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Ecumenical Council. VII ecumenical council

We recall the history of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the Church of Christ

The first centuries of Christianity, like most powerful young religions, are marked by the emergence of numerous heretical teachings. Some of them turned out to be so tenacious that the conciliar thought of theologians and hierarchs of the entirety of the Church was required to fight them. Similar cathedrals in church history received the name Ecumenical. There were seven in total: Nicene, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, Second Constantinople, Third Constantinople and Second Nicene.

325
First Ecumenical Council
Held in 325 in Nicaea under Emperor Constantine the Great.
318 bishops participated, including St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Bishop James of Nisibis, St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, St. Athanasius the Great, who at that time was still in the rank of deacon.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of Arianism
The Alexandrian priest Arius rejected the Divinity and the eternal birth of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, from God the Father and taught that the Son of God is only the highest creation. The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and affirmed the immutable truth - the dogma: the Son of God is the true God, born of God the Father before all ages, and is just as eternal as God the Father; He is begotten, not created, and consubstantial with God the Father.

In order for all Orthodox Christians to know exactly the true teaching of the faith, it was clearly and briefly stated in the first seven members of the Creed.

At the same Council, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring, it was determined for clergy to be married, and many other rules were established.

381
Second Ecumenical Council
Held in 381 in Constantinople under Emperor Theodosius the Great.
150 bishops participated, including St. Gregory the Theologian (chairman), Gregory of Nyssa, Meletius of Antioch, Amphilochius of Iconium, Cyril of Jerusalem and others.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of the Macedonians
The former Bishop of Constantinople Macedonia, an adherent of Arianism, rejected the Divinity of the third Person of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit; he taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or created power, and, moreover, serving God the Father and God the Son just like angels. At the Council, the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected. The Council approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.

The Council also supplemented the Nicene Creed with five articles, which set out the doctrine: on the Holy Spirit, on the Church, on the sacraments, on the resurrection of the dead, and on the life of the future age. Thus, the Nicetsaregrad Creed was drawn up, which serves as a guide for the Church for all time.

431
Third Ecumenical Council
Held in 431 in Ephesus under Emperor Theodosius II the Younger.
200 bishops participated.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of Nestorianism
Archbishop Nestorius of Constantinople impiously taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to a simple man Christ, with whom God later united morally, dwelt in Him, as if in a temple, just as He formerly dwelt in Moses and other prophets. Therefore, Nestorius called the Lord Jesus Christ Himself a God-bearer, and not a God-man, and the Most Holy Virgin - a Christ-bearer, and not the Mother of God. The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Nestorius, decided to recognize the union in Jesus Christ from the time of the incarnation (birth of the Virgin Mary) of two natures - Divine and Human - and determined to confess Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect Man, and the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God.

The Council also approved the Nicetsaregrad Creed and strictly forbade making any changes or additions to it.

451
Fourth Ecumenical Council
Held in 451 in Chalcedon under the emperor Marcian.
650 bishops participated.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of Monophysitism
The archimandrite of one of the monasteries in Constantinople, Eutyches, denied human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refuting heresy and defending the divine dignity of Jesus Christ, he himself went to extremes and taught that in Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the Divine, why in Him only one Divine nature should be recognized. This false teaching is called Monophysitism, and its followers are called Monophysites (i.e., one-naturalists). The Council condemned and rejected the false teaching of Eutyches and determined the true teaching of the Church, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true Man: according to Divinity He is eternally born of the Father, according to humanity He was born from the Blessed Virgin and in everything is like us, except for sin. . In the Incarnation, Divinity and humanity were united in Him as in a single Person, invariably and inseparably, inseparably and inseparably.

553
Fifth Ecumenical Council
Held in 553 in Constantinople under Emperor Justinian I.
165 bishops participated.
Why convened:
to resolve disputes between the followers of Nestorius and Eutyches

The main subject of controversy was the writings of three teachers of the Syrian Church who were famous in their time (Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow of Edessa), in which Nestorian errors were clearly expressed (nothing was mentioned about these three writings at the 4th Ecumenical Council). The Nestorians, in a dispute with the Eutychians (Monophysites), referred to these writings, and the Eutychians found in this an excuse to reject the 4th Ecumenical Council itself and slander the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, as if she had deviated into Nestorianism. The Council condemned all three writings and Theodore of Mopsuestia himself as unrepentant, while for the other two authors, the condemnation was limited only to their Nestorian writings. The theologians themselves renounced their false opinions, were pardoned and died in peace with the Church.

The council confirmed the condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

680
Sixth Ecumenical Council
The sixth council was held in 680 in Constantinople under the emperor Constantine Pogonates.
170 bishops participated.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism
The Monothelites, although they recognized two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human, at the same time saw in Him only the Divine will. The unrest produced by the Monothelites continued after the 5th Ecumenical Council. Emperor Heraclius, desiring reconciliation, decided to persuade the Orthodox to yield to the Monothelites and, by the power of his power, commanded that Jesus Christ be recognized as one will in two natures. Patriarch Sofroniy of Jerusalem and the monk of Constantinople Maximus the Confessor, whose tongue was cut out and his hand cut off for the firmness of faith, acted as defenders and interpreters of the true teaching of the Church.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned and rejected the heresy of the Monothelites and determined to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and Human - and according to these two natures, two wills, but in such a way that the human will in Christ is not opposed, but submissive to His Divine will.

After 11 years, the Council reopened meetings in the royal chambers, called the Trulli, to resolve issues that mainly relate to the church deanery. In this respect, it seemed to supplement the 5th and 6th Ecumenical Councils, which is why it is called the Fifth-Sixth (sometimes called Trulla).

The council approved the rules by which the Church should be governed, namely: 85 rules of the holy apostles, rules of six Ecumenical and seven Local Councils, as well as rules of 13 Church Fathers. These rules were subsequently supplemented by the rules of the 7th Ecumenical Council and two more Local Councils and made up the so-called Nomocanon (The Pilot Book), which underlies the governance of the Orthodox Church.

At this Council, some innovations of the Roman Church were condemned, which did not agree with the spirit of the decrees of the Ecumenical Church, namely: forcing clerics to celibacy, strict fasting on the Saturdays of Holy Fortecost and the image of Christ in the form of a lamb (lamb).

