Early Christian Ecumenical Councils
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Ways in Which the Early Christian Ecumenical Councils Developed the Church’s Understanding of Jesus Various early Christian doctrines developed and were shaped over time. The early Ecumenical Councils were pivotal in the development of such doctrines which served as a foundation for the church and Christianity. When Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine I, leaders of various Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean could easily meet to discuss important issues and clearly define their faith. These large meetings of Bishops were called Ecumenical Councils. More importantly, the first Ecumenical Councils produced some of the earliest and most concise statements of belief that enabled the church to understand Jesus (Mueller, 17). The first Ecumenical Council known as Nicea, dates 325 AD. It was summoned by Emperor Constantine the great. This meeting was called to resolve the Arian controversy. Arius, a priest from Alexandria, held that Jesus Christ was created by God and was denying Christ’s divinity. He argued that if Jesus was born, then there was a time he did not exist. However, during this meeting, the Nicene Creed which formulated that Jesus is divine, as the father, and was with the father from the very first moment of creation was adopted. Sunday was fixed as the date for celebration of Easter. This first part of the creed enabled the church and the entire Christian fraternity understand the divinity of Jesus as the Son of God. The Constantinople I Ecumenical Council which dates 381 AD was called by Emperor Theodosius who sought to establish teachings on the unity of the holy Trinity and the complete Manhood in Christ. This meeting confirmed the teachings of Nicea and expanded the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is also fully divine; thus the trinity has one divine nature but three distinct “persons”. The Council condemned Macedonius’ teaching that the
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Course:
Institution:
Date:
Ways in Which the Early Christian Ecumenical Councils Developed the Church’s Understanding of Jesus Various early Christian doctrines developed and were shaped over time. The early Ecumenical Councils were pivotal in the development of such doctrines which served as a foundation for the church and Christianity. When Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine I, leaders of various Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean could easily meet to discuss important issues and clearly define their faith. These large meetings of Bishops were called Ecumenical Councils. More importantly, the first Ecumenical Councils produced some of the earliest and most concise statements of belief that enabled the church to understand Jesus (Mueller, 17). The first Ecumenical Council known as Nicea, dates 325 AD. It was summoned by Emperor Constantine the great. This meeting was called to resolve the Arian controversy. Arius, a priest from Alexandria, held that Jesus Christ was created by God and was denying Christ’s divinity. He argued that if Jesus was born, then there was a time he did not exist. However, during this meeting, the Nicene Creed which formulated that Jesus is divine, as the father, and was with the father from the very first moment of creation was adopted. Sunday was fixed as the date for celebration of Easter. This first part of the creed enabled the church and the entire Christian fraternity understand the divinity of Jesus as the Son of God. The Constantinople I Ecumenical Council which dates 381 AD was called by Emperor Theodosius who sought to establish teachings on the unity of the holy Trinity and the complete Manhood in Christ. This meeting confirmed the teachings of Nicea and expanded the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is also fully divine; thus the trinity has one divine nature but three distinct “persons”. The Council condemned Macedonius’ teaching that the
Cited: Albi, C Martin. Reasons, Faith, and Tradition: Explorations in Catholic Theology. Winowa: Anselm Academic, 2009: 22 Mueller, J J. Theological Foundations, Concepts and Methods for Understanding Christian Faith. Winona: Anselm Academic, 2011: 17-29 Tanner, Norman P. Decrees of The Ecumenical Councils. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 1990: 26-53 Thomas Bokenkotter. A Concise History of The Catholic Church. New york: Doubleday, 1977: 92-97