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{{Short description|Meeting of bishops to rule on Christian doctrine and other matters}}
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An '''ecumenical council''', also called '''general council''', is a meeting of [[bishop]]s and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of [[Christianity|Christian]] doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters<ref name=Britannica>{{Cite web|title=Council {{!}} Christianity|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/council-Christianity|access-date=12 September 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120072102/https://www.britannica.com/topic/council-Christianity|url-status=live}}</ref> in which those entitled to vote are [[convoked]] from the whole world (''[[Ecumene|oikoumene]]'') and which secures the [[Approbation (Catholic canon law)|approbation]] of the whole Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Catholic Encyclopedia |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04423f.htm |access-date=27 May 2006 |archive-date=13 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113194609/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04423f.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The word "[[ecumenical]]" derives from the Late Latin ''oecumenicus'' "general, universal", from Greek ''oikoumenikos'' "from the whole world", from ''he oikoumene ge'' "the inhabited world" (as known to the ancient Greeks); the Greeks and their neighbors, considered as developed human society (as opposed to [[barbarian]] lands); in later use "the Roman world" and in the Christian sense in ecclesiastical Greek, from ''oikoumenos'', present passive participle of ''oikein'' ("inhabit"), from ''oikos'' ("house, habitation").<ref>{{Cite web|title=ecumenical {{!}} Origin and meaning of ecumenical by Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/ecumenical|access-date=12 September 2020|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929214317/https://www.etymonline.com/word/ecumenical|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[first seven ecumenical councils]], recognised by both the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|eastern]] and [[Western Christianity|western]] denominations comprising [[Chalcedonian Christianity]], were convoked by Roman Emperors, who also enforced the decisions of those councils within the [[state church of the Roman Empire]].

Starting with the third ecumenical council, noteworthy [[schism (religion)|schisms]] led to non-participation by some members of what had previously been considered a single [[Christian Church]]. Thus, some parts of Christianity did not attend later councils, or attended but did not accept the results. Bishops belonging to what became known as the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] accept seven ecumenical councils, as described [[Ecumenical council#Eastern Orthodox Church|below]]. Bishops belonging to what became known as the [[Church of the East]] participated in the first two councils. Bishops belonging to what became known as [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] participated in the first four councils, but rejected the decisions of the fourth and did not attend any subsequent ecumenical councils.

Acceptance of councils as ecumenical and authoritative varies between different [[Christian denominations]]. Disputes over [[Christological]] and other questions have led certain branches to reject some councils that others accept.

== Acceptance of councils by denomination ==
The [[Church of the East]] (accused by others of adhering to [[Nestorianism]]) accepts as ecumenical the first two councils. [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]] accept the first three, while some accept also the previous [[Second Council of Ephesus]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.holypimoly.com/images/im_about_ortho/coptic_church.pdf| title = Coptic Orthodox Christian Center, "The Coptic Church"| access-date = 8 October 2011| archive-date = 5 January 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200105171203/http://holypimoly.com/images/im_about_ortho/coptic_church.pdf/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

Both the [[Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] recognize as ecumenical the first seven [[council]]s, held from the 4th to the 9th centuries. While some Eastern Orthodox accept [[Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)|one later council]] as ecumenical (which was later repudiated by the Catholic Church), the Catholic Church continues to hold general councils of the bishops in [[full communion]] with the [[Pope]], reckoning them as ecumenical. In all, the Catholic Church recognizes twenty-one councils as ecumenical.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keating |first=Karl |title=The 21 Ecumenical Councils |url=https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-21-ecumenical-councils |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Catholic Answers}}</ref>

The first four ecumenical councils are recognized by some [[Lutheran Church]]es, [[Anglican Communion]] and [[Reformed Church]]es—though they are "[[Sola scriptura|considered subordinate to Scripture]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olson |first1=Roger E. |title=The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition Reform |date=1 April 1999 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-1505-0 |page=158 |language=English}}</ref> The [[Lutheran World Federation]] recognizes the first seven Ecumenical Councils as "exercises of apostolic authority" and recognizes their decisions as authoritative; while member churches are not required to accept all theological statements produced by the Federation, but only to subscribe to the most basic Lutheran historical confessional documents, most do follow this recommendation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/1993-Lutheran_Orthodox_Dialogue-EN.pdf|title=The Ecumenical Councils and Authority In and Of The Church (Lutheran-Orthodox Agreed Statement, 1993)|access-date=9 March 2021|archive-date=9 October 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/1993-Lutheran_Orthodox_Dialogue-EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Anglican Communion]] "acknowledge the authoritative place of the Ecumenical Councils in the life of the Church."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=The Inheritance of Ecumenical Councils in the Church |url=https://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/493671/The-Inheritance-of-Ecumenical-Councils-28-October-final-text_AOOIC_021122.pdf |access-date=November 12, 2025 |website=anglicancommunion.org}}</ref> The Anglican Communion has further affirmed the following: <blockquote>The Anglican Communion has not expressly, or officially, defined, in its historic formularies or Canons, an exact number of those councils which it receives as Ecumenical, although there is a broad consensus in favour of the first four councils, and a respect for six and sometimes even seven.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>

==Infallibility of ecumenical councils==
{{see also|Infallibility of the Church}}
The doctrine of the ''infallibility of ecumenical councils'' states that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils, which concern faith or morals, and to which the whole Church must adhere, are infallible. Such decrees are often labeled as 'Canons' and they often have an attached [[anathema]], a penalty of [[excommunication]], against those who refuse to believe the teaching. The doctrine does not claim that every aspect of every ecumenical council is dogmatic, but that every aspect of an ecumenical council is free of errors or impeccable.<ref>St Thomas Aquinas, S. Th. II, II, q. 11, a. 2 "Now a thing may be of the faith in two ways, in one way, directly and principally, e.g. the articles of faith; in another way, indirectly and secondarily, e.g. those matters, the denial of which leads to the corruption of some article of faith; and there may be heresy in either way, even as there can be faith." http://newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm#article2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412082054/http://newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm#article2 |date=12 April 2018 }}</ref>

