The Ecumenical Councils
Francis Dvornik
THE ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
IS VOLUME 82
of The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism
UNDER SECTION
VIII
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH
IT IS ALSO THE
57th
VOLUME IN ORDER OF PUBLICATION
The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism
Edited by HENRI DANIEL-ROPS of the Académie Française
The Ecumenical Councils
By Francis Dvornik
Hawthorn Books Publishers, New York 1961
Copyright © 1961 by Hawthorn Books, Inc., 70 Fifth Avenue, New York 11, N. Y.
Copyright under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Philippines Copyright 1961 by Hawthorn Books, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. This book was manufactured in the United States of America and published simultaneously in Canada by McClelland & Stewart, Ltd., 25 Hollinger Road, Toronto 16. The Library of Congress has catalogued The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism under card number 58-14327. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number for this volume: 61-9455. The Catholic University of America Library has catalogued this volume based on the Lynn-Peterson Alternative Classification for Catholic Books: BQT184T9v.82/BQT403. Dewey Decimal Classification: 282.
First Edition, January, 1961
NIHIL OBSTAT
Joannes M. T, Barton, S.T.D., L.S.S.
Censor Deputatus
IMPRIMATUR
E. Morrogh Bernard
Vicarius Generalis
Westmonasterii, die V NOVEMBRIS MCMLX
The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.
CONTENTS
Introduction 7
I. The First Ecumenical Councils 9
Origin of the Councils 9
The Council of Nicaea (325): the Role of the Emperor and the Rights of Bishops 13
The Aftermath of Nicaea and the Second Ecumenical Council 17
Rivalry between Alexandria, Constantinople and Antioch: the Third Ecumenical Council (431) 21
The Triumphs of Monophysitism at the “Robber Synod” (449) 25
The Council of Chalcedon (451) 26
Attempts at Compromise with the Monophysites 29
Emperor Justinian and the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553) 31
The Sixth Ecumenical Council (680) 33
Image Worship and the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) 36
The Photian Controversy and the Synods of 869 and 879 40
II. The Medieval Councils of the Western Church 47
The Reformers and Roman Synods 47
The Four Councils of the Lateran (1123, 1139, 1179, 1215) and the First Council of Lyons (1245) 51
The Abortive Union at the Second Council of Lyons 57
The General Council of Vienne and the Suppression of the Templars (1311, 1312) 62
III. The Shadow of the Conciliar Theory 67
Western Schism, Origins of the Conciliar Theory 67
The Council of Constance (1414-18) 71
The Councils of Basle-Ferrara-Florence (14317), Union and Its Failure 74
Survivals of the Conciliar Theory, the Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17) 80
IV. The Councils of Trent and of the Vatican 83
Beginning of the Reformation 83
The Council of Trent (1545-65) 85
From Trent to the Vatican Council 92
The Vatican Council (1869, 1870) 95
The Vatican Council and Orthodox Belief in Church Infallibility 101
Select Bibliography 111