The seven Ecumenical Councils recognized by the Orthodox Church are:
Nicea I (AD. 325) This Council was called to deal with the heresy of Arianism - the teaching that the Word and Son of God is a created being. The first part of the Nicene Creed was drafted here. The hero of Nicea I was St. Athanasius of Alexandria, whose theology was decisive even though, as a deacon at the time, he could not vote.
Constantinople I (AD. 381) This Council expanded and completed the Nicene Creed and affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The theology of the Cappadocian Fathers - St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Gregory of Nyssa - was particularly influential here.
Ephesus (AD. 431) This Council condemned the teachings of Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, who refused to accept the unity of humanity and divinity in the person of Christ and who refused to call the Virgin Mary Theotokos. St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, was the hero of this Council.
Chalcedon (AD. 451) This Council was called to combat the opposite heresy of Nestorianism: Monophysitism. According to the Monophysites, Christ's divine nature swallowed up His human nature, leaving Him with only one nature. The bishops accepted the Tome of Pope St. Leo the Great along with the theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria as the standard of Orthodox thought concerning the person of Christ. The Council decreed that in Christ the divine and human natures exist without "mixture, confusion, division, or separation."
Constantinople II (AD. 553) This Council further elaborated on the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. In addition, some of the teachings of Origen of Alexandria, such as the pre-existence of souls, were condemned.
Constantinople III (AD. 681) This Council condemned the heresy of Monothelitism, which held that Christ had only one will. The bishops affirmed that Christ has a perfect human will as well as a perfect divine will, thus affirming His full humanity. Pope Honorius of Rome was condemned as a heretic for his support of the Monothelites.
Quinisext (AD. 692) This Council, also called the Council in Trullo, is considered a continuation of the Fifth and Sixth Councils and not a separate Council unto itself. Among other things, it reaffirmed the condemnation of the teachings of Origen.
Nicea II (A.D.787) This Council was called to decide the appropriateness of using icons in the Church. The bishops decreed that the veneration (not worship) of icons was necessary to preserve a proper understanding of the Incarnation.
Source: The Faith …… Author Clark Carlton
Showing posts with label Ecumenical Councils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ecumenical Councils. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Ecumenical Councils
During the early years of the Church, when a dispute arose concerning whether or not gentile converts should be circumcised, the Apostles met together in Jerusalem to resolve the issue (Acts 15). This council set the precedent for all future gatherings of the Church’s leaders.
As the Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, it became necessary for the bishops of Churches in a given area to meet together on a regular basis to address issues of common concern. Apostolic Canon 34 provides for the creation of a regional synod. The bishops of a given area were to gather together twice a year. The meetings were to be chaired by the bishop of the major city in the area, the metropolis. The bishop of this city became known as the metropolitan.
Each bishop was responsible for the governance of his Church. Issues of common concern, however, were brought before the regional synod and decided by all of the bishops. The metropolitan did not “rule” the synod, but he did have veto power over the synod’s decisions. Just as nothing within a given Church could be done without the bishop’s approval, so nothing could be done in a region that affected more than one Church without the approval of the metropolitan. The metropolitan, then, served as the principle of unity within the synod.
Some issues, however, such as doctrinal questions, involved more than the Churches of a particular region, to deal with issues pertaining to the universal Church. The largest and most important of these gatherings are called the Ecumenical Councils.
The Ecumenical Councils were originally convened by the Roman Emperor and presided over by a senior bishop. The Orthodox Church recognizes seven councils as being Ecumenical.
It is important to note that not all large councils are considered Ecumenical Councils. We often speak of Ecumenical Councils as being “infallible,” but there was no guarantee at the beginning of any of these Councils that they would be considered infallible. Only after the decisions of a Council have been received by the consciousness of the whole Church can it be called Ecumenical and infallible.
When the bishops meet together in council, they do not invent new doctrines. Rather, their job is to express the mind and life of the Church. A specific situation, such as the challenge of a new heresy, may necessitate the development of the Church’s vocabulary or a change in the way the Church expresses a particular idea. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the bishops to elaborate upon what the Church has always believed and experienced, not to invent new teachings.
When, however, bishops in council did deviate from the faith once delivered and made decrees contrary to the faith and life of the Church, the Body of the Church throughout the world rejected the decisions. A council held in Ephesus in 449 had a greater number of bishops in attendance than many Ecumenical Councils, yet its decisions were rejected by thee Church at large. It has gone down in history as the “Robber Council.”