787
Seventh Ecumenical Council
Held in 787 in Nicaea under Empress Irene, widow of Emperor Leo Khozar.
367 bishops participated.
Why convened:
to condemn the heresy of iconoclasm
The iconoclastic heresy arose 60 years before the Council under Emperor Leo the Isaurian, who, wishing to convert Mohammedans to Christianity, considered it necessary to abolish the veneration of icons. This heresy continued under his son Constantine Copronymus and his grandson Leo Khozar. The Council condemned and rejected the iconoclastic heresy and determined to place and place in churches, along with the image of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, holy icons, to honor and worship them, raising the mind and heart to the Lord God, the Mother of God and the saints depicted on them.

After the 7th Ecumenical Council, the persecution of holy icons was again instituted by the subsequent three emperors - Leo the Armenian, Michael Balba and Theophilus - and for about 25 years worried the Church.

The veneration of icons was finally restored and approved at the Local Council of Constantinople in 842 under Empress Theodora.

reference
Instead of seven, the Roman Catholic Church recognizes more than two dozen Ecumenical Councils, including those councils that were in Western Christendom after the great schism of 1054, and in the Lutheran tradition, despite the example of the apostles and the recognition of the entire Church of Christ, Ecumenical Councils are not attached such significance as in the Orthodox Church and Catholicism.

Ecumenical Councils in the true Orthodox Church of Christ were seven: 1. Nicene, 2. Constantinople, 3. Ephesian, 4. Chalcedonian, 5.Constantinople 2nd. 6. Constantinople 3rd and 7. Nicene 2nd.

FIRST Ecumenical Council

The first Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 city, in the mountains. Nikea under Emperor Constantine the Great.

This Council was called against the false teaching of the Alexandrian priest Aria, which the rejected Divinity and eternal birth of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, Son of God, from God the Father; and taught that the Son of God is only the highest creation.

The Council was attended by 318 bishops, among whom were: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, James Bishop of Nisibis, Spyridon of Trimyphuntus, St. Athanasius the Great, who at that time was still in the rank of deacon, and others.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and approved the indisputable truth - dogma; The Son of God is the true God, born of God the Father before all ages and is just as eternal as God the Father; He is begotten, not created, and consubstantial with God the Father.

In order for all Orthodox Christians to know exactly the true teaching of the faith, it was clearly and briefly stated in the first seven parts. Creed.

At the same Council it was decided to celebrate Easter at first Sunday the day after the first full moon in spring, priests were also ordained to be married, and many other rules were established.

SECOND Ecumenical Council

The Second Ecumenical Council was convened in 381 city, in the mountains. Constantinople, under the emperor Theodosius the Great.

This Council was convened against the false teachings of the former Arian Bishop of Constantinople Macedonia who rejected the Deity of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, Holy Spirit; he taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or a created power, and at the same time serving God the Father and God the Son, like the Angels.

The Council was attended by 150 bishops, among whom were: Gregory the Theologian (he was the chairman of the Council), Gregory of Nyssa, Meletios of Antioch, Amphilochius of Iconium, Cyril of Jerusalem and others.

At the Council, the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected. Cathedral approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.

The Council also supplemented the Nicaean Symbol of faith five parts, in which the doctrine is set forth: on the Holy Spirit, on the Church, on the sacraments, on the resurrection of the dead, and on the life of the age to come. Thus was formed Niceotsaregradsky Symbol of faith, which serves as a guide for the Church for all time.

THIRD Ecumenical Council

The Third Ecumenical Council was convened in 431 city, in the mountains. Ephesus, under Emperor Theodosius 2nd the Younger.

The Council was convened against the false teachings of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestoria, who impiously taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to a simple man Christ, with whom, later, God united morally, dwelt in Him, as in a temple, just as He formerly dwelt in Moses and other prophets. Therefore, Nestorius called the Lord Jesus Christ Himself a God-bearer, and not a God-man, and called the Most Holy Virgin a Christ-bearer, and not the Mother of God.

The Council was attended by 200 bishops.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Nestorius and decided to recognize the union in Jesus Christ, from the time of the incarnation, of two natures: divine and human; and determined: to confess Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect Man, and the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Theotokos.

Cathedral also approved Nikeotsaregradsky Symbol of faith and strictly forbade any changes or additions to it.

FOURTH Ecumenical Council

The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in 451 year, in the mountains. Chalcedon, under the emperor Marcians.

The council was convened against the false teachings of the archimandrite of a monastery in Constantinople Eutychius who denied human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refuting heresy and defending the Divine dignity of Jesus Christ, he himself went to extremes, and taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the Divine, why in Him only one Divine nature should be recognized. This false doctrine is called Monophysitism, and his followers are called Monophysites(one-naturalists).

The Council was attended by 650 bishops.

The Council condemned and rejected the false teaching of Eutyches and determined the true teaching of the Church, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man: in divinity He is eternally born of the Father, in humanity He was born of the Blessed Virgin and in everything is like us, except for sin. . At the incarnation (birth from the Virgin Mary), the Divinity and humanity were united in Him as a single Person, unchanging and unchanging(against Eutyches) inseparable and inseparable(against Nestorius).

FIFTH Ecumenical Council

The Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in 553 year, in the city Constantinople, under the famous emperor Justinians I.

The council was convened over disputes between the followers of Nestorius and Eutyches. The main subject of controversy was the writings of three teachers of the Syrian Church, who were famous in their time, namely Theodore of Mopsuetsky, Theodoret of Cyrus And Willow of Edessa in which Nestorian errors were clearly expressed, and at the Fourth Ecumenical Council nothing was mentioned about these three writings.

The Nestorians, in a dispute with the Eutychians (Monophysites), referred to these writings, and the Eutychians found in this an excuse to reject the 4th Ecumenical Council itself and slander the Orthodox Ecumenical Church that she allegedly deviated into Nestorianism.

The Council was attended by 165 bishops.

The Council condemned all three writings and Theodore of Mopsuet himself as unrepentant, and regarding the other two, the condemnation was limited only to their Nestorian writings, while they themselves were pardoned, because they renounced their false opinions and died in peace with the Church.

The council again repeated the condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

SIXTH Ecumenical Council

The Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened in 680 year, in the city Constantinople, under the emperor Constantine Pogonate, and consisted of 170 bishops.

The council was convened against the false teachings of heretics - monothelites who, although they recognized in Jesus Christ two natures, Divine and human, but one Divine will.

After the 5th Ecumenical Council, the unrest produced by the Monothelites continued and threatened the Greek Empire with great danger. Emperor Heraclius, desiring reconciliation, decided to persuade the Orthodox to make concessions to the Monothelites, and by the power of his power commanded to recognize in Jesus Christ one will in two natures.

