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christian-ecclesiology-sacramentsfeatured in 4 works

Conciliarity (Synodality)

The Church discerns the truth not by one voice alone but by bishops gathered in council

Conciliarity is the conviction that the Church governs and discerns truth through councils of bishops gathered in the Spirit, a pattern traced to the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 and the ecumenical councils. The relative weight of conciliar versus papal authority distinguishes Orthodox from Catholic ecclesiology, so the traditions differ on this point. The related term 'sobornost' is a nineteenth-century Russian coinage, not an ancient word.

How it traveled

  1. The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon
    Chalcedon · 451
    explains
  2. The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret
    Cyrrhus · 458
    explains
  3. The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great
    Rome · 461
    explains
  4. The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great
    Rome · 604
    explains

Key passages(20)

The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — Extracts from the Acts. Session XVI. — part 2↗explains

The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Second Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Constantinople — Canons of the One Hundred and Fifty Fathers who assembled at Constantinople during the Consulate of those Illustrious Men, Flavius Eucherius and Flavius Evagrius on the VII of the Ides of July. — Canon II.↗explains

The Second Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Constantinople · The Ecumenical Councils

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Selected Epistles of Gregory the Great — Book XI. — To Theodebert, King of the Franks.↗applies

Selected Epistles of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great

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The Church History of Eusebius — Book X — Copies of Imperial Laws. — part 5↗explains

The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea

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The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret — Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus. — Report of the same to the Empresses Pulcheria and Eudoxia.↗applies

The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret · Theodoret of Cyrus

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The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great — Letters. — To Anastasius, Bishop of Thessalonica. — part 2↗applies

The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great · Pope Leo the Great

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The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of Ephesus — Note on the Emperor's Edict to the Synod.↗explains

The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of Ephesus · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of Ephesus — The Canons of the Two Hundred Holy and Blessed Fathers Who Met at Ephesus. — The Definition of the Holy and Ecumenical Synod of Ephesus Against the Impious Messalians Who are Also Called Euchetæ and Enthusiasts.↗applies

The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of Ephesus · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople — Extracts from the Acts. Session I.↗explains

The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople · The Ecumenical Councils

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Book II. Of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons, Sec. VI.—The Disputes of the Faithful to Be Settled by the Decisions of the Bishop, and the Faithful to Be Reconciled↗explains

Book II. Of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons · Constitutions of the Holy Apostles

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Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen — The Last Farewell in the Presence of the One Hundred and Fifty Bishops. — part 1↗explains

Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen · Gregory of Nazianzus

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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great — Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great. — Book VII. — part 15↗explains

The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great

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The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret — The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret. — Book I — part 9↗explains

The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret · Theodoret of Cyrus

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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — The XXX Canons of the Holy and Fourth Synods, of Chalcedon. — Canon IX.↗explains

The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius — The Life of Constantine. — Book III — part 2↗explains

The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea

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Defence Against the Arians. (Apologia Contra Arianos.) — Apologia Contra Arianos. (Defence Against the Arians.) — Part I — part 10↗explains

Defence Against the Arians. (Apologia Contra Arianos.) · Athanasius of Alexandria

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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great — Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great. — Book III. — part 4↗applies

The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great

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The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great — Sermons. — On the Fast of the Seventh Month, III.↗explains

The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great · Pope Leo the Great

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The Letters — To the presbyters of Tarsus.↗applies

The Letters · Basil of Caesarea

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The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice — The Canons of the Holy and Ecumenical Seventh Council. — Canon I.↗explains

The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice · The Ecumenical Councils

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