Ecumenical council

This article is about ecumenical councils in general. For the Catholic councils, seeCatholic ecumenical councils.For the Salvador Dalí painting, seeThe Ecumenical Council (painting).

Anecumenical council,also calledgeneral council,is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions ofChristiandoctrine, administration, discipline, and other mattersin which those entitled to vote areconvokedfrom the whole world (oikoumene) and which secures the approbation of the whole Church.

The word "ecumenical"derives from the Late Latinoecumenicus"general, universal", from Greekoikoumenikos"from the whole world", fromhe oikoumene ge"the inhabited world" (as known to the ancient Greeks); the Greeks and their neighbors, considered as developed human society (as opposed tobarbarianlands); in later use "the Roman world" and in the Christian sense in ecclesiastical Greek, fromoikoumenos,present passive participle ofoikein( "inhabit" ), fromoikos( "house, habitation" ).Thefirst seven ecumenical councils,recognised by both theeasternandwesterndenominations comprisingChalcedonian Christianity,were convoked by Roman Emperors, who also enforced the decisions of those councils within thestate church of the Roman Empire.

Starting with the third ecumenical council, noteworthyschismsled to non-participation by some members of what had previously been considered a singleChristian Church.Thus, some parts of Christianity did not attend later councils, or attended but did not accept the results. Bishops belonging to what became known as theEastern Orthodox Churchaccept seven ecumenical councils, as describedbelow.Bishops belonging to what became known as theChurch of the Eastparticipated in the first two councils. Bishops belonging to what became known asOriental Orthodoxyparticipated in the first four councils, but rejected the decisions of the fourth and did not attend any subsequent ecumenical councils.

Acceptance of councils as ecumenical and authoritative varies between differentChristian denominations.Disputes overChristologicaland other questions have led certain branches to reject some councils that others accept.

Acceptance of councils by denomination

TheChurch of the East(accused by others of adhering toNestorianism) accepts as ecumenical the first two councils.Oriental Orthodox Churchesaccept the first three.

Both theCatholic ChurchandEastern Orthodox Churchrecognize as ecumenical the first sevencouncils,held from the 4th to the 9th centuries. While some Eastern Orthodox acceptone later councilas ecumenical (which was later repudiated by the Catholic Church), the Catholic Church continues to hold general councils of the bishops infull communionwith thePope,reckoning them as ecumenical. In all, the Catholic Church recognizes twenty-one councils as ecumenical.

The first four ecumenical councils are recognized by someLutheran Churches,Anglican CommunionandReformed Churches—though they are "considered subordinate to Scripture".TheLutheran World Federationrecognizes the first seven Ecumenical Councils as "exercises of apostolic authority" and recognizes their decisions as authoritative; while member churches are not required to accept all theological statements produced by the Federation, but only to subscribe to the most basic Lutheran historical confessional documents, most do follow this recommendation.

Infallibility of ecumenical councils

See also:Infallibility of the Church

The doctrine of theinfallibility of ecumenical councilsstates that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils, which concern faith or morals, and to which the whole Church must adhere, are infallible. Such decrees are often labeled as 'Canons' and they often have an attachedanathema,a penalty ofexcommunication,against those who refuse to believe the teaching. The doctrine does not claim that every aspect of every ecumenical council is dogmatic, but that every aspect of an ecumenical council is free of errors or impeccable.

Both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches uphold versions of this doctrine. However, the Catholic Church holds that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils meet the conditions of infallibility only when approved by the Pope,while the Eastern Orthodox Church holds that an ecumenical council is itself infallible when pronouncing on a specific matter.

Protestant churches would generally view ecumenical councils as fallible human institutions that have no more than a derived authority to the extent that they correctly expound Scripture (as most would generally consider occurred with the first four councils in regard to their dogmatic decisions).

Council documents

Church councils were, from the beginning, bureaucratic exercises. Written documents were circulated, speeches made and responded to, votes taken, and final documents published and distributed. A large part of what is known about the beliefs ofheresiescomes from the documents quoted in councils in order to be refuted, or indeed only from the deductions based on the refutations.