Both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches uphold versions of this doctrine. However, the Catholic Church holds that solemn definitions of ecumenical councils meet the conditions of infallibility only when approved by the Pope,<ref>[[First Vatican Council|Vatican I]], ''Dei Filius'' ch. 3 ¶ 1.  [[Second Vatican Council|Vatican II]], ''Lumen Gentium'' § 25 ¶ 2.  1983 Code of Canon Law 749 § 2.</ref> while the Eastern Orthodox Church holds that an ecumenical council is itself infallible when pronouncing on a specific matter.<ref>"The infallibility of the Church does not mean that the Church, in the assembly of the Fathers or in the expression of the Conscience of the Church, has already formally expressed all the truths of faith and norms. The infallibility of the Church is confined to the formulation of truths in question. This infallibility is not wholly God-inspired energy which would affect the participants of the synod to such an extent that they would be inspired to pronounce all the truths at one time as a whole system of a Christian catechism. The Synod does not formulate a system of beliefs encompassing all Christian teachings and truths, but only endeavours to define the particular disputed truth which was misunderstood and misinterpreted. The Church of Christ and its divine nature, as set forth above, is the foundation upon which the Eastern Orthodox Church [sic.] continues to administer and nourish its faithful, thereby protecting its fundamental essentials."  Rev. George Mastrantonis, of the [[Archbishop of America|Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]].</ref>

Protestant churches would generally view ecumenical councils as fallible human institutions that have no more than a derived authority to the extent that they correctly expound Scripture (as most would generally consider occurred with the first four councils in regard to their dogmatic decisions).<ref>Hans Schneider, "Councils of the Church", The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Leiden, Netherlands: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Brill, 1999–2003), 701.</ref>

==Council documents==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2018}}
Church councils were, from the beginning, bureaucratic exercises. Written documents were circulated, speeches made and responded to, votes taken, and final documents published and distributed. A large part of what is known about the beliefs of [[Christian heresy|heresies]] comes from the documents quoted in councils in order to be refuted, or indeed only from the deductions based on the refutations.

Most councils dealt not only with doctrinal but also with disciplinary matters, which were decided in ''[[Canon law|canon]]s'' ("laws"). Study of the canons of church councils is the foundation of the development of [[canon law]], especially the reconciling of seemingly contradictory canons or the determination of priority between them. Canons consist of doctrinal statements and disciplinary measures—most Church councils and local synods dealt with immediate disciplinary concerns as well as major difficulties of doctrine. Eastern Orthodoxy typically views the purely doctrinal canons as [[dogma]]tic and applicable to the entire church at all times, while the disciplinary canons apply to a particular time and place and may or may not be applicable in other situations.

==Circumstances of the first ecumenical councils==
Of the seven councils recognised in whole or in part by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church as ecumenical, all were called by a [[Roman emperor]].<ref>Thomas J. Reese, ''Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church'', (Harvard University Press, 1996), 35.</ref><ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=oO2eY2BC6xIC&dq=first+ecumenical+council+convened+by+Emperor&pg=PA742 Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine – Gregg Allison, Wayne Grude]. mGoogle Books.</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">[https://books.google.com/books?id=QLWqXrW2X-8C&dq=first+ecumenical+council+convened+by+Emperor&pg=PA14 The Ecumenical Patriarchate – Demetrius Kimina]. sGoogle Books (27 March 2009).</ref> The emperor gave them legal status within the entire [[Roman Empire]]. All were held in the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]]. The bishop of Rome (self-styled as "pope" since the end of the fourth century) did not attend, although he sent [[papal legate|legates]] to some of them.

Church councils were traditional and the ecumenical councils were a continuation of [[Ancient church councils (pre-ecumenical)|earlier councils]] (also known as [[synod]]s) held in the Empire before Christianity was made legal. These include the [[Council of Jerusalem]] (c. 50), the Council of Rome (155), the Second Council of Rome (193), the Council of Ephesus (193), the [[Councils of Carthage|Council of Carthage (251)]], the Council of Iconium (258),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cyprianhislifeh00bensgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/cyprianhislifeh00bensgoog/page/n388 348] |first=Edward |last=Benson |title=Cyprian: His Life, His Times, His Work |year=1897 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |isbn=978-1-41796979-1}}</ref> the [[Synods of Antioch|Council of Antioch (264)]], the [[Councils of Arabia]] (246–247), the [[Synod of Elvira|Council of Elvira]] (306), the [[Councils of Carthage|Council of Carthage (311)]], the [[Synod of Neo-Caesarea]] (c. 314), the [[Synod of Ancyra|Council of Ancyra]] (314) and the [[Synod of Arles|Council of Arles (314)]].

The first seven councils recognised in both East and West as ecumenical and several others to which such recognition is refused were called by the Byzantine emperors. In the first millennium, various theological and political differences such as [[Nestorianism]] or [[Dyophysitism]] caused parts of the Church to separate after councils such as those of [[Council of Ephesus|Ephesus]] and [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedon]], but councils recognised as ecumenical continued to be held.

The [[Council of Hieria]] of 754, held at the imperial palace of that name close to Chalcedon in Anatolia, was summoned by Byzantine Emperor [[Constantine V]] and was attended by 338 bishops, who regarded it as the seventh ecumenical council.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbqG3XZrpEkC&pg=PA193 |editor-first=Hubert |editor-last=Cunliffe-Jones |title=A History of Christian Doctrine |publisher=Continuum International |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-56704393-1 |page=193}}</ref> The [[Second Council of Nicaea]], which annulled that of Hieria, was itself annulled at the [[Council of Constantinople (815)|synod held in 815 in Constantinople]] under [[Leo V the Armenian|Emperor Leo V]]. This synod, presided over by Patriarch [[Theodotus I of Constantinople]], declared the Council of Hieria to be the seventh ecumenical council,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lL40wXlfa2UC&pg=PA56 |first=Roman |last=Cholij |title=Theodore the Stoudite |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-19924846-9 |page=56}}</ref> but, although the Council of Hieria was called by an emperor and confirmed by another, and although it was held in the East, it later ceased to be considered ecumenical.

Similarly, the [[Second Council of Ephesus]] of 449, also held in Anatolia, was called by the Byzantine Emperor [[Theodosius II]] and, though annulled by the Council of Chalcedon, was confirmed by Emperor [[Basiliscus]], who annulled the Council of Chalcedon.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jjBYQCpfCNkC&pg=PA440 |first=J.D. |last=Fage |title=The Cambridge History of Africa |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-52121592-3 |volume=2 |page=440}}</ref> 

===Catholic views on those circumstances===
The Catholic Church does not consider the validity of an ecumenical council's teaching to be in any way dependent on where it is held or on the granting or withholding of prior authorization or legal status by any state, in line with the attitude of the 5th-century bishops who "saw the definition of the church's faith and canons as supremely their affair, with or without the leave of the Emperor" and who "needed no one to remind them that Synodical process pre-dated the Christianisation of the royal court by several centuries".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QxhR9ihUAWkC&pg=PA69 |first=John Anthony |last=McGuckin |title=Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy |publisher=St Vladimir's Seminary Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-88141-259-8 |page=69 |access-date=22 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164808/https://books.google.com/books?id=QxhR9ihUAWkC&pg=PA69 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Catholic Church recognizes as ecumenical various councils held later than the First [[Council of Ephesus]] (after which churches out of communion with the Holy See because of the [[Nestorian Schism]] did not participate), later than the [[Council of Chalcedon]] (after which there was no participation by churches that rejected [[Dyophysitism]]), later than the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] (after which there was no participation by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]), and later than the [[Fifth Council of the Lateran]] (after which groups that adhered to Protestantism did not participate).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Emmons |first=D.D. |date=2025-06-08 |title=Guide to the ecumenical councils of the church |url=https://catholicreview.org/guide-to-the-ecumenical-councils-of-the-church/ |access-date=2025-07-09 |website=Catholic Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

