Ecumenical Councils were major gatherings of bishops called to address serious questions affecting the wider Church. In Orthodox Christianity, the first seven Ecumenical Councils hold a particularly important place.
What did the Councils address? They defended and clarified central teachings about Christ, the Holy Trinity, and the veneration of icons, while responding to controversies that divided Christians.
Did the Councils invent new beliefs? Orthodox Christians understand the Councils as expressing and defending the apostolic faith of the Church, not creating a different faith.
The Nicene faith confessed by the Church is introduced in What Is the Nicene Creed?.
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Established with the blessing of V. Rev. Fr. Wiaczeslaw, Rector of Orthodox Christian Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord (NY). |
