The alleged preaching ban in southern Gaul, 431–529: a reassessment of the arguments and evidence

Abstract

For over one hundred years, scholars have argued that there was a ban on presbyterial preaching in southern Gaul throughout the fifth century. This ban was purportedly lifted at the Council of Vaison (529) at the behest of Caesarius of Arles in order to preach the gospel in the countryside. While scholars have called the effectiveness of the ban into question, this article makes a stronger critique, arguing that there was neither a ban nor a unified local preaching tradition. It further suggests that presbyterial preaching was a critical and highly regulated component of the church’s power in fifth-century Gaul.