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| In
the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15:1-29),
we read how "the Apostles and
elders came together" to consider a
question of faith. The question
was: must Gentile Christians be
circumcised and follow other aspects of
Jewish law? This "Council of
Jerusalem" was the first meeting of
the Church to consider a question of
faith.
After
the passing of the Apostles, the bishops
of the Church would
occasionally meet to consider major
questions. These councils were
"ecumenical" in that bishops
from all of Christendom were invited to
attend.
There were seven such
Ecumenical Councils during the thousand years the
Church was united. Each council
was convened by the Roman or Byzantine
Emperor in Constantinople at the time. |
For
the findings of an Ecumenical Council to
be binding on all Christians, the
bishops in attendance had to agree to
them --- and the agreement had to be unanimous.
There was unanimous agreement in all
seven of the Ecumenical Councils.
Most
of these councils addressed questions of
Jesus' divine and human natures.
Other councils addressed the Trinity, Mary, and the
use of religious imagery in worship. During
these councils, the participants also
discussed and agree upon non-dogmatic
subjects, such as church administration, discipline,
and ordination practices.
It
was during these Ecumenical
Councils that the Nicene Creed was
defined. The Nicene Creed is the statement of
faith of all Catholic and
many Protestant churches.
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| It
is to the Gospels, these seven
Ecumenical Councils, and the Apostles'
Council of Jerusalem, that the Old
Catholic Church looks for the essentials
of the Christian faith.
Here
is the translated full text of
what today we would call the "final
report" of each Council (together
with scholarly commentary).
Maintained by Fordham University.
What follows, below, is a summary of
each Council.
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First Ecumenical
Council
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| First Council of
Nicea, A.D. 325 |
| This
council was called by the Roman Emperor
Constantine the Great. It was in response to the
heresy of Arianism, which said
Jesus was not divine, but merely
human.
The
Nicean Council declared that Jesus was
both human and divine and it denounced
Arianism as heresy. The Council also
defined the first part of what would later
be
called the Nicene Creed. 318
bishops attended this Council.
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Second Ecumenical
Council
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| First Council of
Constantinople, A.D. 381 |
| This council was
called by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
It was in
response to the heresy of Macedonianism,
which said the Holy Spirit was
merely one of God's powers and not a
person like God the Father and God the
Son.
The Council defined
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity:
that God is three persons ---
God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit. This doctrine along
with other articles was added to the Nicene
Creed. 150 bishops attended this
Council.
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Third Ecumenical
Council
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| Council of
Ephesus, A.D. 431 |
| This
council was called by Byzantine Emperor
(Eastern Empire) Theodosius II, grandson
of Theodosius I. It was in
response to the heresy of Nestorianism,
which said Jesus was merely a man
in whom the Word of God dwelled (as in a
temple). Nestorianism also taught
that Mary, Jesus' mother, was merely the
mother of Christ, not Mother of
God.
The
Council declared that Jesus Christ is completely God
and completely man
(although without sin) and that Mary is
rightly called the Mother of God.
Furthermore, the Council declared that the
Nicene Creed, defined during the first two
Councils, was complete and never to be
changed. 200 bishops attended.
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The
Nicene Creed
Composed
during the First and Second
Ecumenical Councils, the Nicene
Creed has become the statement of
faith of all Catholic and
many Protestant churches. It
takes its name from Nicea,
the city where the First
Ecumenical Council was held
and where its composition
was begun.
Although
its recitation by different churches varies slightly due to
different translations of the
original Latin, the articles of
faith are the same for all that
recite it — with one
exception.
The
Creed as defined at the first two
Councils declared that the Holy
Spirit "proceeds from the
Father." It did not state
that the Holy Spirit also proceeds
from the Son.
In the 9th century,
however, churches in
France and Spain began to add the
words "and from the Son" to the
article of faith about the
procession of the Holy Spirit.
In 1014, the Roman Catholic pope, Benedict VIII, added the phrase
"and the Son" to the Creed
as it was
recited in the Western Church.
Today,
Roman Catholics and some other churches
in the West include this in their
recitation of the
Creed. In Latin the phrase
"from the Son" is filioque (pronounced
fee-lee-O-kay), which is how
the phrase is referred to by Church
historians.
The
Eastern Orthodox do not include the filioque
in their recitation of the
Creed. They insist the Gospels
contradict it and therefore consider it a
heresy. The phrase is
also not recited by
many Old Catholic Churches,
particularly those in the Union of
Utrecht.
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The
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
and of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the
Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
One in being with the Father. Through
Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit
He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake
He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and
His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father [and
the Son]. With the Father and the Son
He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen. |
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Fourth Ecumenical
Council
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| Council of
Chalcedon, A.D. 451 |
| This council was
called by Byzantine Emperor (Eastern
Empire) Marcian. It was in response
to the Monophysitism, which said
Jesus' human nature was transformed by his
divine nature, making him divine and not
human.
The Council
declared, as it did in previous councils,
that Jesus was both fully human (though
without sin) and divine. 630
bishops attended.
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Fifth Ecumenical
Council
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| Second Council of
Constantinople, A.D. 553 |
| This council was
called by Byzantine Emperor (Eastern
Empire) Justinian the Great. It was
called due to the persistence of the
Nestorian and Monophysite heresies.
The Council confirmed, again, the dual
nature of Jesus Christ as both God and
man. 165 bishops attended.
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Sixth Ecumenical
Council
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| Third Council of
Constantinople, A.D. 680-681 |
| This council was
called by Byzantine Emperor (Eastern
Empire) Constantine the IV. Like the
previous Council, it was called to deal
with the persistence of the heresies about
the human and divine nature of Jesus
Christ. The Council declared that Jesus was fully man and fully
divine and that the two natures exist with
"no confusion, no change, no separation, no division."
170 bishops attended.
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Seventh Ecumenical
Council
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| Second Council of
Nicea, A.D. 787 |
| Called by the
Byzantine Empress (Eastern Empire) Irene,
this Council considered the question of
icons: art which depicted Jesus,
Mary, and the saints. This included
crucifixes. Many Christians, particularly in the East,
venerated icons. Others considered
this idolatry and sought to destroy
icons. These opponents are the
source of today's word
"iconoclasts" (Greek for
"image destroyer").
The Council declared
that religious icons are not idols, but
only representations. Therefore
icons could be used to venerate Our
Lord, Mary, and the saints, and had to be
respected. However, icons were not
to be
worshipped for themselves. 367 bishops attended.
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These are the
statements of faith defined by the united
Church. Along with the Gospels and the
Apostles' Council of Jerusalem, they form the
essential, shared faith of all Old
Catholics.
If you would
like to learn more about the Ecumenical
Councils of the early Church and the teachings
of the Church Fathers, visit Fordham
University's online
collection of Church documents and
religious writings. Their material
covers the time of the Apostles through the
Reformation.
To return to the "Our
history" page, click
here.
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