Of the twenty-one ecumenical councils recognised by the Catholic Church, some gained recognition as ecumenical only later. Thus the Eastern [[First Council of Constantinople]] became ecumenical only when its decrees were rejected in the West.<ref>{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=General Councils |volume=4 |first=Joseph |last=Wilhelm}} cf. [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P17.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, 247] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303003725/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P17.HTM |date=3 March 2013 }}</ref>

==List of ecumenical councils==
===First seven ecumenical councils===
{{Main|First seven ecumenical councils}}

{{Location map many
| Turkey Marmara
| caption = Locations of six of the first seven ecumenical councils (all convened in modern-day [[Turkey]]).
| label1 = Nicaea (İznik)
| position1 = bottom
| coordinates1 = {{coord|40|25|44|N|29|43|10|E}}
| label2 = Constantinople (İstanbul)
| position2 = left
| coordinates2 = {{coord|41|00|50|N|28|57|20|E}}
| label3 = Chalcedon (Kadıköy)
| position3 = right
| coordinates3 = {{coord|40|59|28|N|29|01|34|E}}
}}
In the [[history of Christianity]], the first seven ecumenical councils, from the [[First Council of Nicaea]] (325) to the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] (787), represent an attempt to reach an [[orthodoxy|orthodox]] consensus and to unify [[Christendom]].

All of the original seven ecumenical councils as recognized in whole or in part were called by an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire and all were held in the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]],<ref name= "books.google.com" /><ref name= "ReferenceA" /> a recognition denied to other councils similarly called by an Eastern Roman emperor and held in his territory, in particular the [[Council of Serdica]] (343), the [[Second Council of Ephesus]] (449) and the [[Council of Hieria]] (754), which saw themselves as ecumenical or were intended as such.

1.The [[First Council of Nicaea]] (325) repudiated [[Arianism]], declared that Christ is "[[Homoousion|homoousios]] with the Father" (of the same substance as the Father), and adopted the [[Nicene Creed#Original Nicene Creed of 325|original Nicene Creed]]; addressed the [[Quartodecimanism|Quartodeciman controversy]] by fixing the [[date of Easter]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/faith-and-order/i-unity-the-church-and-its-mission/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-date-of-easter|title=Frequently asked questions about the date of Easter — World Council of Churches|website=www.oikoumene.org|language=en|access-date=31 March 2017|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320042436/http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/faith-and-order/i-unity-the-church-and-its-mission/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-date-of-easter|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-Patriarchate-to-Pope:-On-Easter-a-gesture-of-goodwill,-but-we-will-not-overturn-old-traditions-34519.html|title=RUSSIA-VATICAN Moscow Patriarchate to Pope: On Easter a gesture of goodwill, but we will not overturn old traditions|last=AsiaNews.it|website=www.asianews.it|access-date=31 March 2017|archive-date=1 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401144342/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-Patriarchate-to-Pope:-On-Easter-a-gesture-of-goodwill,-but-we-will-not-overturn-old-traditions-34519.html|url-status=live}}</ref> recognised authority of the [[Episcopal see|sees]] of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch outside their own [[Roman province|civil provinces]] and granted the see of Jerusalem a position of honour.

2.The [[First Council of Constantinople]] (381) repudiated [[Arianism]] and [[Pneumatomachi|Macedonianism]], declared that Christ is "born of the Father before all time", revised the [[Nicene Creed]] in regard to the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] and water baptism.

3.The [[Council of Ephesus]] (431) repudiated [[Nestorianism]], proclaimed the Virgin [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] as the [[Theotokos]] ("Birth-giver to God", "God-bearer", "Mother of God"), repudiated [[Pelagianism]], and reaffirmed the Nicene Creed.<br />''This and all the following councils in this list are not recognised by all of the [[Church of the East]].''

•The [[Second Council of Ephesus]] (449) received [[Eutyches]] as orthodox based on his petition outlining his confession of faith. It also deposed [[Theodoret]] of Cyrrhus and [[Ibas of Edessa]], and condemned Ibas's Letter to "Maris the Persian" (possibly a misunderstood title, indicating as the receiver a certain Catholicus Dadyeshu, bishop of Ardashir/[[Ctesiphon]] between 421 and 456;<ref name="Kidd13">{{cite book |first= Beresford James |last= Kidd |title= Churches of Eastern Christendom |page= 43 |publisher= Routledge |year= 2013 |edition= reprint of 1927 first |isbn= 978-0-7103-1081-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tc5FAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43 |access-date=9 February 2020}}</ref> this same letter later became one of the [[Three Chapter Controversy|Three Chapters]]).<br />''Though originally convened as an ecumenical council, this council is not recognised as ecumenical and is denounced as a ''Robber Council'' by the [[Chalcedonian]]s (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants).''

4.The [[Council of Chalcedon]] (451) repudiated the [[Eutyches|Eutychian]] doctrine of [[monophysitism]], and instead adopted the [[Chalcedonian Definition|Chalcedonian Creed]], which described the [[hypostatic union]] of the two natures of Christ, human and divine. It accordingly reinstated those deposed in 449 including Theodoret of Cyrus restored Ibas of Edessa to his see and declared him innocent upon reading his letter. It also deposed [[Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria|Dioscorus of Alexandria]], and elevated the bishoprics of Constantinople and Jerusalem to the status of patriarchates. This is also the last council explicitly recognised by the [[Anglican Communion]]. <br> ''This council is rejected by [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox churches]].''

•The [[Third Council of Ephesus]] (475) ratified an encyclical of [[Emperor Basiliscus]] which repudiated the Council of Chalcedon and particularly the [[Tome of Leo]]. <br> ''This council is recognised by all the Oriental Orthodox churches, but is not recognised by the Chalcedonians (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants). All the following councils in this list are rejected or at least not explicitly affirmed by Oriental Orthodox churches.''

5.The [[Second Council of Constantinople]] (553) repudiated the [[Three-Chapter Controversy|Three Chapters]] as Nestorian, condemned [[Origenism]], and decreed the [[theopaschite formula]].

6.The [[Third Council of Constantinople]] (680–681) repudiated [[monothelitism]] and [[monoenergism]].