The defenders and expounders of the true teaching of the Church were Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem and Constantinopolitan monk Maxim the Confessor, whose tongue was cut out and his hand cut off for the firmness of faith.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned and rejected the heresy of the Monothelites, and decided to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and human - and according to these two natures - two wills, but so that the human will in Christ is not opposed, but submissive to His Divine will.

It is noteworthy that at this Council the excommunication was pronounced among other heretics, and Pope Honorius, who recognized the doctrine of one-will as Orthodox. The decision of the Council was also signed by the Roman legates: presbyters Theodore and George, and deacon John. This clearly indicates that the supreme authority in the Church belongs to the Ecumenical Council, and not to the Pope.

After 11 years, the Council reopened meetings in the royal chambers called Trulli, to resolve issues primarily related to the church deanery. In this respect, he, as it were, supplemented the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils, which is why he is called Fifth-sixth.

The Council approved the rules by which the Church should be governed, namely: 85 rules of the Holy Apostles, rules of 6 Ecumenical and 7 local Councils, and rules of 13 Church Fathers. These rules were subsequently supplemented by the rules of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and two more Local Councils, and made up the so-called " Nomocanon", and in Russian " Pilot Book", which is the basis of the ecclesiastical administration of the Orthodox Church.

At this Council, some innovations of the Roman Church were condemned, which did not agree with the spirit of the decrees of the Universal Church, namely: forcing priests and deacons to celibacy, strict fasts on the Saturdays of Great Lent, and the image of Christ in the form of a lamb (lamb).

SEVENTH Ecumenical Council

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Commemoration takes place on October 11th according to Art. (on the day when the seventh Ecumenical Council ended). If October 11th happens on one of the days of the week, then the service to the fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council is celebrated on the nearest Sunday.

The reason for the convening of the Seventh Ecumenical Council by the pious Empress Irina and the Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople was the so-called heresy of the iconoclasts. It appeared under Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. He issued a decree ordering the removal of holy icons from churches and houses, burning them in squares, as well as destroying images of the Savior, the Mother of God and saints placed in cities in open places or located on the walls of temples.

When the people began to interfere with the execution of this decree, they were ordered to be killed. Then the emperor ordered the closure of the higher theological school of Constantinople; they even say that he burned down the rich library that she had with her. Everywhere the persecutor met with a sharp contradiction to his orders.

From Syria, Saint John of Damascus wrote against them. From Rome - Pope Gregory II, and then his successor, Pope Gregory III. And from other places they even responded to them with open uprisings. The son and successor of Leo, Emperor Constantine Copronymus, convened a Council, later called a pseudo-ecumenical council, at which icon veneration was condemned.

Many monasteries were turned into barracks or destroyed. Many monks were martyred. At the same time, they usually broke the heads of the monks on the very icons in whose defense they spoke.

From the persecution of icons, Copronymus moved on to the persecution of holy relics. During the reign of the successor of Copronymus, Emperor Leo IV, iconodules could breathe a little more freely. But the full triumph of icon veneration took place only under Empress Irina.

Due to the infancy of her son Constantine, she took the throne of her husband Leo IV after his death. First of all, Empress Irina returned from exile all the monks who had been exiled for icon veneration, she left most of the episcopal chairs to zealous icon worshipers, and returned to the holy relics all the honors that had been taken from them by the iconoclasts. However, the empress realized that all this was not enough for a complete restoration of icon veneration. It was necessary to convene an ecumenical council, which, having condemned the recent council convened by Copronymus, would restore the truth of icon veneration.

The cathedral opened in the autumn of 787 in Nicaea, in the church of St. Sofia. At the council, a revision was made of all places from Holy Scripture, from patristic writings and from descriptions of the lives of the saints, from stories about miracles emanating from holy icons and relics, which could serve as the basis for affirming the dogma of icon veneration. Then, one venerable icon was brought to the middle of the meeting room, and in front of it all the fathers present at the cathedral, kissing it, uttered twenty-two short sayings, repeating each of them three times.

All the main iconoclastic provisions in them were condemned and cursed. The fathers of the cathedral for all eternity approved the dogma of icon veneration: We determine that holy and honest icons are offered for worship in the same way as the image of the honest and life-giving Cross, whether they be made of paints, or mosaic tiles, or from any other substance , if only they were made in a decent way, and whether they will be in St. churches of God, on sacred vessels and clothes, on walls and plaques, or in houses and along roads, and whether these will be icons of the Lord and God, our Savior Jesus Christ or our Immaculate Lady, the Holy Mother of God, or honest Angels and all the saints and righteous men. The more often, with the help of icons, they are made the subject of our contemplation, the more those who look at these icons are aroused to the memory of the primitives themselves, acquire more love for them and receive more impulses to give them kisses, reverence and worship, but not the true service, which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine nature alone. Those who look at these icons are excited to bring incense to the icons and put candles in their honor, as was done in ancient times, because the honor given to the icon refers to its prototype, and the worshiper of the icon worships the hypostasis depicted on it. Those who dare to think or teach otherwise, if they are bishops or clerics, should be deposed, but if there are monks or laity, they should be excommunicated.

Thus solemnly ended the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which restored the truth of icon veneration and is still annually commemorated by the entire Orthodox Church on October 11th. If October 11th happens on one of the days of the week, then the service to the fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council is celebrated on the nearest Sunday. However, the Cathedral could not completely stop the movement of the iconoclasts.

(Word of St. Demetrius of Rostov in memory of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, with abbreviations)

Saint John of Damascus (the Church celebrates his memory on December 4 (17)) was born around 680 in Damascus, into a Christian family. His father was the treasurer at the court of the Caliph. John had an adoptive brother, the orphaned youth Cosmas, whom they took into their home (the future St. Cosmas of Maium, the author of many church hymns). When the children grew up, the father took care of their education. They were taught by a learned monk, redeemed by his father from captivity at the Damascus slave market. The boys showed extraordinary abilities and easily mastered the course of secular and spiritual sciences. Cosmas became Bishop of Maium, and John took the position of minister and city governor at the court. Both of them were remarkable theologians and hymnographers. And both spoke out against the heresy of iconoclasm, which was rapidly spreading at that time in Byzantium, writing many essays against the iconoclasts.

John forwarded letters to his numerous acquaintances in Byzantium, in which he proved the correctness of icon veneration. The inspirational letters of John of Damascus were secretly copied, passed from hand to hand, and did much to denounce the iconoclastic heresy.

