Ecumenical council

Ecumenical Councils (from the Greek Oikumene, " whole inhabited earth ," and Latin concilium, " joint meeting " ) are gatherings to bring together leaders from the Christian Church all over the world for consultation and joint decision important contentious issues. Why raise ecumenical councils also entitled to universalisation of their decisions. In the history of the 1st millennium the concept of Oikumene is virtually identical to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, where their decisions have been received as a binding teaching standard.

Biblical model for the ecumenical councils as for all councils is the Apostolic Council, came together in the year 49 or 50, the most important representatives of the Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to decide on the degree of commitment of various Jewish laws for all Christians.

Historically, the term referred not a common council of different denominations within the meaning of the Ecumenical Movement.

Councils of the Ancient Church

As ecumenical councils of the early church bishop seven general meetings are called, the 325-787 took place and are now being recognized by the Catholic Church, by the Orthodox and Protestant churches:

The Apostolic Church of the East will recognize only the first two, the Eastern Churches only the first three ecumenical councils as (and therefore authentic). In Protestantism, the reception of the Second Nicänums is partly controversial.

The separate definition of the first seven ecumenical councils based on the fact that these were effectively uncontested in Catholicism and Orthodoxy, the main historical currents. Later councils, even -fed together, however, obtained from internal and external reasons, not the same unanimity in approval.

Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church history since Bellarmine Disputationes ( 1586) 14 other synods are the seven Councils of the early Church (up to 787) despite the absence of representatives of the Eastern Church as " ecumenical councils ". Their ecumenism is not recognized by other Christian churches in general.

The Orthodox churches, however, have waived the consciousness of the actual Oikumene - term care to name a council ecumenical in the absence of the Western Church, though there are some Panorthodox councils of all ( accessible in the particular situation ) were Orthodox churches in the 2nd millennium. The most important council of this kind was the Council of Jerusalem from 1672.

According to the understanding of the Roman Catholic Church Councils are assemblies in the Holy Spirit and be celebrated as liturgical celebrations. Under current canon law ( Code of Canon Law, canons 222-229 ), the bishops, who believe in the context of an Ecumenical Council, together with the Pope a decision, the highest teaching authority in the Church and are infallible in this decision. This claim to infallibility is not to be confused with the much younger doctrine of papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals, as it was announced at the First Vatican Council (1869-1870).

Ecumene Dogma Near East Doctrine of reception Bible Assyrian Church of the East Robert Bellarmine
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