•The [[Quinisext Council]], also called Council in Trullo (692)<ref>The appellation "{{transliteration|grc|troullos}}" ({{langx|la|trullus}}, {{lit|dome}}) comes from a dome-roofed palace in Constantinople, where the council was hosted.</ref> addressed matters of discipline (in amendment to the 5th and 6th councils).<br>''The ecumenical status of this council was repudiated by the  Catholic church.''

7.The [[Second Council of Nicaea]] (787) restored the [[Iconodulism|veneration]] of [[icon]]s (condemned at the [[Council of Hieria]], 754) and repudiated [[Byzantine Iconoclasm|iconoclasm]].

===Further councils recognised as ecumenical in the Catholic Church===
As late as the 11th century, seven councils were recognised as ecumenical in the Catholic Church.<ref name=Dvornik>[http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=14:articles&id=22:which-councils-are-ecumenical Francis Dvornik, "Which Councils are Ecumenical?" Journal of Ecumenical Studies 3(2), 1966, pp. 314–328] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728181456/http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=14:articles&id=22:which-councils-are-ecumenical |date=28 July 2011 }}. Orthodoxchristianity.net (10 December 2006).</ref> Then, in the time of [[Pope Gregory VII]] (1073–1085), canonists who in the [[Investiture Controversy]] quoted the prohibition in canon 22 of the Council of Constantinople of 869–870 against laymen influencing the appointment of prelates elevated this council to the rank of ecumenical council.<ref name=Dvornik/> {{unreliable source?|date=May 2015}} In the 16th century was recognition as ecumenical granted by Catholic scholars to the Councils of the Lateran, of Lyon and those that followed.<ref name=Dvornik/> The following is a list of further councils recognised as ecumenical by the Catholic Church

8  [[Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic Church)|Fourth Council of Constantinople]] (869–870) deposed Patriarch [[Photios I of Constantinople]] as a usurper and reinstated his predecessor [[Ignatios of Constantinople|Saint Ignatius]], thus ending the [[Photian schism]]. Photius had already been declared deposed by the Pope, an act to which the See of Constantinople acquiesced at this council.

9. [[First Council of the Lateran]] (1123) addressed [[Investiture Controversy|investment of bishops]] and the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]'s role therein.

10. [[Second Council of the Lateran]] (1139) reaffirmed [[First Council of the Lateran|Lateran I]] and addressed clerical discipline ([[clerical celibacy]], [[Clerical dress|dress]]).

11. [[Third Council of the Lateran]] (1179) restricted papal election to the [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinals]], condemned [[simony]], and introduced minimum ages for ordination (thirty for bishops).

12. [[Fourth Council of the Lateran]] (1215) defined [[transubstantiation]], addressed [[papal primacy]] and clerical discipline.

13. [[First Council of Lyon]] (1245) proclaimed the deposition of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]] and instituted a levy to support the Holy Land.

14. [[Second Council of Lyon]] (1274) attempted reunion with the Eastern churches, defined teaching on [[purgatory]], approved [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] and [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[Mendicant orders|orders]], a tithe to support crusades, and [[Papal conclave|conclave]] procedures.

15. [[Council of Vienne]] (1311–1312) disbanded the [[Knights Templar]].

• [[Council of Pisa]] (1409) attempted to solve the Great [[Western Schism]].<br>''The council is not numbered because it was not convened by a [[pope]] and its outcome was repudiated at Constance.''

16. [[Council of Constance]] (1414–1418) resolved the [[Western Schism|Great Western Schism]] and condemned [[Jan Hus|John Hus]].<br>''The Catholic Church declared invalid the first sessions of the Council of Constance, gathered under the authority of [[Antipope John XXIII]], which included the famous decree ''[[Haec sancta|Haec Sancta Synodus]]'', which marked the high-water mark of the conciliar movement of reform.'' Decrees of the council later annulled by [[Pope Sixtus IV]]

•[[Council of Siena]] (1423–1424) addressed church reform.<br>Not numbered as it was swiftly disbanded.

17. [[Council of Florence|Council of Basel, Ferrara and Florence]] (1431–1445) addressed church reform and reunion with the Eastern Churches but split into two parties. The fathers remaining at Basel became the apogee of [[conciliarism]]. The fathers at Florence achieved union with [[Eastern Catholic Churches|various Eastern Churches]] and temporarily with the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].

18. [[Fifth Council of the Lateran]] (1512–1517) addressed church reform.

19. [[Council of Trent]] (1545–1563, with interruptions) addressed church reform and repudiated Protestantism, defined the role and [[Biblical canon|canon]] of Scripture and the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]], and strengthened clerical discipline and education. Considered the founding event of the [[Counter-Reformation]].<br>''Temporarily attended by Lutheran delegates.''

20. [[First Vatican Council|First Council of the Vatican]] (1869–1870) defined the [[Papal primacy|Pope's primacy in church governance]] and [[papal infallibility|his infallibility]], repudiated [[rationalism]], [[materialism]] and [[atheism]], addressed [[revelation]], [[exegesis|interpretation of scripture]] and the relationship of [[faith]] and [[reason]].

21. [[Second Vatican Council|Second Council of the Vatican]] (1962–1965) addressed pastoral and disciplinary issues dealing with the Church and its relation to the modern world, including [[Catholic liturgy|liturgy]] and [[ecumenism]].