This infuriated the Byzantine emperor. But John was not a Byzantine subject, he could neither be imprisoned nor executed. Then the emperor resorted to slander. A forged letter was composed, in which the Damascus minister supposedly offered the emperor his help in conquering the Syrian capital. Leo the Isaurian sent this letter to the caliph. He immediately ordered that John be removed from office, cut off his right hand and hang it in the city square. On the same day, by evening, John's severed hand was returned. The monk began to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos and ask for healing. Falling asleep, he saw the icon of the Mother of God and heard Her voice informing him that he was healed, and at the same time commanding him to work tirelessly with his healed hand. When he woke up, he saw that his hand was unharmed.

The news of the miracle quickly spread throughout the city. The ashamed caliph asked John of Damascus for forgiveness and wanted to restore his former position to him, but the monk refused. He distributed his wealth and, together with his adopted brother and fellow student Kosma, went to Jerusalem, where he entered as a simple novice in the monastery of Savva the Sanctified. Here the monk brought the icon of the Mother of God, which sent down healing to him. In memory of the miracle, he attached to the bottom of the icon an image of the right hand, cast in silver. Since then, such a right hand has been drawn on all lists from the miraculous image, called the "Three-Handed".

The experienced elder became his spiritual leader. In order to instill a spirit of obedience and humility in his disciple, he forbade John to write, believing that success in this field would cause pride. It was only much later that the Most Holy Virgin Herself, in a vision, commanded the elder to remove this ban. John kept his promise. Until the end of his days, he spent time writing spiritual books and composing church hymns in the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. John left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at the Council of Constantinople in 754. He was subjected to imprisonment and torture, but he endured everything and, by the grace of God, remained alive. He died about 780, at the age of 104.

John of Damascus died before the Seventh Ecumenical Council, but his book Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith became the basis on which the judgment of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council was formed.

What is the meaning of victory over the heresy of iconoclasm?

A genuine understanding of the meaning of the icon has been established in the Church. Iconography grew out of the Gospel understanding of the world. Since Christ became incarnate, God, invisible, indescribable and indescribable, became definable, visible, because He is in the flesh. And as the Lord said: "He who sees Me, sees the Father."

The Seventh Ecumenical Council approved icon veneration as the norm for the life of the Church. This is the greatest merit of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.

Russian icon painting adheres to the canon that was developed at the 7th Ecumenical Council, and Russian icon painters have preserved the Byzantine tradition. Not all Churches have been able to do this.

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MEMORY OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE 1st Ecumenical Council

SYMBOL OF FAITH

The memory of the First Ecumenical Council has been celebrated by the Church of Christ since ancient times. The Lord Jesus Christ left a great promise to the Church: “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against It” (Matthew 16:18). In this joyful promise there is a prophetic indication that, although the life of the Church of Christ on earth will be in a difficult struggle with the enemy of salvation, victory is on Her side. The holy martyrs testified to the truth of the words of the Savior, enduring suffering for the confession of the Name of Christ, and the sword of the persecutors bowed before the victorious sign of the Cross of Christ.

From the 4th century, the persecution of Christians ceased, but heresies arose within the Church itself, to combat which the Church convened Ecumenical Councils. One of the most dangerous heresies was Arianism. Arius, the Alexandrian presbyter, was a man of immense pride and ambition. He, rejecting the divine dignity of Jesus Christ and His equality with God the Father, falsely taught that the Son of God is not consubstantial with the Father, but was created by the Father in time. The Local Council, convened at the insistence of Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria, condemned the false teaching of Arius, but he did not submit and, having written letters to many bishops complaining about the definition of the Local Council, he spread his false teaching throughout the East, for he received support in his error from some Eastern bishops.

To investigate the turmoil that had arisen, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine (Comm. 21 May) sent Bishop Hosius of Kordub and, having received from him a certificate that the heresy of Arius was directed against the most basic dogma of Christ's Church, he decided to convene an Ecumenical Council. At the invitation of Saint Constantine, 318 bishops, representatives of Christian Churches from different countries, gathered in the city of Nicaea in the year 325. Among the bishops who arrived there were many confessors who suffered during the persecution and bore marks of torture on their bodies. The Council was also attended by the great luminaries of the Church—St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia (December 6 and May 9), St. Spyridon, Bishop of Trimyphuntus (December 12), and other holy fathers revered by the Church.

Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria arrived with his deacon Athanasius, later Patriarch of Alexandria (Comm. 2 May), called the Great, as a zealous fighter for the purity of Orthodoxy. Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine was present at the sessions of the Council. In his speech, delivered in response to the greeting of Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, he said: “God helped me overthrow the impious power of the persecutors, but incomparably more sad for me than any war, any bloody battle, and incomparably more pernicious internal internecine strife in the Church of God.”

Arius, having 17 bishops as his supporters, held himself proudly, but his teaching was refuted and he was excommunicated by the Council from the Church, and the holy deacon of the Church of Alexandria Athanasius in his speech finally refuted the blasphemous fabrications of Arius. The Council Fathers rejected the creed proposed by the Arians.

The Orthodox Creed was approved. Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine proposed to the Council that the word “consubstantial” be introduced into the text of the Creed, which he often heard in the speeches of bishops. The Fathers of the Council unanimously accepted this proposal. In the Nicene Symbol, the holy fathers formulated the apostolic teaching on the Divine dignity of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity — the Lord Jesus Christ. The heresy of Arius, as a delusion of a proud mind, was denounced and rejected. After resolving the main dogmatic issue, the Council also established twenty canons (rules) on issues of church administration and discipline. The issue of the day of celebration of Holy Pascha was resolved. By the decision of the Council, Holy Pascha should be celebrated by Christians not on the same day as the Jewish one, and without fail on the first Sunday after the day of the vernal equinox (which in 325 fell on March 22).

The heresy of Arius concerned the main Christian dogma, on which the whole faith and the whole Church of Christ are based, which constitutes the only foundation of all the hope of our salvation. If the heresy of Aria, who rejected the Divinity of the Son of God Jesus Christ, then shook the whole Church and dragged along with it a great multitude of both shepherds and flocks, had overcome the true teaching of the Church and become dominant, then Christianity itself would long ago have ceased to exist, and the whole world would have plunged into the former darkness of unbelief and superstition. Aria was supported by Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, who was very influential in the royal court, so the heresy was very widespread at that time. And to this day, the enemies of Christianity (for example, the sect of "Jehovah's Witnesses"), taking the heresy of Arius as a basis and giving it a different name, confuse the minds and tempt many people.