Most councils dealt not only with doctrinal but also with disciplinary matters, which were decided incanons( "laws" ). Study of the canons of church councils is the foundation of the development ofcanon law,especially the reconciling of seemingly contradictory canons or the determination of priority between them. Canons consist of doctrinal statements and disciplinary measures—most Church councils and local synods dealt with immediate disciplinary concerns as well as major difficulties of doctrine. Eastern Orthodoxy typically views the purely doctrinal canons asdogmaticand applicable to the entire church at all times, while the disciplinary canons apply to a particular time and place and may or may not be applicable in other situations.

Circumstances of the first ecumenical councils

Of the seven councils recognised in whole or in part by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church as ecumenical, all were called by aRoman emperor.The emperor gave them legal status within the entireRoman Empire.All were held in the eastern part of theRoman Empire.The bishop of Rome (self-styled as "pope" since the end of the fourth century) did not attend, although he sentlegatesto some of them.

Church councils were traditional and the ecumenical councils were a continuation ofearlier councils(also known assynods) held in the Empire before Christianity was made legal. These include theCouncil of Jerusalem(c. 50), the Council of Rome (155), the Second Council of Rome (193), the Council of Ephesus (193), theCouncil of Carthage (251),the Council of Iconium (258),theCouncil of Antioch (264),theCouncils of Arabia(246–247), theCouncil of Elvira(306), theCouncil of Carthage (311),theSynod of Neo-Caesarea(c. 314), theCouncil of Ancyra(314) and theCouncil of Arles (314).

The first seven councils recognised in both East and West as ecumenical and several others to which such recognition is refused were called by the Byzantine emperors. In the first millennium, various theological and political differences such asNestorianismorDyophysitismcaused parts of the Church to separate after councils such as those ofEphesusandChalcedon,but councils recognised as ecumenical continued to be held.

TheCouncil of Hieriaof 754, held at the imperial palace of that name close to Chalcedon in Anatolia, was summoned by Byzantine EmperorConstantine Vand was attended by 338 bishops, who regarded it as the seventh ecumenical council.TheSecond Council of Nicaea,which annulled that of Hieria, was itself annulled at thesynod held in 815 in ConstantinopleunderEmperor Leo V.This synod, presided over by PatriarchTheodotus I of Constantinople,declared the Council of Hieria to be the seventh ecumenical council,but, although the Council of Hieria was called by an emperor and confirmed by another, and although it was held in the East, it later ceased to be considered ecumenical.

Similarly, theSecond Council of Ephesusof 449, also held in Anatolia, was called by the Byzantine EmperorTheodosius IIand, though annulled by the Council of Chalcedon, was confirmed by EmperorBasiliscus,who annulled the Council of Chalcedon.This too ceased to be considered an ecumenical council.

Catholic views on those circumstances

The Catholic Church does not consider the validity of an ecumenical council's teaching to be in any way dependent on where it is held or on the granting or withholding of prior authorization or legal status by any state, in line with the attitude of the 5th-century bishops who "saw the definition of the church's faith and canons as supremely their affair, with or without the leave of the Emperor" and who "needed no one to remind them that Synodical process pre-dated the Christianisation of the royal court by several centuries".

The Catholic Church recognizes as ecumenical various councils held later than the FirstCouncil of Ephesus(after which churches out of communion with the Holy See because of theNestorian Schismdid not participate), later than theCouncil of Chalcedon(after which there was no participation by churches that rejectedDyophysitism), later than theSecond Council of Nicaea(after which there was no participation by theEastern Orthodox Church), and later than theFifth Council of the Lateran(after which groups that adhered to Protestantism did not participate).

Of the twenty-one ecumenical councils recognised by the Catholic Church, some gained recognition as ecumenical only later. Thus the EasternFirst Council of Constantinoplebecame ecumenical only when its decrees were accepted in the West also.

List of ecumenical councils

First seven ecumenical councils

Main article:First seven ecumenical councils

Nicaea (İznik)

Constantinople (İstanbul)

Chalcedon (Kadıköy)

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Locations of six of the first seven ecumenical councils (all convened in modern-dayTurkey).

In thehistory of Christianity,the first seven ecumenical councils, from theFirst Council of Nicaea(325) to theSecond Council of Nicaea(787), represent an attempt to reach anorthodoxconsensus and to unifyChristendom.

