or symbol or doctrine besides what has been handed down by the holy great and universal six synods and confirmed by these holy fathers, who gathered in them, and does not worship the image or figure of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor confess his humanity, as he who came down and was incarnated for the sake of the human race, let us anathematize such a wicked person and depute a foreigner and stranger to the holy catholic and apostolic church, and the rest, which is a long story to be told…

Our predecessors, that is to say, the most blessed pontiffs Gregory and Gregorius, Zacharias and Stephen, Paulus and again Stephen, we have found that those who were zealous for the erection of sacred images and in the Holy Spirit had a right zeal for the faith. For which Lord Gregory the second pope, the younger, together with the most holy bishops presiding before the confession [Matt 16:18] of the blessed Peter (the prince of the apostles), confirming the testimonies of many holy fathers, voted that the sacred images should be venerated and adored in their council. Moreover, our predecessor, the once lord Stephen the Pope of holy memory, similarly presiding with the bishops of the parts of France and Italy in the basilica of our Lord Jesus Christ, formerly of Constantiniana, confirming and embracing the venerable council of his predecessor, more and more and himself together with all the bishops adhering to the testimonies of the presiding holy fathers, they established sacred images to be adored and venerated. Whence also the blessed Apostle Paul teaching something: “Hold to the traditions which you have received.” He said again: “But whether we or an angel from heaven evangelize you, apart from what we have evangelized you, let him be anathema. As we have foretold, and now I say the same: If anyone preaches the gospel to you apart from what you have received, let him be anathema,” etc.

At the council of Lord Stephen, Pope, Herulfus, the bishop of the provinces of Gaul and the city of Linguini, brought forth, where he taught the rest of Secundinus, the servant of God, from Gaul, saying: We know,

[90] for you do not seek to be in the image of our Saviour, so as to worship God as it were, but for the remembrance of the Son of God, that you may be warmed in love, in whose image you consider yourself to be. And indeed we do not, as it were, prostrate ourselves before the divinity itself, but we adore him, by whose image we remember either the one who was born on the pasture or the one who sits on the throne. And while we bring back these pictures as if they were scriptures to the memory of the Son of God, let our minds be filled either with the resurrection or with the suffering of the Lord. And therefore we directed to thee two drawers, the Image of the Saviour, Mary, the holy mother of God, the apostles of the blessed Peter and Paul, and one cross, bright for blessing, to be protected by it from the evil one, by whose holy tree you believe that you are fortified…

…it was to the blessed Paul the apostle, whose face he had given me to paint…

Our predecessor of holy memory, Lord Stephen, once the most holy pope, presiding over the aforesaid council, asserting by himself among the most truthful testimonies, taught thus: But that is not to be passed over, which we knew by the report of the faithful coming from the eastern parts. In whom, however, the gospel may be silent by no means in all things the incredible merit of faith, from this the evangelist affirms of himself: ‘indeed and other signs did in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in the book.’ Finally, it is said to those who claim that the redeemer of the human race, when the day of his passion was approaching, to a certain king of the city of Edessa, desiring to see him bodily, and to fly to him fleeing from the persecutions of the Jews, and to impart to him and to the people the miracles he had heard, and the healing cures he had heard, answered: ‘What face I encapsulate my corporeal body, while I direct the appearance of my countenance to you, by which you cool the fervor of your desire, and what you have heard of me you think impossible to happen. However, after I have finished what has been written about me, I will address to you one of my disciples, who will impart healing to you and to the people and lead you to the sublime state of faith…’

[A quotation in Rome 769 of a letter from the Oriental Patriarchs, but I don’t have the context of how this letter was identified:] There were also other or similar holy fathers, whom you also know better. Persevere, most holy father, persevere in the same good faith, strengthened upon the rock, ajust as the divinely-spoken voice said to the apostle Peter: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’

[91] Truly they shall not prevail for ever and ever. We acknowledge you, the most holy lord, I, the humble Theodore, patriarch of Jerusalem, and these who are with us, Cosmas, the patriarch of Alexandria, and Theodore, the patriarch of Antioch, we understand and believe him, just as your sanctity is also evident…

This has already been explained in the aforesaid sacred councils of my predecessors, the most holy pontiffs, saying: We must add to the unbelief the reassurance and direction of the erring, which God commanded his servant Moses, saying, for in the book of Numbers it is read thus against the pestilence that had come upon them: ‘With the serpent, set it for a sign; he that is smitten shall live.’ Moses therefore made a serpent of blood and set it as a sign; when those who were bitten looked at it [and] they were healed. Oh, the madness of those who are against the Christian faith and religion, to assert that they do not worship or revere images in which there are figures of the savior, of the benefactor, or of the saints, in whose Husband the world stands in safety, and the salvation of the human race prevails. By inspecting the bronze serpent, we believe that the Israelite people were delivered from calamity, [but] while looking at and worshiping the images of Christ our God and the saints, do we doubt that we will be saved? Such a one will go to kill a man of wicked recklessness. Let us follow the ancient traditions of our fathers, and let us not deviate in any way from their teaching. For we can, holding like our predecessors and fathers, obtain the full grace of the people [of God].

…they were confirmed by the aforesaid most holy predecessors of our pontiffs in their sacred councils: Embracing these from the epistle of St. Dionysius, bishop of Athens, which was addressed to St. John the Evangelist. ‘In truth and manifestly, the images are visible and invisible. For it will not be in the sacks that come to be trampled upon because of his justice in respect of God.’ [This is an odd translation, the original reads: Truly things seen are manifest images of things unseen. For, neither in the ages which are approaching, will Almighty God be Cause of the just separations from Himself, but they by having separated themselves entirely from Almighty God…’] Also of the same about the celestial hierarchy and below: ‘For the aforementioned incorporeal hierarchies are depicted in different colors, and in compositions he delivered various heats, in so far as he tacitly transferred himself through the most sacred offices to the simple and incorporeal pious mind; indeed, it is impossible with our mind to reach those incorporeal things by imitation and vision, unless by means of the clemency we can reach through the visible to the invisible through an effigy and the visible and fragrant images washed with the rational tradition…’ [the authenticity of this passage is unknown, due to translation]

[92]…in the sacred councils of the forerunners of our most holy pontiffs, it is thus reported about the speech of St. Cyril to the bishop of Alexandria: ‘Just as one who has looked at a pleasingly designed image, he will indeed be amazed at the figure of the king, and what appears to him: this and knowing his conscription likewise he who sees will be delighted to see the king himself…’

In the aforesaid sacred councils of my predecessors, the most holy pontiffs, these testimonies were offered, that is, of St. Gennadius, the bishop of Massili, as to how the bodies or relics of the saints should be venerated: to be honored and the basilicas called by their name as places dedicated to divine worship to be gathered with the most pious affection and the most faithful devotion. If anyone comes against this opinion, let him not believe Christianity, but Eunomianism…

Whence it was expounded to my predecessors, the most holy pontiffs, in their sacred councils, promulgating more about the old histories below: ‘If indeed they were received, and images are received opportunely, since they are made according to God[‘s will]. Whence they work…’

…in the holy pontifical councils of our predecessors, St. John Chrysostom, this sentence is passed among others: ‘All things minister to man, but more so the image of God; for when the imperial faces and images enter the city and meet the judges and the senate, with praise and honor, they do not honor the tablet nor lavishly wax the writing, but the face of the emperor, so also the world of men, honoring not the earthly appearance, but the heavenly face…