===Further councils recognised as ecumenical by Oriental Orthodox===
#The [[Second Council of Ephesus]] (449) received [[Eutyches]] as orthodox based on his petition outlining his confession of faith. It also deposed [[Theodoret]] of Cyrrhus and [[Ibas of Edessa]], and condemned Ibas's Letter to "Maris the Persian" (possibly a misunderstood title, indicating as the receiver a certain Catholicus Dadyeshu, bishop of Ardashir/[[Ctesiphon]] between 421 and 456. <ref name="Kidd132">{{cite book |last=Kidd |first=Beresford James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tc5FAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43 |title=Churches of Eastern Christendom |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7103-1081-1 |edition=reprint of 1927 first |page=43 |access-date=9 February 2020}}</ref>
#The [[Third Council of Ephesus]] (475) ratified an encyclical of [[Emperor Basiliscus]] which repudiated the Council of Chalcedon and particularly the [[Tome of Leo]]. <br> ''This council is recognised  by the Oriental Orthodox''
===Further councils recognised as ecumenical by some Eastern Orthodox===
Eastern Orthodox catechisms teach that there are seven ecumenical councils<ref>[http://www.goholycross.org/studies/councils.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030003021/http://www.goholycross.org/studies/councils.html|date=30 October 2013}} "The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Catholic Church", Retrieved 11 August 2013</ref><ref>[http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine/sources-of-christian-doctrine/the-councils] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523013055/http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine/sources-of-christian-doctrine/the-councils|date=23 May 2013}} "Sources of Christian Doctrine – The Councils", Retrieved 11 August 2013</ref> and there are feast days for seven ecumenical councils.<ref>[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/47851.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911114455/http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/47851.htm|date=11 September 2013}} "Sunday of the Fathers of the First Six Councils", Retrieved 11 August 2013</ref><ref>[http://www.anastasis.org.uk/octpate.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314154945/http://www.anastasis.org.uk/octpate.htm|date=14 March 2012}} "OFFICE OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE SEVENTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL", Retrieved 11 August 2013</ref> Nonetheless, some Eastern Orthodox theologians consider events like the rival Council of Constantinople of 879–880,<ref>"In 879, two years after the death of Patriarch Ignatius, another council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), and again St. Photius was acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople" ([http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100442 Orthodox Church in America)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922065258/http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100442 |date=22 September 2012 }}.</ref> that of Constantinople in 1341–1351 and that of Jerusalem in 1672 to be ecumenical:
#[[Quinisext Council|Council in Trullo]] (692) debates on ritual observance and clerical discipline in different parts of the Christian Church. Not recognised by Western churches and some Oriental churches.
#[[Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)]] (879–880) restored [[Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]] to the See of Constantinople. This happened after the death of Ignatius and with papal approval.
#[[Fifth Council of Constantinople]] (1341–1351) affirmed [[Hesychasm|hesychastic theology]] according to [[Gregory Palamas]] and condemned [[Barlaam of Seminara]].
#[[Synod of Iași]] (1642) reviewed and amended [[Peter Mogila]]'s ''Expositio fidei'' (''Statement of Faith'', also known as the ''Orthodox Confession'').
#[[Synod of Jerusalem (1672)]] defined Orthodoxy relative to Catholicism and Protestantism, defined the [[Development of the Christian Biblical canon|orthodox Biblical canon]].
#[[Council of Constantinople (1872)|Synod of Constantinople]] (1872) addressing with nationalism or [[phyletism]] in the unity of Orthodoxy.

It is unlikely that formal ecumenical recognition will be granted to these councils, despite the acknowledged orthodoxy of their decisions, so that seven are universally recognized among the Eastern Orthodox as ecumenical.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/details.asp?ID=551|title=Documents|website=Orthodox Answers|date=5 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926040249/http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/details.asp?ID=551|archive-date=26 September 2010}}</ref>

The 2016 [[Pan-Orthodox Council]] was sometimes referred to as a potential "Eighth Ecumenical Council" following debates on several issues facing Eastern Orthodoxy; however, not all autocephalous churches were represented.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Towards the "Eighth" Ecumenical Council|url=http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/towards.aspx|access-date=12 September 2020|website=orthodoxinfo.com|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108101934/http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/towards.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Acceptance of the councils==
{{Papal primacy and infallibility|expanded=ecumenical}}

Although some Protestants reject the concept of an ecumenical council establishing doctrine for the entire Christian faith, Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox all accept the authority of ecumenical councils in principle. Where they differ is in which councils they accept and what the conditions are for a council to be considered "ecumenical". The relationship of the [[Pope|Papacy]] to the validity of ecumenical councils is a ground of controversy between Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox churches. The Catholic Church holds that recognition by the Pope is an essential element in qualifying a council as ecumenical;<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, 884] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429072610/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM |date=29 April 2011 }}. Vatican.va (20 February 1946).</ref> Eastern Orthodox view approval by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) as being roughly equivalent to that of other patriarchs.
Some have held that a council is ecumenical only when all five patriarchs of the [[Pentarchy]] are represented at it.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CBQ9AAAAIAAJ&q=%22all+five+patriarchs%22 |first=Francis |last=Dvornik |title=The Ecumenical Councils |publisher=Hawthorn Books |year=1961 |page=80 |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426211459/https://books.google.com/books?id=CBQ9AAAAIAAJ&q=%22all+five+patriarchs%22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TQvAAAAYAAJ&q=%22all+five+patriarchs%22+ecumenical+council |first=Francis |last=Aloysius Sullivan |title=Magisterium |publisher=Paulist Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8091-2577-7 |page=86 |access-date=25 January 2016 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426211507/https://books.google.com/books?id=7TQvAAAAYAAJ&q=%22all+five+patriarchs%22+ecumenical+council |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3NtcXcy07X0C&pg=PA23 |editor-first1=E M. |editor-last1=Conradie |editor-first2=R. H. |editor-last2=Gouws |editor-first3=D. J. |editor-last3=Prinsloo |title=Christian Identity |publisher=University of the Western Cape |year=2005 |isbn=1-919980-88-1 |page=23}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fMhzlnY0P0QC&pg=PA325 |first=Leo |last=Donald Davis |title=The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787) |publisher=Michael Glazier |year=1992 | isbn=978-0-8146-5616-7 |page=325}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WtnR-6_PlJAC&pg=PA388 |first=Karl |last=Rahner |title=Encyclopedia of Theology |publisher=Burns & Oates |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-86012-006-3 |page=388}}</ref> Others reject this theory in part because there were no patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem at the time of the first ecumenical council.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oneholycatholica00kenn |url-access=registration |first=Kenneth D. |last=Whitehead |title=One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic |publisher=Ignatius Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-89870-802-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oneholycatholica00kenn/page/104 104]}}</ref>

===Catholic Church===
{{main|Catholic ecumenical councils}}

Both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches recognize seven councils in the early centuries of the church, but Catholics also recognize fourteen councils in later times called or confirmed by the Pope.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iv8pAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 |first=Thomas J. |last=Reese |title=Inside the Vatican |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-674-93261-6 |page=35}}</ref> At the urging of German King [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]], who was to become Holy Roman Emperor in 1433, the [[Council of Constance]] was convoked in 1414 by [[Antipope John XXIII]], one of three claimants to the papal throne, and was reconvened in 1415 by the Roman [[Pope Gregory XII]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zAsjkHJ8aP8C&pg=PA401 |first=John |last=Deely |title=Four Ages of Understanding |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-44261301-0 |page=401}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k85JKr1OXcQC&pg=PA274 |editor-first1=Orlando O. |editor-last1=Espín |editor-first2=James B. |editor-last2=Nickoloff |title=An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies |publisher=Liturgical Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-81465856-7 |page=274}}</ref> The [[Council of Florence]] is an example of a council accepted as ecumenical in spite of being rejected by the East, as the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon are accepted in spite of being rejected respectively by the [[Church of the East]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy]].

