EARLY ECUMENICAL COUNCILS

ACCORDING TO TRADITION, OUR LORD PROMISED ST. GERTRUDE THAT 1000 SOULS WOULD BE RELEASED FROM

PURGATORY EACH TIME IT IS SAID DEVOUTLY.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union

with the masses said throughout the world today,

for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners

everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my

own home and within my family. Amen.

REVIEW:

ECUMENICAL COUNCILS

A gathering of the bishops of the world to discuss concerns facing the worldwide Church

__ Councils in Total (Nicaea – Vatican II)

COUNCIL OF NICAEA (AD325)

Major Players St. Athanasius? Arius St. Nicholas** Emperor Constantine Pope St. Sylvester I –

not directly involved

Nicaea 325 AD(Modern day

Turkey)

THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

REVIEW:

ARIANISM

Arius, a priest from Alexandria

Taught that Jesus was created by God, and so is God only through grace and adoption. Like Hercules, a hybrid between

God and man

Arius Taught: “There was a time when he [Jesus] was not” God

THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

Nearly all of the East had accepted Arius’ position.

Constantine pushed for a General Council at Nicaea to promote unity in the Empire.

Bishops came from entire Christian world

HOMOOUSIA VS. HOMOIOUSIA

The Arians wanted to say that the Son was homoiousios Homo–iousia – of similar substances

The Council stated that the Son was homoousios Homo–ousia – of the same substance

an iota “i” of difference

THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA: THE RESULTS All but 2 bishops signed the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed:

Who Christ is The essentials of the Christian Faith

Christ is of like substance with the Father (“one in being with the Father”) (“consubstantial with the Father”)

The consecration of a new bishop requires at least 3 other bishops

ST. NICHOLAS & ARIUS…

Tradition says St. Nicholas slapped Arius when he confronted him

He would be stripped of his title “Bishop” and removed from the council

Legend holds that both the Virgin Mary and Jesus visited him that night in jail, asking him why he was behind bars. "Because of my love for you," was the reply.

INTERESTING FACTS: DEATH OF ARIUS An Arian bishop was about to receive Arius

back to full communion with the Church despite teaching contrary to the Church…

Arius died on the night before this was to occur

Legend says that he farted and his bowels came out

COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (AD 381) Major Players

St. Gregory Nazianzen (future bishop of Constantinople)

Emperor Theodosius Pope St. Damasus I (not in

attendance) Major Problems

Macedonianism Arianism (semi-Arianism)

MACEDONIANISM

Macedonianism = Denied that the Holy Spirit is God.

Which Church Fathers wrote extensively on the Holy Spirit? Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus

GOALS OF CONSTANTINOPLE I (381)

Validly ordain an orthodox bishop for the patriarchal See of Constantinople

Confirm the Nicene Creed Reconcile the semi-Arians with the

Church Put an end to the Macedonian heresy

RESULTS OF CONSTANTINOPLE I (381) Extended and confirmed the Nicene Creed

Same as what we pray at Mass on Sundays Condemned Macedonian denial of the divinity

of the Holy Spirit See the “new & improved” Nicene Creed

Confirmed Gregory Nazianzen as bishop of Constantinople and re-instated all bishops exiled by Arians

Made See (Archdiocese) of Constantinople as second in primacy to Rome

THE CREEDS OF NICAEA & CONSTANTINOPLE

NICENE CREED CONSTANTINOPOLITAN CREED

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost.

[But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.]

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

COUNCIL OF EPHESUS (AD431)

Major Players: Nestorius of

Constantinople & St. Cyril of Alexandria

Pope St. Celestine I (not present)

Major issues Nestorianism Pelagianism

NESTORIANISM

Founded in 4th century by Nestorius, the Patriarch (bishop) of Constantinople

Nestorianism – belief that in Jesus Christ, there exists 2 persons, 1 divine & 1 human The divine person “dwells” in the human Mary only gave birth to the human Jesus, not

the divine Jesus, therefore she is not the Mother of God

REMEMBER: Nestorius B.I.G.

PELAGIANISM

Pelagianism = We do not need God’s grace for salvation, but rather our own goodness gets us to heaven.

Because of Pelagius’ craftiness, it took approx. 10-15 years for the Church to figure out what exactly he was teaching…

EPHESUS (431): THE RESULTS

Pelagianism already made clear some years before, was finally and definitively stopped at Ephesus.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, gave us the term “hypostatic union” In the union of 1 person, there are 2

natures If Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is

God, then…? Mary is the Mother of God!!!!

COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON

COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON (AD451)

Major Players: Pope St. Leo I & Eutyches Major Issue: Monophysitism (opposite

problem of Nestorianism)

MONOPHYSITISM

Monophysite = literally, 1 form Monophysites believed that there was

only 1 nature in Christ How can a non-human save us?

CHALCEDON (451): RESULTS

Largest Council to date – 350 bishops Condemns a council at Ephesus (449)

Run by Eutyches w/o approval of Leo I Point of departure – Nicene Creed

Demonstrates the Church as APOSTOLIC 2 distinct natures in 1 subject “w/o

confusion, change, division, or separation” Other minor issues about Rome vs.

Constantinople & other matters of jurisdiction

SUMMARY OF 1ST FOUR ECUMENICAL COUNCILS

1st Council: Nicaea (AD325)Condemned Arianism

Soteriological axiom: "God alone can save us."FULLY GOD

3rd Council - Ephesus (AD431)

One Person

JESUS CHRIST

Two Natur

es

4th Council - Chalcedon(AD451)

Condemned Nestorianism

Condemned Eutychianism

Specified the 1 person of Christ

Maintained 2 natures"w/o confusion or

change, separation or division”

FULLY HUMAN2nd Council: Constantinople I (AD381)

Re-affirmed Nicaea, condemned Apollinarianism

Soteriological axiom: “What is not assumed is not healed.”

GROUP ACTIVITY

Why was the early Church so concerned about what was going on with its teachings?