ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the fifth century, the Gallic and Italian churches seemed broadly similar in structure and apparently shared a collegial spirit. Each was typified by a predominately non-aristocratic episcopate, a receptiveness to asceticism coupled with a scepticism about its more extreme manifestations, and a shared sense of identity. In a society that defined itself in terms of its past, these sentiments are unsurprising, but they emphasize the extent to which the refocusing of aristocratic ambition in Gaul onto the episcopate was unusual. Italian aristocrats continued to follow traditional aristocratic careers, which in some cases they expanded to incorporate an interest in church matters. Pope Symrnachus held a meeting in Rome to discuss the matter that was apparently attended by a large number of clergy and influential lay people. The extent of Boethius' involvement also may be reflective of high levels of secular participation in theological debate in the Italian church in the early sixth century.