All of the original seven ecumenical councils as recognized in whole or in part were called by an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire and all were held in theEastern Roman Empire,a recognition denied to other councils similarly called by an Eastern Roman emperor and held in his territory, in particular theCouncil of Serdica(343), theSecond Council of Ephesus(449) and theCouncil of Hieria(754), which saw themselves as ecumenical or were intended as such.

2. TheFirst Council of Nicaea(325) repudiatedArianism,declared that Christ is "homoousioswith the Father "(of the same substance as the Father), and adopted theoriginal Nicene Creed;addressed theQuartodeciman controversyby fixing thedate of Easter;recognised authority of theseesof Rome, Alexandria and Antioch outside their owncivil provincesand granted the see of Jerusalem a position of honour.
4. TheFirst Council of Constantinople(381) repudiatedArianismandMacedonianism,declared that Christ is "born of the Father before all time", revised theNicene Creedin regard to theHoly Spiritand water baptism.
6. TheCouncil of Ephesus(431) repudiatedNestorianism,proclaimed the VirginMaryas theTheotokos( "Birth-giver to God", "God-bearer", "Mother of God" ), repudiatedPelagianism,and reaffirmed the Nicene Creed.
   This and all the following councils in this list are not recognised by all of theChurch of the East.
   • TheSecond Council of Ephesus(449) receivedEutychesas orthodox based on his petition outlining his confession of faith. DeposedTheodoretof Cyrrhus andIbas of Edessa.Condemned Ibas's Letter to "Maris the Persian" (possibly a misunderstood title, indicating as the receiver a certain Catholicus Dadyeshu, bishop of Ardashir/Ctesiphonbetween 421 and 456;this same letter later became one of theThree Chapters).
     Though originally convened as an ecumenical council, this council is not recognised as ecumenical and is denounced as aRobber Councilby theChalcedonians(Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants).
8. TheCouncil of Chalcedon(451) repudiated theEutychiandoctrine ofmonophysitism;adopted theChalcedonian Creed,which described thehypostatic unionof the two natures of Christ, human and divine; reinstated those deposed in 449 including Theodoret of Cyrus. Restored Ibas of Edessa to his see and declared him innocent upon reading his letter. DeposedDioscorus of Alexandria;and elevated the bishoprics of Constantinople and Jerusalem to the status of patriarchates. This is also the last council explicitly recognised by theAnglican Communion.
   This council is rejected byOriental Orthodox churches.
   • TheThird Council of Ephesus(475) ratified an encyclical ofEmperor Basiliscuswhich repudiated the Council of Chalcedon and particularly theTome of Leo.
     This council is recognised only by Oriental Orthodox churches, but is not recognised by the Chalcedonians (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants). All the following councils in this list are rejected or at least not explicitly affirmed by Oriental Orthodox churches.
10. TheSecond Council of Constantinople(553) repudiated theThree Chaptersas Nestorian, condemnedOrigenism,and decreed thetheopaschite formula.
12. TheThird Council of Constantinople(680–681) repudiatedmonothelitismandmonoenergism.
    • TheQuinisext Council,also called Council in Trullo (692)addressed matters of discipline (in amendment to the 5th and 6th councils).
      The ecumenical status of this council was repudiated by the Western churches.
14. TheSecond Council of Nicaea(787) restored thevenerationoficons(condemned at theCouncil of Hieria,754) and repudiatediconoclasm.

Further councils recognised as ecumenical in the Catholic Church

As late as the 11th century, seven councils were recognised as ecumenical in the Catholic Church.Then, in the time ofPope Gregory VII(1073–1085), canonists who in theInvestiture Controversyquoted the prohibition in canon 22 of the Council of Constantinople of 869–870 against laymen influencing the appointment of prelates elevated this council to the rank of ecumenical council.Only in the 16th century was recognition as ecumenical granted by Catholic scholars to the Councils of the Lateran, of Lyon and those that followed.The following is a list of further councils generally recognised as ecumenical by Catholic theologians:

8. Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic)(869–870) deposed PatriarchPhotios I of Constantinopleas an usurper and reinstated his predecessorSaint Ignatius.Photius had already been declared deposed by the Pope, an act to which the See of Constantinople acquiesced at this council.
9. First Council of the Lateran(1123) addressedinvestment of bishopsand theHoly Roman Emperor's role therein.
10. Second Council of the Lateran(1139) reaffirmedLateran Iand addressed clerical discipline (clerical celibacy,dress).
11. Third Council of the Lateran(1179) restricted papal election to thecardinals,condemnedsimony,and introduced minimum ages for ordination (thirty for bishops).
12. Fourth Council of the Lateran(1215) definedtransubstantiation,addressedpapal primacyand clerical discipline.
13. First Council of Lyon(1245) proclaimed the deposition ofEmperor Frederick IIand instituted a levy to support the Holy Land.
14. Second Council of Lyon(1274) attempted reunion with the Eastern churches, defined teaching onpurgatory,approvedFranciscanandDominicanorders,a tithe to support crusades, andconclaveprocedures.
15. Council of Vienne(1311–1312) disbanded theKnights Templar.
    • Council of Pisa(1409) attempted to solve the GreatWestern Schism.
      The council is not numbered because it was not convened by apopeand its outcome was repudiated at Constance.
16. Council of Constance(1414–1418) resolved theGreat Western Schismand condemnedJohn Hus.
    The Catholic Church declared invalid the first sessions of the Council of Constance, gathered under the authority ofAntipope John XXIII,which included the famous decreeHaec Sancta Synodus,which marked the high-water mark of the conciliar movement of reform.Decrees of the council later annulled byPope Sixtus IV.
    • Council of Siena(1423–1424) addressed church reform.
      Not numbered as it was swiftly disbanded.
17. Council of Basel, Ferrara and Florence(1431–1445) addressed church reform and reunion with the Eastern Churches but split into two parties. The fathers remaining at Basel became the apogee ofconciliarism.The fathers at Florence achieved union withvarious Eastern Churchesand temporarily with theEastern Orthodox Church.
18. Fifth Council of the Lateran(1512–1517) addressed church reform.
19. Council of Trent(1545–1563, with interruptions) addressed church reform and repudiated Protestantism, defined the role andcanonof Scripture and theseven sacraments,and strengthened clerical discipline and education. Considered the founding event of theCounter-Reformation.
    Temporarily attended by Lutheran delegates.
20. First Council of the Vatican(1869–1870) defined thePope's primacy in church governanceandhis infallibility,repudiatedrationalism,materialismandatheism,addressedrevelation,interpretation of scriptureand the relationship offaithandreason.
21. Second Council of the Vatican(1962–1965) addressed pastoral and disciplinary issues dealing with the Church and its relation to the modern world, includingliturgyandecumenism.

Further councils recognised as ecumenical by some Eastern Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox catechisms teach that there are seven ecumenical councilsand there are feast days for seven ecumenical councils.Nonetheless, some Eastern Orthodox consider events like the Council of Constantinople of 879–880,that of Constantinople in 1341–1351 and that of Jerusalem in 1672 to be ecumenical:

1. Council in Trullo(692) debates on ritual observance and clerical discipline in different parts of the Christian Church.
2. Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)(879–880) restoredPhotiusto the See of Constantinople. This happened after the death of Ignatius and with papal approval.
3. Fifth Council of Constantinople(1341–1351) affirmedhesychastic theologyaccording toGregory Palamasand condemnedBarlaam of Seminara.
4. Synod of Iași(1642) reviewed and amendedPeter Mogila'sExpositio fidei(Statement of Faith,also known as theOrthodox Confession).
5. Synod of Jerusalem (1672)defined Orthodoxy relative to Catholicism and Protestantism, defined theorthodox Biblical canon.
6. Synod of Constantinople(1872) addressing with nationalism orphyletismin the unity of Orthodoxy.

It is unlikely that formal ecumenical recognition will be granted to these councils, despite the acknowledged orthodoxy of their decisions, so that seven are universally recognized among the Eastern Orthodox as ecumenical.

The 2016Pan-Orthodox Councilwas sometimes referred to as a potential "Eighth Ecumenical Council" following debates on several issues facing Eastern Orthodoxy, however not all autocephalous churches were represented.

Acceptance of the councils

Although some Protestants reject the concept of an ecumenical council establishing doctrine for the entire Christian faith, Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox all accept the authority of ecumenical councils in principle. Where they differ is in which councils they accept and what the conditions are for a council to be considered "ecumenical". The relationship of thePapacyto the validity of ecumenical councils is a ground of controversy between Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox churches. The Catholic Church holds that recognition by the Pope is an essential element in qualifying a council as ecumenical;Eastern Orthodox view approval by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) as being roughly equivalent to that of other patriarchs. Some have held that a council is ecumenical only when all five patriarchs of thePentarchyare represented at it.Others reject this theory in part because there were no patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem at the time of the first ecumenical council.

