What Were the Seven Ecumenical Councils?

The seven general Ecumenical Councils of the Christian Church were critical in determining many of the orthodox beliefs held by Christians throughout the world. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox (and related and similar churches), and many Protestant churches recognize the legitimacy, to some degree, of the councils as having worked out standard Christian beliefs, particularly as they relate to the Trinity and the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Councils were all held in what is now the country of Turkey, one of the first areas outside Judea where Christianity spread following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and where several apostles spread the Gospel even during the New Testament period.

The general councils of the church were typically called by the Roman Emperor, who desired to have religious peace throughout the empire.  The emperor was, in one sense, a part of the church and had some authority to call councils when religious problems were getting out of hand.  Constantine I called the Council of Nicaea, and often the imperial treasury was used to fund the expenses of the churchmen attending. Each council tended to address a heresy that was popular at the time. 

The Seven Councils

The councils were: the Council of Nicaea – 325 CE, the First Council of Constantinople – 381 CE, the Council of Ephesus – 431 CE, the Council of Chalcedon – 451 CE, the Second Council of Constantinople – 553, the Third Council of Constantinople? – 680-681, and the Second Council of Nicaea – 787. Below, we take a closer look at each of them in a little more detail.

• The Council of Nicaea

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, held in response to the heresy of Arianism, which held that Jesus Christ was a created being, rather than God the Son as a member of the Trinity. The council gathered in the ancient Bithynian city of Nicaea (now Iznik, Turkey). 

• The First Council of Constantinople

The First Council of Constantinople was a gathering of Christian bishops in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). The group addressed the Apollinarian heresy, which taught that Jesus Christ did not have a human spirit, but it was replaced with the logos as described in John 1.

• The Council of Ephesus

The Council of Ephesus dealt with Nestorianism, a controversy over whether Mary, the mother of Jesus, was properly described as theotokos, “God-bearer,” which speaks not necessarily to Mary’s status, but is a Trinitarian dispute as to whether or not Jesus is God the Son.

• The Council of Chalcedon

The Council of Chalcedon was the largest council of the seven, as well as the council with the best documentation.  Chalcedon dealt with both Nestorianism as well as a heresy called monophysitism, which held that Jesus Christ was only divine, and not human.

• The Second Council of Constantinople

The Second Council of Constantinople dealt further with Nestorianism, and its aftermath which led to a split between the Western Church and some of the Eastern churches, which held to a form of Nestorianism and also had political and other problems with the Western church.

• The Third Council of Constantinople

The Third Council of Constantinople was another Council dealing with what was generally a continuing division between eastern and western churches.  Here, the concepts of monoenergism – Christ having one “energy” while having both a divine and human nature, and Monothelitism – that Christ had one will, rather than two agreeing wills – were both condemned.

• The Second Council of Nicaea

The Second Council of Nicaea dealt with iconoclasm – the belief that images or icons of saints should not be used as a part of Christian worship.  Iconoclasm had long been an issue within the church, but the popularity of icons had increased by the late 700s AD.  At Nicaea, the veneration of icons was upheld as being proper.