The Seven Ecumenical Councils are the great gatherings of bishops from across the Christian world between 325 and 787 AD that defined what we believe about Christ, the Trinity, and how we worship. Orthodox Christians consider these councils the authoritative voice of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, and their decisions still bind us today.
“Ecumenical” means universal. These weren’t regional meetings or denominational conferences. They brought together bishops from across the Roman Empire, from Britain to Persia, from North Africa to the Black Sea, to settle questions that threatened to tear the Church apart. When the whole Church speaks with one voice under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that’s different from one bishop’s opinion or even a regional council’s decision.
Why These Seven Matter
You might wonder why we stopped at seven. The answer is simple: these are the councils the entire undivided Church accepted before the Great Schism. After 787, East and West began drifting apart, and later councils didn’t receive universal acceptance. Orthodox Christians don’t recognize councils as ecumenical just because an emperor called them or a patriarch presided. A council proves itself ecumenical when the whole Church receives its teaching over time.
Each council addressed a specific heresy that was confusing Christians and distorting the faith. Let me walk you through them.
The First Council (Nicaea, 325) dealt with Arianism. A priest named Arius was teaching that Jesus was the first and greatest thing God created, but not truly God himself. Sounds almost reasonable until you realize it means Christ can’t actually save us. Only God can bridge the gap between God and humanity. The council declared that Christ is “of one essence” with the Father, fully God, not a created being. They wrote most of what we now call the Nicene Creed.
The Second Council (Constantinople, 381) finished the Creed by addressing the Holy Spirit’s divinity. Some were teaching that the Spirit was just a force or a created angel. The council affirmed the Spirit as “the Lord and Giver of Life” who proceeds from the Father, equal in divinity to Father and Son. This is where we got the full Creed we say every Sunday.
The Third Council (Ephesus, 431) confronted Nestorius, who claimed Mary gave birth only to Christ’s human nature, not to God. He refused to call her Theotokos (God-bearer). But you can’t split Christ into two persons. The council affirmed that Mary is truly the Mother of God because the child she bore is one divine Person, even though he has both divine and human natures.
The Fourth Council (Chalcedon, 451) is the big one for Christology. It rejected the opposite error, Monophysitism, which claimed Christ had only one nature after the Incarnation, with his humanity absorbed into divinity. Chalcedon defined the faith precisely: Christ is one Person in two complete natures, divine and human, “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.” This matters immensely. If Christ isn’t fully human, he can’t heal our humanity. If he isn’t fully God, he can’t unite us to God.
The Fifth Council (Constantinople, 553) returned to Nestorian-flavored writings that were still causing trouble. It condemned certain texts to reaffirm Chalcedon’s teaching. Not the most exciting council, but necessary housekeeping.
The Sixth Council (Constantinople, 680-681) addressed Monothelitism, the idea that Christ had only a divine will, not a human one. But if Christ doesn’t have a human will, he hasn’t healed our broken wills. The council affirmed Christ has two wills, divine and human, in perfect harmony. His human will freely chose obedience to the Father.
The Seventh Council (Nicaea, 787) settled the question of icons. Iconoclasts were destroying images of Christ and the saints, calling them idolatrous. The council distinguished between worship (due to God alone) and veneration (honor given to holy images). When we kiss an icon, we’re not worshiping paint and wood. We’re honoring the person depicted, just as you might kiss a photo of your grandmother. The council declared that because Christ took on a physical body, he can be depicted, and refusing to depict him actually denies the Incarnation.
What This Means for Us
These councils aren’t ancient history. When you come to St. Michael’s on Sunday and hear the Creed, you’re confessing what these councils defined. When you venerate an icon, you’re living out the Seventh Council’s teaching. When we say Christ is fully God and fully man, we’re standing with Chalcedon.
The councils also show how Orthodox Christians understand authority. We don’t have one man at the top making infallible pronouncements. We have bishops gathering in council, praying, debating, and discerning the truth together under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. That’s how the Church has always worked. It’s slower and messier than having a pope, but it’s our way.
If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background here in Southeast Texas, this might feel strange. You’re used to “me and my Bible” or maybe congregational authority. But the councils remind us that the Church existed before the New Testament was compiled, and the same Church that gave us Scripture also gave us these definitions of the faith. They’re part of the same Holy Tradition.
Fr. Thomas Hopko’s book “The Orthodox Faith” has an excellent section on the councils if you want to go deeper. But the best way to understand them is to keep showing up on Sunday, saying the Creed, and letting these truths shape how you pray and live. The councils aren’t just theology to memorize. They’re the Church’s immune system, protecting the faith so we can actually encounter the living God.