The Catholic Church teaches that an ecumenical council is a gathering of the [[College of Bishops]] (of which the [[Pope|Bishop of Rome]] is an essential part) to exercise in a solemn manner its supreme and full power over the whole Church.<ref>The [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, 883–884] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429072610/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM |date=29 April 2011 }} states: "The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Supreme Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head. As such, this college has supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Supreme Pontiff. The college of bishops exercises power over the universal Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council."</ref> It holds that "there never is an ecumenical council which is not confirmed or at least recognized as such by Peter's successor".<ref>Catechism of the Catholic Church, 884</ref> Its present [[Canon law of the Catholic Church|canon law]] requires that an ecumenical council be convoked and presided over, either personally or through a delegate, by the Pope, who is also to decide the agenda;<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P17.HTM Code of Canon Law, canon 338] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525120911/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P17.HTM |date=25 May 2012 }}. Vatican.va.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum orientalium, die XVIII Octobris anno MCMXC - Ioannes Paulus PP. II {{!}} Ioannes Paulus II|url=http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/la/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19901018_codex-can-eccl-orient-1.html|access-date=12 September 2020|website=www.vatican.va|archive-date=5 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005191556/http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/la/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19901018_codex-can-eccl-orient-1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but the church makes no claim that all past ecumenical councils observed these present rules, declaring only that the Pope's confirmation or at least recognition has always been required, and saying that the version of the [[Nicene Creed]] adopted at the [[First Council of Constantinople]] (381) was accepted by the Church of Rome only seventy years later, in 451.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P17.HTM#XT Catechism of the Catholic Church, 247] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329042425/http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P17.HTM#XT |date=29 March 2020 }}. Vatican.va.</ref>

===Eastern Orthodox Church===
The Eastern Orthodox Church accepts [[First seven ecumenical councils|seven ecumenical councils]],<ref>[https://archive.today/20120712063414/http://oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=5/ The Councils] at Orthodox Church in America</ref> with the disputed [[Quinisext Council|Council in Trullo]]—rejected by Catholics—being incorporated into, and considered as a continuation of, the [[Third Council of Constantinople]].<ref>[http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/main.htm/  The Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722032325/http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/main.htm |date=22 July 2012 }}  at OrthodoxChristianInfo</ref><ref>Runciman, S., (1977), The Byzantine Theocracy, (Cambridge University Press), p61.</ref>

To be considered ecumenical, Orthodox accept a council that meets the condition that it was accepted by the whole church. That it was called together legally is also an important factor. A case in point is the [[Third Ecumenical Council]], where two groups met as duly called for by the emperor, each claiming to be the legitimate council. The Emperor had called for bishops to assemble in the city of Ephesus. Theodosius did not attend<ref>Runciman, S., (1977), ''The Byzantine Theocracy'', (Cambridge University Press), p37.</ref> but sent his representative Candidian to preside.<ref name="Wills2003">{{cite book|author=Garry Wills|title=Why I Am a Catholic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CcGlcSdxPAC&pg=PA82|access-date=9 October 2011|date=10 September 2003|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-618-38048-0|pages=82–}}</ref> However, Cyril managed to open the council over Candidian's insistent demands that the bishops disperse until the delegation from Syria could arrive. Cyril was able to completely control the proceedings, completely neutralizing Candidian, who favored Cyril's antagonist, Nestorius. When the pro-Nestorius Antiochene delegation finally arrived, they decided to convene their own council, over which Candidian presided.<ref>Bury, J. B., (1958), ''History of the later Roman Empire: from the death of Theodosius I to the death of Justinian (A.D. 395 to A.D. 565) (Volume 1) '',(Dover Publications; NY), p353</ref> The proceedings of both councils were reported to the emperor, who decided ultimately to depose Cyril, Memnon and Nestorius.<ref>McKinion, S. A., (2000), ''Words, Imagery, and the Mystery of Christ: A Reconstruction of Cyril of Alexandria's Christology (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, V. 55)'', (Brill Academic Pub) p13.</ref> Nonetheless, the Orthodox accept Cyril's group as being the legitimate council because it maintained the same teaching that the church has always taught.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

Paraphrasing a rule by St [[Vincent of Lérins]], Hasler states
{{Blockquote|...a teaching can only be defined if it has been held to be revealed at all times, everywhere, and by all believers.<ref>Hasler, A. B., (1981) ''How the Pope Became Infallible: Pius IX and the Politics of Persuasion'' (Doubleday; Garden City, New York), p153.</ref>}}

Orthodox believe that councils could over-rule or even depose popes. At the [[Third Council of Constantinople|Sixth Ecumenical Council]], [[Pope Honorius I|Pope Honorius]] and [[Sergius I of Constantinople|Patriarch Sergius]] were declared heretics.<ref>Sixth Ecumenical Council – Session XIII. The Sentence Against the Monothelites.
(L. and C., Concilia, Tom. VI., col. 943.)</ref> The council anathematized them<ref>Session XVI. (Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. VI., col. 1010.)</ref> and declared them tools of the devil<ref>The Definition of Faith. (Found in the Acts, Session XVIII., L. and C., Concilia, Tom. VI., col. 1019.)</ref> and cast them out of the church.<ref>The Prosphoneticus to the Emperor. (Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. VI., col. 1047 et seqq.)</ref>

It is their position that, since the Seventh Ecumenical Council, there has been no synod or council of the same scope. Local meetings of hierarchs have been called "pan-Orthodox", but these have invariably been simply meetings of local hierarchs of whatever Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions are party to a specific local matter. From this point of view, there has been no fully "pan-Orthodox" (Ecumenical) council since 787. The use of the term "pan-Orthodox" is confusing to those not within Eastern Orthodoxy, and it leads to mistaken impressions that these are ''[[ersatz]]'' ecumenical councils rather than purely local councils to which nearby Orthodox hierarchs, regardless of jurisdiction, are invited.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Others, including 20th-century theologians Metropolitan [[Hierotheos (Vlachos)]] of [[Nafpaktos|Naupactus]], Fr. [[John Romanides|John S. Romanides]], and Fr. [[George Metallinos]] (all of whom refer repeatedly to the "Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils"), Fr. [[George Dragas]], and the 1848 [[Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs]] (which refers explicitly to the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and was signed by the [[patriarch]]s of [[Constantinople]], [[Jerusalem]], [[Antioch]], and [[Alexandria]] as well as the [[Holy Synod]]s of the first three), regard other synods beyond the [[Second Council of Nicaea|Seventh Ecumenical Council]] as being ecumenical.
{{Citation needed span|text=Before the 20th century, the Council at Constantinople in 879 AD was recognised as the 8th ecumenical council by people like the famous expert on Canon Law, [[Theodore Balsamon]] (11th century), St. Neilos of Rhodes, St. [[Mark of Ephesus]] (15th century), St. [[Symeon of Thessalonica]] (15th century), and the [[Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem]] in his Tome of Joy (17th century).|date=April 2010}}

