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christian-councils-heresiesfeatured in 20 works

Ecumenical Council

When the bishops of the world gather, the whole Church is meant to listen

An ecumenical council is a universal gathering of bishops whose doctrinal definitions are held to bind the whole Church, beginning with the First Council of Nicaea. The traditions differ on which councils truly count and how many there are: the Oriental Orthodox accept three, the Eastern Orthodox commonly seven, and the Catholic Church counts twenty-one. So the term carries an agreed core but a contested list across the churches.

How it traveled

  1. The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice
    Nicaea · 325
    explains
  2. The Church History of Eusebius
    Caesarea · 339
    explains
  3. The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius
    Caesarea · 339
    explains
  4. The Canons of the Councils of Ancyra, Gangra, Neocæsarea, Antioch and Laodicea, which Canons were Accepted and Received by the Ecumenical Synods
    — · 360
    explains
  5. Defence Against the Arians. (Apologia Contra Arianos.)
    Alexandria · 373
    explains
  6. The Second Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Constantinople
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 381
    explains
  7. The Third Ecumenical Council: The Council of Ephesus
    Ephesus · 431
    explains
  8. The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 439
    explains
  9. The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins, For the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith Against the Profane Novelties of All Heresies
    Lérins · 445
    explains
  10. The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 450
    explains
  11. The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon
    Chalcedon · 451
    explains
  12. The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret
    Cyrrhus · 458
    explains
  13. The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great
    Rome · 461
    explains
  14. The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 553
    explains
  15. The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great
    Rome · 604
    explains
  16. The Sixth Ecumenical Council. The Third Council of Constantinople
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 680
    explains
  17. The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 692
    explains
  18. The Canons of the Synods of Sardica, Carthage, Constantinople, and Carthage Under St. Cyprian, Which Canons Were Received by the Council in Trullo and Ratified by II. Nice
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 692
    explains
  19. The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice
    Nicaea · 787
    explains
  20. Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church
    Geneva · 1564
    explains

Key passages(20)

Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church — CHAPTER 9. - OF COUNCILS AND THEIR AUTHORITY — part 1↗challenges

Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin

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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church — CHAPTER 9. - OF COUNCILS AND THEIR AUTHORITY — part 3↗challenges

Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin

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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council — The Canons of the Council in Trullo. — Canon II.↗applies

The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils

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The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice — The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers Assembled in the City of Nice, in Bithynia. — Canon XV.↗applies

The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — Decree with Regard to Nicomedia. Session XIII.↗applies

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

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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 Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — Session III.↗explains

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

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

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

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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — The XXX Canons of the Holy and Fourth Synods, of Chalcedon. — Canon XXVI.↗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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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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The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice — The Canons of the Holy and Ecumenical Seventh Council. — Canon XI.↗applies

The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice · 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. — Canon VIII.↗explains

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

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The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice — The Divine Sacra Sent by the Emperors Constantine and Irene to the Most Holy and Most Blessed Hadrian, Pope of Old Rome.↗explains

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

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The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople — The Sentence of the Synod. — part 1↗explains

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

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The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice — The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers Assembled in the City of Nice, in Bithynia. — Canon XX.↗explains

The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice · The Ecumenical Councils

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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — Extracts from the Acts. Session I.↗explains

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

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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon — Extracts from the Acts. Session II.↗explains

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

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The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice — Extracts from the Acts. Session II. — part 1↗explains

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

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