Troparion of St. Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, Tone 8:
Glorious art Thou, O Christ our God, / our fathers who have shone on the earth / and by those who instructed us all to the true faith, / Many-merciful, glory to Thee.

Since the time of the apostles... Christians have used "creeds" to remind themselves of the basic truths of the Christian faith. There were several short creeds in the ancient Church. In the fourth century, when false teachings about God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit appeared, it became necessary to supplement and clarify the old symbols. Thus arose the creed now used by the Orthodox Church.

It was compiled by the Fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils. First Ecumenical Council accepted the first seven members of the Symbol, Second- the other five. According to the two cities in which the fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils met, the Symbol is called Niceo-Tsaregradsky. When studied, the Creed is divided into twelve terms. The first part speaks of God the Father, then up to the seventh inclusive - about God the Son, in the eighth part - about God the Holy Spirit, in the ninth - about the Church, in the tenth - about baptism, in the eleventh and twelfth - about the resurrection of the dead and about eternal life.

SYMBOL OF FAITH
three hundred and ten saints, father of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.

We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, the Creator of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father, that is, from the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, God is true from God is true, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, Whom all was, even in heaven and on earth; for us, and for our salvation, who descended, and became incarnate and became human, suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven, and again to be judged by the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit. Those who speak about the Son of God, as if there was a time, when there was no time, or as if they were not born before, there was no time, or as if from those who did not exist, or from another hypostasis or essence of those who say to be, or the Son of God is transformed or changed, these are anathematized by the Catholic and Apostolic Church.

SYMBOL OF FAITH
(used now in the Orthodox Church)
one hundred and fifty saints of the Second Ecumenical Council, Constantinople

We believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, Who from the Father was born before all ages, Light from Light, God is true from God is true, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, Whom all was; for us, man, and for our salvation, descended from heaven, and incarnated from the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin, and became human; crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; and resurrected on the third day according to the scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and the packs of the one to come with glory to be judged by the living and the dead, His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the life-giving, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. Tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.

The custom of convening councils to discuss important ecclesiastical issues dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. The first of the known Councils was convened in the year 49 (according to other sources - in the 51st) in Jerusalem and received the name of the Apostolic (see: Acts 15, 1-35). At the Council, the issue of observance by Christians from pagans of the requirements of the Mosaic law was discussed. It is also known that the apostles met to make common decisions before: for example, when the apostle Matthias was elected instead of the fallen Judas Iscariot, or when seven deacons were elected.

Councils were both Local (with the participation of bishops, other clergy, and sometimes the laity of the Local Church) and Ecumenical.

Cathedrals Ecumenical were convened on especially important ecclesiastical issues of importance to the entire Church. They were attended, if possible, by representatives of all the Local Churches, pastors and teachers from all over the Universe. Ecumenical Councils are the highest ecclesiastical authority, they are held under the leadership of Holy Spirit active in the Church.

The Orthodox Church recognizes seven Ecumenical Councils: I of Nicaea; I Constantinople; Ephesian; Chalcedonian; II Constantinople; III Constantinople; II Nicene.

I Ecumenical Council

It took place in June 325 in the city of Nicaea during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. The council was directed against the false teaching of the Alexandrian Presbyter Arius, who rejected the Divinity and the pre-eternal birth of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, from God the Father and taught that the Son of God is only the highest Creation. The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and approved the dogma of the Divinity of Jesus Christ: The Son of God is the True God, born of God the Father before all ages and is just as eternal as God the Father; He is born, not created, consubstantial with God the Father.

At the Council, the first seven articles of the Creed were drawn up.

At the First Ecumenical Council, it was also decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon, which falls on the period after the spring equinox.

The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (Canon 20) abolished prostration on Sundays, since the feast of Sunday is a prototype of our stay in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Other important church rules were also adopted.

It took place in 381 in Constantinople. Its participants gathered to condemn the heresy of Macedon, the former Arian bishop. He rejected the Deity of the Holy Spirit; taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, called Him a created power and, moreover, serving God the Father and God the Son. The Council condemned the pernicious false doctrine of Macedonia and approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.

The Nicene Creed was supplemented with five terms. Work on the Creed was completed, and it received the name of Niceo-Tsaregradsky (Tsargrad was called Constantinople in Slavonic).

The Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431 and directed against the false teaching of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius, who claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to the man Christ, with whom God later united and dwelt in Him, as in a temple. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself Nestorius called the God-bearer, and not the God-man, and the Blessed Virgin not the Mother of God, but the Mother of Christ. The Council condemned the heresy of Nestorius and decided to recognize that in Jesus Christ, from the time of the incarnation, two natures were united: Divine And human. It was also determined to confess Jesus Christ perfect God And perfect human, and the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mother of God.

The Council approved the Nicene-Tsaregrad Creed and forbade making changes to it.

How evil the heresy of Nestorius is, is evidenced by the story in the "Spiritual Meadow" by John Moschus:

“We came to Abba Cyriacus, presbyter of the Kalamos Lavra, which is near the sacred Jordan. He told us: “Once in a dream I saw a majestic Wife, dressed in purple, and with Her two husbands, shining with holiness and dignity. Everyone stood outside my cell. I understood that this is our Lady the Mother of God, and the two husbands are St. John the Theologian and St. John the Baptist. Leaving the cell, I asked to come in and make a prayer in my cell. But she did not deign. I did not stop pleading, saying: “Let me not be rejected, humiliated and confounded” and much more. Seeing the persistence of my request, She sternly answered me: “You have My enemy in your cell. How do you want me to come in?" Having said this, she left. I woke up and began to grieve deeply, imagining whether I had sinned against Her at least in thought, since there was no one else in the cell except me. After a long examination of myself, I did not find in myself any sin against Her. Immersed in sadness, I got up and took a book to dispel my grief by reading. I had in my hands the book of the blessed Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem. Opening the book, I found at the very end of it two sermons of the wicked Nestorius and immediately realized that he was the enemy of the Most Holy Theotokos. Rising immediately, I went out and returned the book to the person who had given it to me.

Take back your book, brother. It did not so much good as harm.

He wished to know what the harm was. I told him about my dream. Filled with jealousy, he immediately cut out two words of Nestorius from the book and betrayed him to the flames.

