Ecumenical Councils: The Expression of the Truth of the Church

The Ecumenical Councils constitute the charismatic assemblies of the entire ecclesiastical body that were convoked from time to time in order to declare its unity in the handed-down faith of the Church.

They function as a mechanism for balancing the differences of the local churches on matters of communion and faith, but also as a mechanism for proclaiming the unity and faith of the entire ecclesiastical body and for its manifestation as the Catholic Church.

The conciliar consciousness has been a permanent function of the ecclesiastical body, whose highest expression was the activation of the institution of the Ecumenical Council for the restoration of truth and right faith in the Church. The convocation of the Ecumenical Councils was an extraordinary event in the life of the Church and was associated with the arising of some serious issue that threatened the authenticity of Tradition or the spiritual mission of the Church.

The institution of the Ecumenical Council was, for the Church, its highest teaching, legislative, administrative, and judicial body. Of course, the Ecumenical Council is not a permanent institution of the Church, as are the Local Councils, but rather a temporary one, and is convened, as we mentioned, when there is both need and possibility. In general, the conciliar institution contributed to the development and formation of the administrative and canonical structure of the Church.

The Ecumenical Councils are considered by the Orthodox Church as the authentic interpreter of Apostolic Tradition, as well as the means for resolving matters of canonical law and ecclesiastical order. From an ecclesiological point of view, the Ecumenical Councils constitute the highest event of communion and unity of the local churches throughout the whole world.

Certainly, every Council, whether local or ecumenical, signifies the presence of the entire fullness of the Church, which is why the decisions of a local Council may naturally bear an ecumenical character, meaning that they are recognized also by other local Churches and may be officially recognized by an Ecumenical Council.

The first Council was the Council of the Apostles. In the life of the Church, seven Ecumenical Councils were convened between the years 325 and 787. The reasons for their convocation were the heresies and false doctrines that appeared from time to time within the ranks of the Church. Their work was the precise formulation of the Church’s dogmatic teaching and the authentic and infallible interpretation of the divine Truth.

The character of the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils is twofold. Some pertain to the dogmatic teaching of the Church and the formulation of the Definitions of the Orthodox Faith, and are called dogmas, definitions, tomes, and expositions; while others pertain to administration, pastoral care, order, the internal governance of the Church, as well as to the Christian life of the faithful, and are called canons.

The decisions of this highest organ of the Orthodox Church are binding for every individual Orthodox Church—regarding dogmatic matters, unchangeable and infallible; regarding administrative and pastoral matters, irrevocable—and any modification of them with respect to the Canons is possible only by decision of a new Ecumenical Council.

The Orthodox Church counts, in its historical journey on earth, seven Ecumenical Councils, which interpretively formulated the Church’s catholic faith and composed the sacred canons that govern ecclesiastical life and order.

In the continuation of our article, we will attempt to briefly present the Ecumenical Councils which, at extraordinary and significant moments, the Church convened in order to safeguard her teaching and her flock from heresies, and to regulate her internal affairs with respect to liturgical and pastoral life.

The First Ecumenical Council lasted two months and twelve days and was held in Nicaea of Bithynia. It was convoked by Constantine the Great on May 20, 325, and 318 bishops took part. The principal reason for its convocation was the teaching of Arius against the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Council condemned the teaching of Arius and proclaimed the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. It issued twenty canons, including the Nicene Creed (the first part of the Symbol of Faith), and established the date for the celebration of Pascha.

The Second Ecumenical Council was convened by Theodosius I the Great in Constantinople in 381, with the participation of 150 Orthodox bishops and 36 Macedonians. It condemned the followers of Macedonius, who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit (pneumatomachians), once again condemned Arius and his teachings, and completed the Symbol of Faith (the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed).

The Third Ecumenical Council convened in Ephesus in 431 under Theodosius II. Two hundred bishops participated, among whom was Saint Cyril of Alexandria, who presided. It condemned the teachings of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius, who overemphasized the human nature of Jesus over the divine, claiming that Mary gave birth to the man Jesus and not to God.

The Council proclaimed that Jesus is perfect God and perfect Man, with a complete union of the two natures, and officially attributed to the Virgin Mary the title "Theotokos" (God-bearer).