From the Eastern Orthodox perspective, a council is accepted as being ecumenical if it is accepted by the Eastern Orthodox church at large—clergy, monks and assembly of believers. Teachings from councils that purport to be ecumenical, but which lack this acceptance by the church at large, are, therefore, not considered ecumenical.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hasler |first=A. B. |year=1981 |title=How the Pope Became Infallible: Pius IX and the Politics of Persuasion  |url=https://archive.org/details/howpopebecameinf0000hasl |url-access=registration |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/howpopebecameinf0000hasl/page/153 153]|isbn=9780385158510 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |quote=So the new teachings, that are outside the ecumenical councils cannot be accepted because they have not been verified (by) the whole body of the Church. |url=http://stjohndfw.info/sunday-of-the-holy-fathers-from-the-4th-ecumenical-council-the-right-worship.html/ |title=Sunday of the Holy Fathers from the 4th Ecumenical Council – The Right Worship |access-date=18 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402142126/http://stjohndfw.info/sunday-of-the-holy-fathers-from-the-4th-ecumenical-council-the-right-worship.html/ |archive-date=2 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Oriental Orthodoxy===
[[Oriental Orthodoxy]] accepts three ecumenical councils, the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople, and the Council of Ephesus. Some theologians of the Oriental Orthodox Church also recognize the [[Second Council of Ephesus]] as ecumenical that was ratified by the principal patriarchs in the time and the people, except the Pope.
The formulation of the [[Chalcedonian Creed]] caused a schism in the Alexandrian and Syriac churches. Reconciliatory efforts between Oriental Orthodox with the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Church in the mid- and late 20th century have led to common [[Christology|Christological]] declarations. The Oriental and Eastern Churches have also been working toward reconciliation as a consequence of the [[Ecumenism|ecumenical movement]].{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The Oriental Orthodox hold that the [[Dyophysitism|Dyophysite]] formula of two natures formulated at the [[Council of Chalcedon]] is inferior to the [[Miaphysitism|Miaphysite]] formula of "One Incarnate Nature of God the Word" ([[Byzantine Greek]]: ''Mia physis tou theou logou sarkousomene'') and that the proceedings of Chalcedon themselves were motivated by [[imperialism|imperial politics]]. [[Coptic Orthodox Church|The Alexandrian Church]], the main Oriental Orthodox body, also felt unfairly underrepresented at the council following the deposition of their Pope, [[Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria|Dioscorus of Alexandria]] at the council.

===Church of the East===
The [[Church of the East]] accepts two ecumenical councils, the First Council of Nicaea and the First Council of Constantinople, as well as a series of their own national councils, starting with the [[Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon]] in 410 AD. It was the formulation of Mary as the [[Theotokos]] which caused a schism with the Church of the East, now divided between the [[Assyrian Church of the East]] and the [[Ancient Church of the East]], while the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] entered into [[full communion]] with Rome in the 16th century. Meetings between [[Pope John Paul II]] and the [[List of Patriarchs of the Church of the East|Assyrian Patriarch]] Mar [[Dinkha IV]] led to a common Christological declaration on 11 November 1994 that "the humanity to which the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth always was that of the Son of God himself". Both sides recognised the legitimacy and rightness, as expressions of the same faith, of the Assyrian Church's liturgical invocation of Mary as "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour" and the Catholic Church's use of "the Mother of God" and also as "the Mother of Christ".<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104205725/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html |date=4 January 2009 }}. Vatican.va (11 November 1994).</ref>

===Protestantism===
====Lutheran Churches====
The [[Lutheran World Federation]], in [[ecumenism|ecumenical]] dialogues with the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]], has affirmed all of the first seven councils as ecumenical and authoritative. It teaches:
{{blockquote|Both Orthodox and Lutherans affirm that apostolic authority was exercised in the ecumenical councils of the Church in which the bishops, through illumination and glorification brought about by the Holy Spirit, exercised responsibility. Ecumenical councils are a special gift of God to the Church and are an authoritative inheritance through the ages. Through ecumenical councils the Holy Spirit has led the Church to preserve and transmit the faith once delivered to the saints. They handed on the prophetic and apostolic truth, formulated it against heresies of their time and safeguarded the unity of the churches.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ecumenical Councils and the Authority in and of the Church |url=https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/1993-Lutheran_Orthodox_Dialogue-EN.pdf |publisher=[[Lutheran World Federation]] |access-date=9 March 2021 |language=English |date=10 July 1993 |archive-date=9 October 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/1993-Lutheran_Orthodox_Dialogue-EN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

====Anglican Communion====
Article XXI of the [[Thirty-nine Articles of Religion]] of Anglicanism teaches: "General Councils ... when they be gathered together, forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and word of God, they may err and sometime have erred, even in things pertaining to God. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture."<ref>''An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles V2: Historical And Doctrinal'' by Edward Harold Browne.</ref>

The 19th Canon of 1571 asserted the authority of the Councils in this manner: "Let preachers take care that they never teach anything ... except what is agreeable to the doctrine of the Old and New Testament, and what the Catholic Fathers and ancient Bishops have collected from the same doctrine."<ref>''The Sufficiency of Holy Scripture as the Rule of Faith'' by [[Daniel Wilson (bishop)|Daniel Wilson]], [[Anglican Diocese of Calcutta|Anglican Bishop of Calcutta]].</ref> This remains the [[Church of England]]'s teaching on the subject. A modern version of this appeal to catholic consensus is found in the Canon Law of the Church of England and also in the liturgy published in ''[[Common Worship]]'':

{{blockquote|The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, worshipping the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, ''The Book of Common Prayer'' and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons.

I, AB, do so affirm, and accordingly declare my belief in the faith which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear witness; and in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, I will use only the forms of service which are authorized or allowed by Canon.<ref>See ''Common Worship'' {{ISBN|0-7151-2000-X}}</ref>|}}

The 1559 [[Act of Supremacy 1558|Act of Supremacy]] made a distinction between the decisions of the [[First seven ecumenical councils|first four ecumenical councils]], which were to be used as sufficient proof that something was [[heresy]], as opposed to those of later councils, which could only be used to that purpose if "the same was declared heresy by the express and plain words of the ... canonical Scriptures".<ref>G. R. Elton (ed.), The Tudor Constitution: Documents and Commentary (Cambridge, 1960), p. 368. Via Dr Colin Podmore, "Blessed Virgin: Mary and the Anglican Tradition", [https://www.forwardinfaith.com/uploads/Blessed_Virgin_-_Assumptiontide_Lecture_PRINT_2.pdf  p. 15, note 12] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412003938/https://www.forwardinfaith.com/uploads/Blessed_Virgin_-_Assumptiontide_Lecture_PRINT_2.pdf |date=12 April 2021 }}, Assumptiontide Lecture 2014, St Mary and All Saints, Walsingham</ref> As such, the Anglican tradition accepts the first four ecumenical councils, though they "considered subordinate to Scripture".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olson |first1=Roger E. |title=The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition Reform |date=1 April 1999 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-1505-0 |page=158 |language=English|quote=The magisterial Protestant denominations such as major Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican (Church of England, Episcopalian) denominations recognize only the first four as having any special authority, and even they are considered subordinate to Scripture.}}</ref>

