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The Church: The 21 Ecumenical (General) Councils of the Church

1. First Council of Nicaea, Turkey, 325
   Attended by more than 300 bishops. Condemned Arian Heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Set the date for Easter. Declared that God the Father and God the Son were of the same substance.

2. First Council of Constantinople, Turkey, 381
   Attended by 150 bishops. Completed the Nicene Creed.

3. Council of Ephesus, Turkey, 431
   Attended by 200 bishops. Condemned Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, for teaching heresy. Defined Theotokos (Bearer of God) as the title of Mary, mother of the Son of God made Man.

4. Council of Chalcedon, Turkey, 451
   Attended by about 600 bishops. Declared that Christ is one Person with two distinct natures, divine and human. This was proposed by Pope Leo I, and the response of the bishops was "This we all believe. Peter has spoken through Leo."

5. Second Council of Constantinople, Turkey, 553
   Attended by 165 bishops. Condemned Nestonian Heresy.

6. Third Council of Constantinople, Turkey, 680-681
   Attended by 160 bishops. Restated the teaching of the Council of Chalcedon (451), and condemned some false teachings.

7. Second Council of Nicaea, Turkey, 787
   Declared that images could be set up and could be given honor or veneration, but not worship, since worship belongs to God alone. Iconoclasm (image-breaking) was condemned.

8. Fourth Council of Constantinople, Turkey, 869-870
   Attended by more than 100 bishops. Excommunicated Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, which caused further tension between East and West.

9. First Council of the Lateran, Rome, 1123
   Ended the custom of investiture - the State could invest bishops and abbots with symbols of temporal authority, but had no right to invest them with spiritual authority.

10. Second Council of the Lateran, Rome, 1139
    Condemned the anti-pope, Anacletus II.

11. Third Council of the Lateran, Rome, 1179
    Decreed that the votes of two-thirds of the Cardinals were required for the election of a pope.

12. Fourth Council of the Lateran, Rome, 1215
    This was one of the most important councils before the Council of Trent. It declared the necessity of yearly Confession and Holy Communion, the doctrine of Transubstantiation, the wearing of specific attire by Muslims and Jews.

13. First Council of Lyons, France, 1245
    Discussed the Schism with the Byzantines, morality of the clergy, and deposed Emperor Frederick II because of sacrilege, suspicion of heresy, perjury and disturbing the peace.

14. Second Council of Lyons, France, 1274
    Attended by 500 bishops, and such dignitaries as St. Bonaventure and St. Albertus Magnus. St. Thomas Aquinas died on his way to the Council. The Council established union between Eastern and Western Churches.

15. Council of Vienne, France, 1311-12
    Suppressed the order of Knights Templar, and dealt with matters related to the clergy.

16. Council of Constance, Germany, 1414-18
    Ended the Great Schism - three were claiming to be the pope, and it was causing division in the Church. It condemned John Wycliffe and Jan Hus for heresy.

17. Council of Florence, Italy, 1438-45
    Reunited eastern and Western Churches. Unfortunately, the agreement was not supported by the clergy and people in the east. It declared the authority of the Pope to be superior to that of a General Council.

18. Fifth Council of the Lateran, Rome, 1512-17
    Declared that the teachings of the Council of Pisa were invalid since it did not have the Pope's approval. Expressed concern for abuses in the Church, and pointed out the need for reform.

19. Council of Trent, Italy, 1545-63
    A very important Council. It clarified the Church's teaching, refuted the errors of the Protestant Reformers (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli), and set reform of the Church in motion. The decrees were signed by 6 cardinals, 3 patriarchs, 25 archbishops and 169 bishops. They were confirmed by Pope Pius IV.

20. First Council of the Vatican, Rome, 1869-70
    About 700 prelates attended. This Council declared the infallibility of the Pope, and reaffirmed the teachings of the Church.

21. Second Council of the Vatican, Rome, 1962-65
    Attended by 2540 prelates. One of the most important Councils of the Church. Its purpose was to renew and update the Church, and promote unity among Christians.

There are several levels of councils: Diocesan Council - a meeting of a bishop and representatives of clergy, religious and laity. Matters of diocesan church discipline and procedure are discussed. It is also called a Synod. Provincial Council - meeting of an Archbishop with the bishops of his Province. Plenary or National Council - meeting of all the bishops of a nation. Ecumenical Council - meeting of all the bishops of the world along with the Pope, or his representatives. Its decrees must have the Pope's approval.