Catholic Church

Main article:Catholic ecumenical councils

Both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches recognize seven councils in the early centuries of the church, but Catholics also recognize fourteen councils in later times called or confirmed by the Pope.At the urging of German KingSigismund,who was to become Holy Roman Emperor in 1433, theCouncil of Constancewas convoked in 1414 byAntipope John XXIII,one of three claimants to the papal throne, and was reconvened in 1415 by the RomanPope Gregory XII.TheCouncil of Florenceis an example of a council accepted as ecumenical in spite of being rejected by the East, as the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon are accepted in spite of being rejected respectively by theChurch of the EastandOriental Orthodoxy.

The Catholic Church teaches that an ecumenical council is a gathering of theCollege of Bishops(of which theBishop of Romeis an essential part) to exercise in a solemn manner its supreme and full power over the whole Church.It holds that "there never is an ecumenical council which is not confirmed or at least recognized as such by Peter's successor".Its presentcanon lawrequires that an ecumenical council be convoked and presided over, either personally or through a delegate, by the Pope, who is also to decide the agenda;but the church makes no claim that all past ecumenical councils observed these present rules, declaring only that the Pope's confirmation or at least recognition has always been required, and saying that the version of theNicene Creedadopted at theFirst Council of Constantinople(381) was accepted by the Church of Rome only seventy years later, in 451.

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church acceptsseven ecumenical councils,with the disputedCouncil in Trullo—rejected by Catholics—being incorporated into, and considered as a continuation of, theThird Council of Constantinople.

To be considered ecumenical, Orthodox accept a council that meets the condition that it was accepted by the whole church. That it was called together legally is also an important factor. A case in point is theThird Ecumenical Council,where two groups met as duly called for by the emperor, each claiming to be the legitimate council. The Emperor had called for bishops to assemble in the city of Ephesus. Theodosius did not attendbut sent his representative Candidian to preside.However, Cyril managed to open the council over Candidian's insistent demands that the bishops disperse until the delegation from Syria could arrive. Cyril was able to completely control the proceedings, completely neutralizing Candidian, who favored Cyril's antagonist, Nestorius. When the pro-Nestorius Antiochene delegation finally arrived, they decided to convene their own council, over which Candidian presided.The proceedings of both councils were reported to the emperor, who decided ultimately to depose Cyril, Memnon and Nestorius.Nonetheless, the Orthodox accept Cyril's group as being the legitimate council because it maintained the same teaching that the church has always taught.

Paraphrasing a rule by StVincent of Lérins,Hasler states

...a teaching can only be defined if it has been held to be revealed at all times, everywhere, and by all believers.

Orthodox believe that councils could over-rule or even depose popes. At theSixth Ecumenical Council,Pope HonoriusandPatriarch Sergiuswere declared heretics.The council anathematized themand declared them tools of the deviland cast them out of the church.

It is their position that, since the Seventh Ecumenical Council, there has been no synod or council of the same scope. Local meetings of hierarchs have been called "pan-Orthodox", but these have invariably been simply meetings of local hierarchs of whatever Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions are party to a specific local matter. From this point of view, there has been no fully "pan-Orthodox" (Ecumenical) council since 787. The use of the term "pan-Orthodox" is confusing to those not within Eastern Orthodoxy, and it leads to mistaken impressions that these areersatzecumenical councils rather than purely local councils to which nearby Orthodox hierarchs, regardless of jurisdiction, are invited.

Others, including 20th-century theologians MetropolitanHierotheos (Vlachos)ofNaupactus,Fr.John S. Romanides,and Fr.George Metallinos(all of whom refer repeatedly to the "Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils" ), Fr.George Dragas,and the 1848Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs(which refers explicitly to the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and was signed by thepatriarchsofConstantinople,Jerusalem,Antioch,andAlexandriaas well as theHoly Synodsof the first three), regard other synods beyond theSeventh Ecumenical Councilas being ecumenical. Before the 20th century, the Council at Constantinople in 879 AD was recognised as the 8th ecumenical council by people like the famous expert on Canon Law,Theodore Balsamon(11th century), St. Neilos of Rhodes, St.Mark of Ephesus(15th century), St.Symeon of Thessalonica(15th century), and thePatriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalemin his Tome of Joy (17th century).