The purpose of a council, whether a regular meeting of a regional synod or a gathering of all of the world’s bishops, is to express the mind and heart of the Church as a whole. No single bishop, not even a patriarch, can claim exclusive rights to the Holy Spirit. The bishops are answerable to the whole Church for their decisions.
It is this conciliar process, reflecting the conciliar nature of the All-Holy Trinity, which is the supreme expression of authority within the Church. It is for this reason that the Church cannot and will not accept the claims of the bishop of Rome to be infallible and to rule over the entire Church.
Excerpt from: The Faith ...... Author: Clark Carlton
As the Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, it became necessary for the bishops of Churches in a given area to meet together on a regular basis to address issues of common concern. Apostolic Canon 34 provides for the creation of a regional synod. The bishops of a given area were to gather together twice a year. The meetings were to be chaired by the bishop of the major city in the area, the metropolis. The bishop of this city became known as the metropolitan.
Each bishop was responsible for the governance of his Church. Issues of common concern, however, were brought before the regional synod and decided by all of the bishops. The metropolitan did not “rule” the synod, but he did have veto power over the synod’s decisions. Just as nothing within a given Church could be done without the bishop’s approval, so nothing could be done in a region that affected more than one Church without the approval of the metropolitan. The metropolitan, then, served as the principle of unity within the synod.
Some issues, however, such as doctrinal questions, involved more than the Churches of a particular region, to deal with issues pertaining to the universal Church. The largest and most important of these gatherings are called the Ecumenical Councils.
The Ecumenical Councils were originally convened by the Roman Emperor and presided over by a senior bishop. The Orthodox Church recognizes seven councils as being Ecumenical.
It is important to note that not all large councils are considered Ecumenical Councils. We often speak of Ecumenical Councils as being “infallible,” but there was no guarantee at the beginning of any of these Councils that they would be considered infallible. Only after the decisions of a Council have been received by the consciousness of the whole Church can it be called Ecumenical and infallible.
When the bishops meet together in council, they do not invent new doctrines. Rather, their job is to express the mind and life of the Church. A specific situation, such as the challenge of a new heresy, may necessitate the development of the Church’s vocabulary or a change in the way the Church expresses a particular idea. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the bishops to elaborate upon what the Church has always believed and experienced, not to invent new teachings.
When, however, bishops in council did deviate from the faith once delivered and made decrees contrary to the faith and life of the Church, the Body of the Church throughout the world rejected the decisions. A council held in Ephesus in 449 had a greater number of bishops in attendance than many Ecumenical Councils, yet its decisions were rejected by thee Church at large. It has gone down in history as the “Robber Council.”
The purpose of a council, whether a regular meeting of a regional synod or a gathering of all of the world’s bishops, is to express the mind and heart of the Church as a whole. No single bishop, not even a patriarch, can claim exclusive rights to the Holy Spirit. The bishops are answerable to the whole Church for their decisions.
It is this conciliar process, reflecting the conciliar nature of the All-Holy Trinity, which is the supreme expression of authority within the Church. It is for this reason that the Church cannot and will not accept the claims of the bishop of Rome to be infallible and to rule over the entire Church.
Excerpt from: The Faith ...... Author: Clark Carlton
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The 4 Ecumenical Councils like the 4 Gospels
The saints of the Church were so compassionate towards human weakness and so fiercely unyielding and unsubmissive with regard to the confession of the truths of the Faith. St Nicolas of Myra struck Arius with his hand at the First Ecumenical Council. St Antony left his desert and went to Alexandria publicly to denounce Arius. St Euthymius, under great pressure from the Empress Eudocia and the false Patriarch Theodosius, and being unable further to fight with arguments, left his monastery and hid in the desert; an example followed by monks thereafter. Euthymius remained in the desert until the false Patriarch had been dethroned and Orthodoxy confirmed. And when agitation was spread in Jerusalem in the Emperor’s name against the Fourth Ecumenical Council which had taken place in Chalcedon, and when the entire population was going in terror of the heretics, then St Theodosius the Great, already burdened with years, came as the fearless soldier of Christ he was to Jerusalem, went into one of the great churches, mounted the steps and, gesticulating with his arms, said to the people: ‘If a man does not revere the Four Ecumenical Councils as he does the Four Gospels, let him be accursed!’ All his hearers were deeply impressed by these words, and none of the heretics dared speak against him.
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