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The Medieval Church · 1215
The Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council
The Fourth Lateran Council
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What it is
Seventy canons defining transubstantiation, requiring annual confession and communion, forbidding clergy to take part in ordeals, and imposing distinguishing dress on Jews and Muslims.
Why it lasted
The most consequential council of the Middle Ages. It shaped Catholic sacramental practice for seven centuries — and its clothing decree became a instrument of persecution for just as long.
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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