From the Eastern Orthodox perspective, a council is accepted as being ecumenical if it is accepted by the Eastern Orthodox church at large—clergy, monks and assembly of believers. Teachings from councils that purport to be ecumenical, but which lack this acceptance by the church at large, are, therefore, not considered ecumenical.

Oriental Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxyaccepts three ecumenical councils, the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople, and the Council of Ephesus. The formulation of theChalcedonian Creedcaused a schism in the Alexandrian and Syriac churches. Reconciliatory efforts between Oriental Orthodox with the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Church in the mid- and late 20th century have led to commonChristologicaldeclarations. The Oriental and Eastern Churches have also been working toward reconciliation as a consequence of theecumenical movement.

The Oriental Orthodox hold that theDyophysiteformula of two natures formulated at theCouncil of Chalcedonis inferior to theMiaphysiteformula of "One Incarnate Nature of God the Word" (Byzantine Greek:Mia physis tou theou logou sarkousomene) and that the proceedings of Chalcedon themselves were motivated byimperial politics.The Alexandrian Church,the main Oriental Orthodox body, also felt unfairly underrepresented at the council following the deposition of their Pope,Dioscorus of Alexandriaat the council.

Church of the East

TheChurch of the Eastaccepts two ecumenical councils, the First Council of Nicaea and the First Council of Constantinople, as well as a series of their own national councils, starting with theCouncil of Seleucia-Ctesiphonin 410 AD. It was the formulation of Mary as theTheotokoswhich caused a schism with the Church of the East, now divided between theAssyrian Church of the Eastand theAncient Church of the East,while theChaldean Catholic Churchentered intofull communionwith Rome in the 16th century. Meetings betweenPope John Paul IIand theAssyrian PatriarchMarDinkha IVled to a common Christological declaration on 11 November 1994 that "the humanity to which the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth always was that of the Son of God himself". Both sides recognised the legitimacy and rightness, as expressions of the same faith, of the Assyrian Church's liturgical invocation of Mary as "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour" and the Catholic Church's use of "the Mother of God" and also as "the Mother of Christ".

Protestantism

Lutheran Churches

TheLutheran World Federation,inecumenicaldialogues with theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,has affirmed all of the first seven councils as ecumenical and authoritative. It teaches:

Both Orthodox and Lutherans affirm that apostolic authority was exercised in the ecumenical councils of the Church in which the bishops, through illumination and glorification brought about by the Holy Spirit, exercised responsibility. Ecumenical councils are a special gift of God to the Church and are an authoritative inheritance through the ages. Through ecumenical councils the Holy Spirit has led the Church to preserve and transmit the faith once delivered to the saints. They handed on the prophetic and apostolic truth, formulated it against heresies of their time and safeguarded the unity of the churches.

Anglican Communion

Article XXI of theThirty-nine Articles of Religionof Anglicanism teaches: "General Councils... when they be gathered together, forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and word of God, they may err and sometime have erred, even in things pertaining to God. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture."

The 19th Canon of 1571 asserted the authority of the Councils in this manner: "Let preachers take care that they never teach anything... except what is agreeable to the doctrine of the Old and New Testament, and what the Catholic Fathers and ancient Bishops have collected from the same doctrine."This remains theChurch of England's teaching on the subject. A modern version of this appeal to catholic consensus is found in the Canon Law of the Church of England and also in the liturgy published inCommon Worship:

The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, worshipping the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion,The Book of Common Prayerand the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. I, AB, do so affirm, and accordingly declare my belief in the faith which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear witness; and in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, I will use only the forms of service which are authorized or allowed by Canon.

The 1559Act of Supremacymade a distinction between the decisions of thefirst four ecumenical councils,which were to be used as sufficient proof that something washeresy,as opposed to those of later councils, which could only be used to that purpose if "the same was declared heresy by the express and plain words of the... canonical Scriptures".As such, the Anglican tradition accepts the first four ecumenical councils, though they "considered subordinate to Scripture".

