A sodality (lat. sodalitas “comradeship”), also known as syndeaconia in a theological context, is an association of persons. The single member is called Sodale. Both religious brotherhoods and other traditional associations (e.g., bachelors, marksmen) are called sodalities.
General Information
In its most general sense, the two Latin words sodalitas and sodalicium designated associations, corporations, or brotherhoods on specific topics, formed to increase their influence in society. They were synonymous with collegium, but their name was especially assigned to political associations, a kind of electoral clubs that were formed at the end of the Roman Republic or religious brotherhoods responsible for celebrating particular cults.
Political sodalities were filled with wealthy and ambitious citizens who pooled their resources and talents to achieve Roman honors. If necessary, they did not hesitate to buy the votes of those who could. In 58 BC, a senatorial decree was passed ordering their dissolution. Three years later, it was necessary to take further measures against them: this was the purpose of the lex Licinia de sodaliciis. Political sodalities would naturally disappear during the Roman Empire.
Roman Religion
Religious sodalities can be divided into two categories:
- Ancient sodalities, whose origin dates back to the earliest times of Roman history, and imperial sodalities constituted on the previous model. The ancient sodalities were:
- Luperci, who celebrated the feast of Lupercalia on February 15 with a ceremony in memory of the breastfeeding of Romulus and Remus by the she-wolf. There were 12 Luperci of the Palatine and 12 Luperci of the Quirinal.
- Arval Brothers, twelve priests of the cult of the Earth Goddess Dea Dia (later assimilated to Ceres).
- Salii, in charge of chants and dances during the war rituals from March to October. There are 24 in total: 12 Salii of the Palatine and 12 of the Quirinal. The dance they performed is called the tripudium (“tripudium”, a dance in ternary rhythm).
- Flamines, priests in charge of the cult of a god each.
- Feciales, responsible for ensuring compliance with the law in relations with other peoples (especially at the time of the declaration of war and the observance of treaties) and whose activity resulted in the birth of the fetial law.
- Public and official sodalities, where the State probably had to replace certain individuals, disappeared during historical times, and who would have previously been responsible for performing certain cults or celebrating certain ceremonies. Imperial sodalities had the mission of celebrating the cult of the emperors in Rome. The first of these fraternities was founded in 14 BC, as soon as Augustus had been elevated, through apotheosis, to the category of the gods. The members of this sodality were called sodales Augustales.
Other Sodalities
Later, other similar sodalities were constituted, the Flavian Titian by Vespasian and Titus, the Hadrianals by Hadrian, and the Antoninians by Antoninus Pius. The latter was responsible for the cult of all the emperors who received apotheosis at the end of the 2nd century and in the 3rd century. Only the sodales Augustales are known in some detail, which originally consisted of 21 members and in the 2nd century increased to 28. These members had to belong to the senatorial order. The sodality was headed by three magistrates.
Christianity
In Christian theology, a sodality is a form of the “Universal Church” expressed in a specialized and task-oriented manner as opposed to the Christian church in its local diocesan form (what is called modality). The term “sodality” is most commonly used by groups of the Catholic Church, where they are also referred to as brotherhoods. Marian sodalities proliferated throughout Catholic Europe, especially during the 17th century.
Among Protestants, sodalities are expressed through missionary organizations, societies, and specialized ministries that have proliferated, especially since the advent of the modern missionary movement, usually attributed to the Englishman William Carey in 1792. However, they rarely use the term “sodality” in their denominations.
Prehistory and Early History
Barbara Mills suggests that sodalities can be identified in the early Neolithic settlement of Çatal Höyük. In the American Southwest, archaeologists believe that sodalities existed since the beginning of agriculture.
Antiquity
The Titii sodales were an ancient cult priest community.
Humanistic Sodalities
In Humanism, the Sodalitates litterariae were scholarly associations. Conrad Celtis founded several sodalities in Krakow around 1488, in Hungary and Vienna around 1494, and in Germany around 1500.
Catholic Sodalities
In the early modern period, Jesuits founded Marian sodalities in honor of Mary. Other Catholic movements and communities also refer to their members as sodales, translated as “companion, friend, comrade,” from the Latin synonym sodalis. The designation can be found in:
- the Society of Jesus, a Jesuit lay organization
- the Schoenstatt Movement, see also Mater Ter Admirabilis
- the Marian Men’s and Young Men’s Sodality “Assumption of Mary” Fulda, founded in 1609
- the Marian Civic Sodality in Würzburg, which was relocated from St. Michael’s Church to the Chapel of St. Mary in 1796
- the Bachelor Sodality in the Hospital Church of the Würzburg Civic Hospital.
- from the Jünglingssodalität “Trinity,” founded in Dortmund in 1901, emerged Borussia Dortmund sports club in 1909.
Protestant Sodalities
Especially in Protestant churches in the Anglo-Saxon world, purpose-driven brotherhoods, often tasked with missions, are referred to as sodalities.
Ethnology
Sodalities were widespread in the Pueblos of the North American Southwest. In most Pueblos, there are healing societies that treat illnesses caused by the violation of social rules through special ceremonies, thus restoring social peace. They can also detect witchcraft. In addition to general healing societies, there are those dealing with specific problems, such as ant bites, lightning strikes, or snake bites. Among the Tewa, bear societies are usually active as healers, also known among the Tiwa and Laguna. Among the Keresan, there were also clown and warrior sodalities. Dual memberships were common.