“May the enemy of our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, not remain in my cell,” he said!

It took place in 451 in the city of Chalcedon. The council was directed against the false teachings of the archimandrite of one of the monasteries of Constantinople, Eutyches, who denied human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Eutyches taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ human nature is completely absorbed in the Divine, and recognized in Christ only the Divine nature. This heresy was called Monophysitism (Gr. mono- the only one; physis- nature). The Council condemned this heresy and defined the teaching of the Church: The Lord Jesus Christ is the True God and the true man, similar to us in everything, except for sin. At the incarnation of Christ, divinity and humanity were united in Him as one Person, inseparable and inseparable, indivisible and inseparable.

In 553, the Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in Constantinople. The Council discussed the writings of three bishops who died in the fifth century: Theodore of Mopsuet, Theodoret of Cyrus, and Willow of Edessa. The first was one of the teachers of Nestorius. Theodoret sharply opposed the teachings of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Under the name of Willows, there was a letter addressed to Mary the Persian, which contained irreverent comments about the decision of the III Ecumenical Council against Nestorius. All three writings of these bishops were condemned at the Council. Since Theodoret and Iva renounced their false opinions and died in peace with the Church, they themselves were not condemned. Theodore of Mopsuetsky did not repent and was condemned. The council also confirmed the condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

The Council was convened in 680 in Constantinople. He condemned the false teaching of the Monothelite heretics, who, despite the fact that they recognized two natures in Christ - Divine and human, taught that the Savior had only one - Divine - will. Patriarch Sophrony of Jerusalem and Constantinopolitan monk Maximus the Confessor courageously fought against this widespread heresy.

The Council condemned the Monothelite heresy and decided to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and human - and two wills. The human will in Christ is not opposed, but submissive Divine will. This is most clearly expressed in the gospel story about the Savior's Gethsemane prayer.

Eleven years later, the council meetings continued at the Council, which received the name Fifth-sixth, since he supplemented the acts of the V and VI Ecumenical Councils. It dealt mainly with issues of church discipline and piety. Rules were approved according to which the Church should be governed: eighty-five canons of the holy apostles, rules of six Ecumenical and seven Local Councils, as well as rules of thirteen Church Fathers. These rules were subsequently supplemented by the rules of the VII Ecumenical Council and two more Local Councils and made up the so-called Nomocanon - a book of church canonical rules (in Russian - "The Pilot Book").

This cathedral also received the name of Trull: it was held in the royal chambers, called Trull.

It took place in 787 in the city of Nicaea. Even sixty years before the Council, the iconoclastic heresy arose under the emperor Leo the Isaurian, who, wanting to make it easier for the Mohammedans to convert to Christianity, decided to abolish the veneration of holy icons. The heresy continued under subsequent emperors: his son Constantine Copronymus and grandson Leo Khazar. The 7th Ecumenical Council was convened to condemn the heresy of iconoclasm. The Council decided to honor the holy icons along with the image of the Cross of the Lord.

But even after the 7th Ecumenical Council, the heresy of iconoclasm was not completely destroyed. Under the three subsequent emperors, there were new persecutions of icons, and they continued for another twenty-five years. Only in 842, under Empress Theodora, did the Local Council of Constantinople take place, which finally restored and approved icon veneration. A feast was established at the Council Celebrations of Orthodoxy, which we have since celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent.

Since the era of apostolic preaching, the Church has solved all important matters and problems at meetings of community heads - councils.

In order to solve problems related to Christian dispensation, the rulers of Byzantium established Ecumenical Councils, where they called all the bishops from the temples.

At the Ecumenical Councils, the indisputable true principles of Christian life, the rules of church life, administration, and beloved canons were formulated.

Ecumenical councils in the history of Christianity

The dogmas and canons established at convocations are obligatory for all churches. The Orthodox Church recognizes 7 Ecumenical Councils.

The tradition of holding meetings to resolve important issues dates back to the first century AD.

The very first convocation was held in 49, according to some sources in 51 in the holy city of Jerusalem. They called him Apostolic. At the convocation, the question was put forward of the observance of the postulates of the law of Moses by Orthodox pagans.

Faithful disciples of Christ took joint orders. Then the Apostle Matthias was chosen to take the place of the fallen Judas Iscariot.

The convocations were Local with the presence of ministers of the Church, priests, and lay people. There were also universal ones. They were convened on matters of first importance, of paramount importance for the entire Orthodox world. All the fathers, mentors, preachers of the whole earth appeared at them.

The ecumenical meetings are the highest leadership of the Church, carried out under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

First Ecumenical Council

It was held at the beginning of the summer of 325 in the city of Nicaea, from where the name Nicaea came from. In those days, Constantine the Great ruled.

The main issue at the convocation was the heretical propaganda of Arius. The Alexandrian presbyter denied the Lord and the completed birth of the second essence of the Son of Jesus Christ from God the Father. He propagated that only the Redeemer is the supreme Creation.

The Convocation denied the false propaganda, decreed the position of the Deity: The Redeemer is the Real God, born of the Lord the Father, He is just as eternal as the Father. He is born, not created. And one with the Lord.

At the convocation, the initial 7 sentences of the Creed were approved. The meeting established the celebration of Easter on the first Sunday service with the arrival of the full moon, which came at the spring equinox.

Based on the 20th postulate of the Ecumenical Acts, prostrations were forbidden on Sunday services, since this day is an image of a human being in the Kingdom of God.

Ⅱ Ecumenical Council

The next convocation was held in 381 in Constantinople.

Discussed the heretical propaganda of Macedon, who served in Ariana. He did not recognize the Divine nature of the Holy Spirit, believed that He is not God, but was created by Him and serves the Lord the Father and the Lord the Son.

The disastrous situation was curtailed and the deed was established, which says that the Spirit, the Father and the Son in the Divine person are equal.

The last 5 sentences were entered into the Creed. Then it was finished.

III Ecumenical Council

Ephesus was the territory of the next assembly in 431.

Sent to discuss the heretical propaganda of Nestorius. The archbishop assured that the Mother of God gave birth to an ordinary person. God united with him and dwelt in Him, as if within the walls of a temple.

The archbishop called the Savior the God-bearer, and the Mother of God - the Mother of God. The position was overthrown and they decreed the recognition of two natures in Christ - human and divine. They were ordered to confess the Savior as the real Lord and Man, and the Mother of God as the Mother of God.

They banned any amendments to the written provisions of the Creed.

