Eucmenical Councils.

There have been many Pan-Orthodox councils after the 8th century. Some in the Church believe that a council held in the 9th century which recognized St Photius as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople and condemned the Fillioque to be Ecumenical. Another series of Councils held in the 14th century endosing the Palamite theology is also considered by many within Orthodoxy to be an ecumenical council.

A council held in 1672 under Patriarch Dositheus of Jerusalem which used western terminology and even certain latin usages to condemn protestantism and calvinism is another pan-orthodox council.

The Great Council of Moscow held in 1661 is considered authoratative in its condemnation of God the Father images. Where the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch were present along with bishops from other areas of the Church thruout the world.

In Orthodoxy an ecumenical council is only called upon when a controversy arises and is tearing the Church apart. The council will establish right belief from wrong belief, clarify what the Church has always taught thru defining and pronouncing a dogma, and pass anathemas against the heretics. EcumenicaL Councils tend to be limited to the realm of christology and not mariology or angelology or administration etc. There has never been any major christological heresies after iconoclasm, thus no need for an ecumenical council or to recognize a pan-orthodox council as ecumenical.

Ramon96 said:

Hello,

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Greetings!

1) Has there been any Orthodox Councils after the departure of Rome from us? I talking about "local councils" here.

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Yes. Buzuxi did a good job covering this.

2) How about Ecumenical Councils? Why hasn't the Orthodox Church had a Ecumenical Council after the 7th one? I understand the Rome believe there are "21 Ecumenical Councils".

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Part of that has to do with how a Council fits the "criteria" of being called Ecumenical.

Rome defines it as such: if the bishop of Rome was there, its Ecumenical.

We define it as Ecumenical if the five patriarchs (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem) were there and if the canons and decisions and so forth have withstood the test of time.

Something like that.

One Catholic asserted that since the Eastern Orthodox Church have not held any Ecumenical Council (while Rome has) then it shows that they are "paralysis outside the authority of the Pope".

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That was a good joke!

But sadly, a very popular polemic that is in constant need of correcting.


We only call councils when they are needed. Councils like Nicea II in 787, Chalcedon in 451 and the other Ecumenical ones were called because they were needed. I highly doubt that Vatican II in 1964 was truly needed in Rome.

A little off-topic, but are Ecumenical Councils "infallible" (in the eyes of Orthodoxy)?

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I try to stay clear of infallible-using. Sorry.

Thanks

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Your welcome.

1) Council of Nicaea 325 A.D.
2) Council of Constantinople 381 A.D.
3) Council of Ephesus 431 A.D.
4) Council of Chalcedon 451 A.D.
5) Second Council of Constantinople 553 A.D.
6) Third Council of Constantinople 680 A.D.
7) Second Council of Nicaea 787 A.D.