While the Councils are part of the "historic formularies" ofAnglicantradition,it is difficult to locate an explicit reference in Anglicanism to the unconditional acceptance of all Seven Ecumenical Councils. There is little evidence of dogmatic or canonical acceptance beyond the statements of individual Anglican theologians and bishops. Anglican cleric of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship Bishop Chandler Holder Jones,SSC,explains:

We indeed and absolutely believe all Seven Councils are truly ecumenical and Catholic—on the basis of the received Tradition of the ancient Undivided Church of East and West. The Anglican formularies address only particular critical theological and disciplinary concerns of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and that certainly by design. Behind them, however, stands the universal authority of the Holy and Apostolic Tradition, which did not have to be rehashed or redebated by Anglican Catholics.

He quotes William Tighe, Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, (another member of the Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism):

...despite the fact that advocates of all sides to the 16th-century religious conflict, Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed alike, were given to claiming that their particular doctrinal stances and, in some cases, distinctive practices, were in accord with those of the Early Church Fathers, or at least with those of high standing (such as St. Augustine), none [but Anglicanism] were willing to require, or even permit, their confessional stances to be judged by, or subordinated to, a hypothetical "patristic consensus" of the first four or five centuries of Christianity. But Anglicanism most certainly did, and does so to this day.

Methodist Churches

Methodist theologian Charles W. Brockwell Jr wrote that the first "four ecumenical councils produced and clarified the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Symbol (Nicene Creed), the most important document in Christian history after the Bible itself."

The Manual of theChurch of the Nazarene,part of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism, states "Our denomination receives the creeds of the first five Christian centuries as expressions of its own faith," including the Christological doctrines formulated during the first four Ecumenical Councils.

Other Protestant denominations

Some, including somefundamentalist Christians,condemn the ecumenical councils for other reasons. Independency orcongregationalist polityamong Protestants may involve the rejection of any governmental structure or binding authority above local congregations; conformity to the decisions of these councils is therefore considered purely voluntary and the councils are to be considered binding only insofar as those doctrines are derived from the Scriptures. Many of these churches reject the idea that anyone other than the authors of Scripture can directly lead other Christians by original divine authority; after theNew Testament,they assert, the doors of revelation were closed and councils can only give advice or guidance, but have no authority. They consider new doctrines not derived from the sealedcanonof Scripture to be both impossible and unnecessary whether proposed by church councils or by more recentprophets.Catholic and Orthodox objections to this position point to the fact that theCanon of Scriptureitself was fixed by these councils. They conclude that this would lead to a logical inconsistency of a non-authoritative body fixing a supposedly authoritative source.

Nontrinitarian groups

Ecumenical councils are not recognised bynontrinitarianchurches such asthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(and otherdenominationswithin theLatter Day Saint movement),Christadelphians,Jehovah's Witnesses,Church of God (Seventh-Day),their descendants andUnitarians.They view the ecumenical councils as misguided human attempts to establish doctrine, and as attempts to define dogmas by debate rather than by revelation.

See also

• Buddhist councils

Further reading

• Fairweather, Eugene R., and Edward R. Hardy.The Voice of the Church: the Ecumenical Council.Greenwich, Conn.: Seabury Press, 1962. 127 p.N.B.: Defines and approaches the topic from an Anglican orientation.
• Michalopoulos, Dimitris, "The First Council of Nicaea: The end of a conflict or beginning of a struggle?",Uluslarasi Iznik Semposyumu,Iznik (Turkey), 2005, pp. 47–56.ISBN975-7988-30-8.
• Tanner, Norman P.The Councils of the Church,ISBN0-8245-1904-3.
• Tanner, Norman P.Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils,ISBN0-87840-490-2.

External links

• Broken link:All Catholic Church Ecumenical Councils – All the Decrees*
• Rockwell, William Walker (1911)."Council".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 7 (11th ed.). pp. 309–312.
• Catholic Encyclopedia: The 21 Ecumenical Councils
• Wilhelm, Joseph (1908)."General Councils".Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 4.
• Multilingual Full Documentations of the 21 Ecumenical CouncilsandMansi JD, Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova Amplissima Collectio,all the Latin documents of all the Councils
• FAQ Ecumenical SynodsGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
• The Canons of the Eastern Orthodox ChurchArchived13 February 2016 at theWayback Machine