y occupied the site of the modern. In Christian times
Gangra was the metropolitan see of Paphlagonia. In the 4th century the
town was the scene of an important ecclesiastical synod.

_Synod of Gangra._--Conjectures as to the date of this synod vary from
341 to 376. All that can be affirmed with certainty is that it was held
about the middle of the 4th century. The synodal letter states that
twenty-one bishops assembled to take action concerning Eustathius (of
Sebaste?) and his followers, who contemned marriage, disparaged the
offices of the church, held conventicles of their own, wore a peculiar
dress, denounced riches, and affected especial sanctity. The synod
condemned the Eustathian practices, declaring however, with remarkable
moderation, that it was not virginity that was condemned, but the
dishonouring of marriage; not poverty, but the disparagement of honest
and benevolent wealth; not asceticism, but spiritual pride; not
individual piety, but dishonouring the house of God. The twenty canons
of Gangra were declared ecumenical by the council of Chalcedon, 451.

See Mansi ii. pp. 1095-1122; Hardouin i. pp. 530-540; Hefele 2nd ed.,
i. pp. 777 sqq. (English trans. ii. pp. 325 sqq.).

CHANNEL ISLANDS (French _Iles Normandes_), a group of islands in the
English Channel, belonging (except the Iles Chausey) to Great Britain.
(For map, see ENGLAND, Section VI.) They lie between 48 deg. 50' and 49
deg. 45' N., and 1 deg. 50' and 2 deg. 45' W., along the French coast of
Cotentin (department of Manche), at a distance of 4 to 40 m. from it,
within the great rectangular bay of which the northward horn is Cape La
Hague. The greater part of this bay is shallow, and the currents among
the numerous groups of islands and rocks are often dangerous to
navigation. The nearest point of the English coast to the Channel
Islands is Portland Bill, a little over 50 m. north of the northernmost
outlier of the islands. The total land area of the islands is about 75
sq. m. (48,083 acres), and the population in 1901 was 95,618. The
principal individual islands are four:--JERSEY (area 45 sq. m., pop.
52,576), GUERNSEY (area 24.5 sq. m., pop. 40,446), ALDERNEY (area 3.06
sq. m., pop. 2062), and SARK (area nearly 2 sq. m., pop. 504). Each of
these islands is treated in a separate article. The chief town and port
of Jersey is St Helier, and of Guernsey St Peter Port; a small town on
Alderney is called St Anne. Regular communication by ste