IV Ecumenical Council

The point was Chalcedon in 451.

The meeting raised the question of the heretical propaganda of Eutyches. He denied the human nature of the Redeemer. The archimandrite argued that in Jesus Christ there is one Divine hypostasis.

Heresy began to be called Monophysitism. The convocation overthrew it and established the act—the Savior is the real Lord and a true man, like us, except for the sinful nature.

During the incarnation of the Redeemer, God and man were in Him in One essence and became indestructible, unceasing and inseparable.

V Ecumenical Council

Held in Tsargrad in 553.

On the agenda was the discussion of the creations of three clergy who departed to the Lord in the fifth century. Theodore of Mopsuetsky was the mentor of Nestorius. Theodoret of Cyrus acted as a zealous opponent of the teachings of St. Cyril.

The third, Yves of Edessa, wrote a work to Marius the Persian, where he spoke disrespectfully of the decision of the third meeting against Nestorius. The written epistles were overthrown. Theodoret and Iva repented, abandoned their false doctrine, and rested in peace with God. Theodore did not repent, and he was condemned.

VI Ecumenical Council

The meeting was held in 680 in the unchanged Constantinople.

Aimed at condemning the propaganda of the Monothelites. The heretics knew that the Redeemer had 2 principles - human and Divine. But their position was based on the fact that the Lord has only God's will. The well-known monk Maxim the Confessor fought against heretics.

The convocation overthrew heretical teachings and instructed to honor both essences in the Lord - Divine and human. The will of man in our Lord does not oppose, but submits to the Divine.

After 11 years, they began to resume meetings at the Council. They were called the Fifth-Sixth. They made additions to the acts of the Fifth and Sixth convocations. They resolved the problems of church discipline, thanks to them it is supposed to govern the Church - 85 provisions of the holy apostles, the acts of 13 fathers, the rules of six Ecumenical and 7 Local Councils.

These provisions were supplemented at the Seventh Council and introduced the Nomocanon.

VII Ecumenical Council

Held in Nicaea in 787 to reject the heretical position of iconoclasm.

60 years ago, the imperial false doctrine arose. Leo the Isaurian wanted to help the Mohammedans convert to the Christian faith faster, so he ordered the abolition of icon veneration. False doctrine lived for another 2 generations.

The convocation denied heresy and recognized the veneration of icons depicting the Crucifixion of the Lord. But the persecution continued for another 25 years. In 842, a Local Council was held, where icon veneration was irrevocably established.

The meeting approved the day of celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. It is now celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent.

On May 31 the Church celebrates the memory of the holy fathers of the seven Ecumenical Councils. What decisions were made at these councils? Why are they called "universal"? Which of the holy fathers took part in them? Andrey Zaitsev says.

The First Ecumenical Council (Nicene I), against the heresy of Arius, convened in 325 in Nicaea (Bithynia) under Constantine the Great; 318 bishops were present (including St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, St. Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifunts). Emperor Constantine is depicted twice - meeting the participants in the council and presiding over the council.

To begin with, let us clarify the very concept of "Ecumenical" in relation to cathedrals. Initially, it meant only that it was possible to gather bishops from all over the Eastern and Western Roman Empire, and only a few centuries later this adjective began to be used as the highest authority of the council for all Christians. In the Orthodox tradition, only seven cathedrals have received this status.

For most believers, the most famous, of course, remains the First Ecumenical Council, held in 325 in the city of Nicaea near Constantinople. Among the participants in this Council, according to legend, were Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker and Spyridon Trimifutsky, who defended Orthodoxy from the heresy of the Constantinopolitan priest Arius. He believed that Christ is not God, but the most perfect creation, and did not consider the Son equal to the Father. We know about the course of the first council from the Life of Constantine by Eusebius of Caesarea, who was among its participants. Eusebius left a beautiful portrait of Constantine the Great, who was the organizer of the convocation of the council. The emperor addressed the audience with a speech: “Against all expectations, having learned about your disagreement, I did not leave this without attention, but, wanting to heal the evil with my assistance, I immediately gathered all of you. I rejoice at seeing your meeting, but I think that my desires will only be fulfilled when I see that you are all enlivened by one spirit and observe one common, peace-loving harmony, which, as consecrated to God, you must proclaim to others.

The wish of the emperor had the status of an order, and therefore the result of the work of the council was the oros (a dogmatic decree that condemned Arius) and most of the text known to us as the Creed. Athanasius the Great played a huge role at the cathedral. Historians are still arguing about the number of participants in this meeting. Eusebius speaks of 250 bishops, but traditionally it is believed that 318 people participated in the Council.

The Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople I), against the heresy of Macedonia, was convened in 381 under the emperor Theodosius the Great (depicted at the top in the center), 150 bishops were present, among them Gregory the Theologian. The Nicene Creed was confirmed, to which were added 8 to 12 members answering heresies since the First Council; thus, the Nicene-Tsaregrad Creed, which is now professed by the entire Orthodox Church, was finally approved.

The decisions of the First Ecumenical Council were not immediately accepted by all Christians. Arianism continued to destroy the unity of faith in the empire, and in 381 the emperor Theodosius the Great convenes the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople. It added the Creed, decided that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and condemned the notion that the Holy Spirit is not consubstantial with the Father and the Son. In other words, Christians believe that all persons of the Holy Trinity are equal.

At the Second Council, the pentarchy was also approved for the first time - a list of Local Churches, arranged according to the principle of "primacy of honor": Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Prior to this, Alexandria occupied second place in the hierarchy of Churches.

The council was attended by 150 bishops, while a fairly large part of the hierarchs refused to come to Constantinople. Nevertheless. The church recognized the authority of this council. The most famous saint of the fathers of the cathedral was St. Gregory of Nyssa, not from the very beginning, St. Gregory the Theologian took part in the meetings.

The Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus), against the heresy of Nestorius, convened in 431 under the emperor Theodosius the Younger (depicted at the top in the center) in Ephesus (Asia Minor); 200 bishops were present, among them Saints Cyril of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Memnon of Ephesus. The council condemned the heresy of Nestorius.

Heresies continued to shake the Christian Church, and therefore soon the time came for the Third Ecumenical Council - one of the most tragic in the history of the Church. It took place in Ephesus in 431 and was organized by Emperor Theodosius II.

