Seven Ecumenical Councils

Question 1

First Ecumenical Council

Answer 1

Nicaea
AD 325
Condemned Arianism: Jesus a created being adopted by the Father and made divine
Declared the Son homoousios (not homoiousios) with the Father
Issued Nicene Creed

Question 2

Second Ecumenical Council

Answer 2

Constantinople (I)
AD 381
Rejected Apollinarianism: The divine Word took the place of human reason, so that the humanity of Jesus was physically complete, but his mind was actually divine.
Concluded the Arian controversy

Question 3

Third Ecumenical Council

Answer 3

Ephesus
AD 431
Condemned Nestorianism - claimed that in Christ there are two natures and two persons, one divine and one human
Endorsed the Alexandrian view of the relationship between the two natures of Christ

Question 4

Fourth Ecumenical Council

Answer 4

Chalcedon
AD 451
Condemned Monophysitism (Eutychianism): In Christ there is only a divine nature, for the human is absorbed into divinity
Affirmed: in Christ there are two natures joined in a single person. Added the words: unmixed, unchanged, unseparated, undivided.

Question 5

Fifth Ecumenical Council

Answer 5

Constantinople (II)
AD 553
Condemned: writing of three Antiochian authors (“Three Chapters”); some called Nestorian
Affirmed: the Cyrillian understanding of Chalcedon

Question 6

Sixth Ecumenical Council

Answer 6

Constantinople (III)
AD 680-681
Condemned: Monothelism (one will), according to which there is in Christ only one will, although there are two natures united in a single person.
Affirmed: two wills in Christ

Question 7

Seventh Ecumenical Council

Answer 7

Nicaea (II)
AD 787
Delared that worship in the strict sense is due only to God, but that holy images or icons are worthy of veneration.

Question 8

Twelfth Ecumenical Council

Answer 8

Fourth Lateran Council
AD 1215
Affirmed the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ: “His body and blood are truly contained in teh sacrament of the altar under the forms of bread and wine, the bread and wine have been transubstantiated, by God’s power, into his body and blood.”