The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened by Marcian and his wife Pulcheria on October 8, 451, in Chalcedon. It was composed of 650 bishops and combated the doctrine of Monophysitism. Specifically, the archimandrite Eutyches taught that the divine nature of Christ completely absorbed the human nature.

The majority of the faithful adopted the decisions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council and rejected the views of Monophysitism. Another portion of the faithful, the followers of Monophysitism, did not recognize these decisions and separated from the Orthodox Church, known today as Pre-Chalcedonians or Anti-Chalcedonians.

The Fifth Ecumenical Council took place from May 5 to June 21, 553, in Constantinople, with the participation of 165 bishops, under the presidency of Patriarch Eutychios of Constantinople.

It was convened by Justinian I and his wife Theodora. It reaffirmed the Orthodox dogmas concerning the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ and condemned a multitude of non-Orthodox writings as well as certain heretical authors.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened in Constantinople from 680 to 681 by Constantine IV Pogonatos, and between 150 and 289 bishops were present. The Council affirmed the full and true incarnation of Jesus against the opposing teaching of the Monothelites.

This Council formulated that Christ has a Divine and a Human will. There are two natures, the divine and the human; likewise, there are two natural wills and two natural energies, the divine and the human, which operated “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation,” without there being any opposition between them.

The Quinisext Ecumenical Council was convened by Emperor Justinian II in 691 in the imperial chamber of the Trullo, from which it derives the name “Council in Trullo.” Two hundred eleven bishops participated, and its work was complementary to that of the Fifth and Sixth Councils. It systematized and completed the work of the two preceding Councils, and for this reason it was called “Quinisext.”

The Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened by Emperor Constantine VI and his mother, Empress Irene the Athenian, in Nicaea of Bithynia, in the Church of Hagia Sophia, in 787, at the request of Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople. It decided upon the restoration of the holy icons, condemning Iconoclasm.

The Council expressed the doctrine that the depiction of Christ and the Saints is grounded in the incarnation of the Son and Word of God, and it was clarified that the veneration of the icons is directed toward the person depicted and not toward the material from which the icon is made.

Lastly, there are two other Councils that possess all the characteristics necessary to be recognized as ecumenical. The first was held in 879–880 A.D. in Constantinople.

It was convened by Emperor Basil the Macedonian. It was headed by the then Orthodox Pope of Rome John VIII (872–882) and the Patriarch of Constantinople New Rome, the Great Photius (858–867, 877–886). It ratified the decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and condemned the Filioque, which at that time had just begun to be imposed.

The second took place in 1351 A.D. It dogmatized concerning the uncreated Essence and the uncreated Energy of God, as well as regarding Hesychasm, condemning the heretic Barlaam the Calabrian. Thus, this Council dealt with theological matters, was convened by an emperor, issued the Synodical Tome of 1351, and its decisions were accepted by the entire Church.

The work of the Ecumenical Councils was and is the determination of dogma on the basis of the rules of Holy Scripture and ecclesiastical Tradition, the determination of the administration of the Church, the exercise of judicial authority over ecclesiastical problems, and the resolution of pastoral issues.

The purpose, therefore, of the Ecumenical Councils is the communion of all the local Churches throughout the world (administration, order, but chiefly the renewal of the in-Christ relationship of the Churches through the common expression of the right faith), and secondly, the formulation of the dogma of the Ecclesiastical Faith (common issuance of Definitions of faith) and the preservation of this undefiled from heresies and doctrines.

In the life of the Orthodox Church, therefore, the conciliar institution is exceptionally fundamental, for in this way the character of the Church as communion is most clearly manifested. It is the gathering of the bishops of the Church for the examination and regulation of general ecclesiastical matters. Through the conciliar institution, this assembly of the Bishops of the Church, all arising issues are resolved, with the remembrance of the Lord’s promise to His disciples: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

With the model of every conciliar assembly being the Apostolic Council and with the consciousness of divine assistance, the members of the council always proclaimed that which the holy Apostles first declared: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”

 

Source: https://353agios.blogspot.com/2020/07/blog-post_19.html