The reason for its convocation was the conflict between Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople and Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Nestorius believed that Christ had a human nature until the moment of Theophany and called the Mother of God "Christ's Mother". St. Cyril of Alexandria defended the Orthodox notion that Christ from the very moment of His incarnation was "perfect God and perfect man." However, in the heat of the controversy, St. Cyril used the expression "one nature," and the Church paid a terrible price for this expression. The historian Anton Kartashev, in his book Ecumenical Councils, says that St. Cyril demanded more from Nestorius to prove his Orthodoxy than Orthodoxy itself required. The Council of Ephesus condemned Nestorius, but the main events were yet to come.

St. Cyril's reservation about the one divine nature of Christ was so seductive for the minds that the successor of the saint at the Alexandrian see, Pope Dioscorus, in 349, convened another "Ecumenical Council" in Ephesus, which the Church began to consider a robber one. Under terrible pressure from Dioscorus and a crowd of fanatics, the bishops reluctantly agreed to talk about the predominance of the divine nature in Christ over the human, and about the absorption of the latter. This is how the most dangerous heresy in the history of the Church, called Monophysitism, appeared.

The Fourth Ecumenical Council (of Chalcedon), convened in 451, in the reign of Emperor Marcian (depicted in the center), in Chalcedon, against the heresy of the Monophysites, led by Eutyches, which arose as a reaction to the heresy of Nestorius; 630 Council Fathers proclaimed "One Christ, the Son of God... glorified in two natures."
Below are the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised. According to church tradition, Patriarch Anatoly of Constantinople proposed to the Council to resolve this dispute by turning to God through the relics of St. Euphemia. The reliquary with its relics was opened, and two scrolls with the Orthodox and Monophysite confession of faith were placed on the saint's chest. The shrine was closed and sealed in the presence of Emperor Marcian. For three days, the participants in the Council imposed a strict fast on themselves and prayed intensely. With the onset of the fourth day, the tsar and the whole cathedral came to the holy tomb of the saint, and when, having removed the royal seal, they opened the tomb, they saw that the holy great martyr was holding the scroll of the faithful in her right hand, and the scroll of the malefactors lay at her feet. The most surprising thing was that she, holding out her hand as if alive, gave the king and the patriarch a scroll with the right confession.

Many Eastern Churches never accepted the decision of the IV Ecumenical Council, held in 451 in Chalcedon. The driving force, the real “motor” of the council that condemned the Monophysites, was Pope Leo the Great, who made great efforts to defend Orthodoxy. The meetings of the council were very stormy, many participants of the council leaned towards Monophysitism. Seeing the impossibility of agreement, the fathers of the council elected a commission, which, miraculously, in a few hours worked out a dogmatically impeccable definition of the two natures in Christ. This oros culminated in 4 negative adverbs, which still remain a theological masterpiece: “One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, known in two natures (εν δύο φύσεσιν) inseparable, inseparable, indivisible, inseparable; the difference of His natures never disappears from their union, but the properties of each of the two natures are combined in one person and one hypostasis (εις εν πρόσωπον και μίαν υπόστασιν συντρεχούση) so that He is not cut and divided into two persons.

Unfortunately, the struggle for this definition continued for several more centuries, and Christianity suffered the greatest losses in terms of the number of its followers precisely because of the supporters of the Monophysite heresy.

Among other acts of this Council, it is worth noting the 28th canon, which finally secured for Constantinople the second place after Rome in the primacy of honor among the Churches.


The Fifth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II), convened in 553 under Emperor Justinian (depicted in the center); 165 bishops attended. The council condemned the teachings of three Nestorian bishops - Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow of Edessa, as well as the teachings of the church teacher Origen (III century)

Time passed, the Church continued to fight heresies, and in 553 Emperor Justinian the Great convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council.

In the hundred years since the Council of Chalcedon, Nestorians, Orthodox and Monophysites have continued to argue about the divine and human natures in Christ. The unifier of the empire, the emperor also wanted the unity of Christians, but this task was much more difficult to solve, since theological disputes do not stop after the issuance of royal decrees. 165 bishops took part in the work of the council, condemning Theodore of Mopsuestia and three of his writings, written in the Nestorian spirit.

Sixth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople III), convened in 680-681. under Emperor Constantine IV Pogonates (depicted in the center) against the heresy of the Monothelites; 170 fathers affirmed the confession of faith about two, divine and human, wills in Jesus Christ.

Much more dramatic was the situation at the Sixth Ecumenical Council, the real “hero” of which was St. Maximus the Confessor. He took place in Constantinople in 680-681 and condemned the heresy of the Monophilites, who believed that in Christ there are two natures - divine and human, but only one divine will. The number of participants in the meetings constantly fluctuated, the maximum number of 240 people was present at the drafting of the council rules.

The dogmatic oros of the cathedral resembles that of Chalcedon and speaks of the presence in Christ of two wills: “And two natural wills or desires in Him, and two natural actions, inseparable, unchanging, inseparable, inseparable, according to the teachings of our holy fathers, so we preach two natural desires that are not contrary, let it not be, like impious heretics rekosha, but His human desire, consequently, and not opposing, or opposing, moreover, and subject to His Divine and Almighty will.

It should be noted that 11 years after this decision, the bishops gathered in the royal chambers with the name of Trull and adopted a number of disciplinary church rules. In the Orthodox tradition, these decisions are known as the rules of the Sixth Ecumenical Council.


The Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicene II), convened in 787, under Emperor Constantine VI and his mother Irene (depicted on the throne in the center), in Nicaea against the heresy of the iconoclasts; among the 367 holy fathers were Tarasius of Tsaregradsky, Hippolytus of Alexandria, Elijah of Jerusalem.

The last, the Seventh Ecumenical Council, held in 787 in Constantinople, was dedicated to the defense of holy images from the heresy of iconography. It was attended by 367 bishops. An important role in the protection of the holy icons was played by Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople and Empress Irina. The most important decision was the dogma of the veneration of holy icons. The key phrase of this definition is: “The honor given to the image passes to the primitive, and the worshiper of the icon worships the being depicted on it.”

This definition put an end to the discussion about the difference between icon veneration and idolatry. In addition, the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council still encourages Christians to protect their shrines from encroachment and blasphemy. Interestingly, the decision of the council was not accepted by Emperor Charlemagne, who sent the pope a list of mistakes made by the participants in the meetings. Then the pope stood up for Orthodoxy, but there was very little time left before the great schism of 1054.

Frescoes of Dionysius and workshop. Frescoes in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God at the Ferapontov Monastery near Vologda. 1502. Photos from the site of the Museum of frescoes of Dionysius