While the Councils are part of the "historic formularies" of [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] tradition,<ref>For additional references to this section and for more on the Anglican position, see Dr CB Moss [http://anglicanhistory.org/cbmoss/seventh.pdf ''The Church of England and the Seventh Council''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205020233/http://anglicanhistory.org/cbmoss/seventh.pdf |date=5 December 2008 }}</ref> it is difficult to locate an explicit reference in Anglicanism to the unconditional acceptance of all Seven Ecumenical Councils. There is little evidence of dogmatic or canonical acceptance beyond the statements of individual Anglican theologians and bishops. Anglican cleric of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship Bishop Chandler Holder Jones, [[Society of the Holy Cross|SSC]], explains:

{{blockquote|We indeed and absolutely believe all Seven Councils are truly ecumenical and Catholic—on the basis of the received Tradition of the ancient Undivided Church of East and West. The Anglican formularies address only particular critical theological and disciplinary concerns of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and that certainly by design. Behind them, however, stands the universal authority of the Holy and Apostolic Tradition, which did not have to be rehashed or redebated by Anglican Catholics.<ref name=CHJ>[https://philorthodox.blogspot.com/2008/10/seven-ecumenical-councils-in.html The Seven Ecumenical Councils in Anglicanism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916060450/http://philorthodox.blogspot.com/2008/10/seven-ecumenical-councils-in.html |date=16 September 2011 }}. Philorthodox.blogspot.com (27 October 2008). Retrieved on 2012-05-15.</ref>|sign=|source=}}

He quotes William Tighe, Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, (another member of the Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism):
{{blockquote|...despite the fact that advocates of all sides to the 16th-century religious conflict, Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed alike, were given to claiming that their particular doctrinal stances and, in some cases, distinctive practices, were in accord with those of the Early Church Fathers, or at least with those of high standing (such as St. Augustine), none [but Anglicanism] were willing to require, or even permit, their confessional stances to be judged by, or subordinated to, a hypothetical "patristic consensus" of the first four or five centuries of Christianity. But Anglicanism most certainly did, and does so to this day.<ref name=CHJ/>|title=|source=}}

====Methodist Churches====
Methodist theologian Charles W. Brockwell Jr wrote that the first "four ecumenical councils produced and clarified the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Symbol (Nicene Creed), the most important document in Christian history after the Bible itself."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brockwell |first1=Charles W. Jr. |title=The United Methodist Church as a Connectional Covenant Community |url=https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2002-8-brockwell.pdf |publisher=Oxford Institute |access-date=9 March 2021 |page=10 |language=English |date=2002 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925105620/https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2002-8-brockwell.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Manual of the [[Church of the Nazarene]], part of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism, states "Our denomination receives the creeds of the first five Christian centuries as expressions of its own faith," including the Christological doctrines formulated during the first four Ecumenical Councils.<ref>{{cite web |title="Historical Statement" Manual, 2017-2021 |url=https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/front_matter/historical-statement/ |publisher=Church of the Nazarene |access-date=2 June 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316065243/https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/front_matter/historical-statement/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Other Protestant denominations====
Some, including some [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist Christians]], condemn the ecumenical councils for other reasons. Independency or [[congregationalist polity]] among Protestants may involve the rejection of any governmental structure or binding authority above local congregations; conformity to the decisions of these councils is therefore considered purely voluntary and the councils are to be considered binding only insofar as those doctrines are derived from the Scriptures. Many of these churches reject the idea that anyone other than the authors of Scripture can directly lead other Christians by original divine authority; after the [[New Testament]], they assert, the doors of revelation were closed and councils can only give advice or guidance, but have no authority. They consider new doctrines not derived from the sealed [[Biblical canon|canon]] of Scripture to be both impossible and unnecessary whether proposed by church councils or by more recent [[prophet]]s. Catholic and Orthodox objections to this position point to the fact that the [[Biblical canon|Canon of Scripture]] itself was fixed by these councils. They conclude that this would lead to a logical inconsistency of a non-authoritative body fixing a supposedly authoritative source.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Nontrinitarian groups===
Ecumenical councils are not recognised by [[Nontrinitarianism|nontrinitarian]] churches such as [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (and [[List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement|other denominations]] within the [[Latter Day Saint movement]]), [[Christadelphians]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Church of God (Seventh-Day)]], their descendants and [[Unitarianism|Unitarians]]. They view the ecumenical councils as misguided human attempts to establish doctrine, and as attempts to define dogmas by debate rather than by revelation.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

== See also ==
* [[Buddhist councils]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Fairweather, Eugene R., and Edward R. Hardy. ''The Voice of the Church: the Ecumenical Council''. Greenwich, Conn.: Seabury Press, 1962. 127 p. ''N.B''.: Defines and approaches the topic from an Anglican orientation.
* Michalopoulos, Dimitris, "The First Council of Nicaea: The end of a conflict or beginning of a struggle?", ''Uluslarasi Iznik Semposyumu'', Iznik (Turkey), 2005, pp.&nbsp;47–56. {{ISBN|975-7988-30-8}}.
* Tanner, Norman P. ''The Councils of the Church'', {{ISBN|0-8245-1904-3}}.
* Tanner, Norman P. ''Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils'', {{ISBN|0-87840-490-2}}.

== External links ==
* Broken link: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120510042101/http://www.piar.hu/councils/~index.htm All Catholic Church Ecumenical Councils – All the Decrees]*
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Council |volume=7 |pages=309–312 |first=William Walker |last=Rockwell |short=1}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/library/almanac_14388a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: The 21 Ecumenical Councils]
* {{cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=General Councils |volume=4 |first=Joseph |last=Wilhelm |short=1}}
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_10_Concilia_Oecumenica.html Multilingual Full Documentations of the 21 Ecumenical Councils] and [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_50_1692-1769-_Mansi_JD.html Mansi JD, Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova Amplissima Collectio], all the Latin documents of all the Councils
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151222142039/http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/faq/faqhistoryofchristianity FAQ Ecumenical Synods] Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
* [http://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/ The Canons of the Eastern Orthodox Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213033721/https://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/ |date=13 February 2016 }}

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