Ecumenical council

An Ecumenical Council (also sometimes Oecumenical Council) or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the church of the whole world who have come together to discuss matters of Church doctrine and practice.

The word is from the Greek language "Οικουμένη", which means "inhabited", and was originally an other name for the territory of the Roman Empire, because the earliest councils were all called in by Roman Emperors. In later times it was used in the sense of "world-wide" or "general."

List of ecumenical councils

The first seven Ecumenical Councils

 
Fourth-century inscription, representing Christ as the Good Shepherd.

The period of Christianity from the First Council of Nicaea (325) to the Second Council of Nicaea (787) is called the period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

Further reading

  • Tanner, Norman P. The Councils of the Church, ISBN 0-8245-1904-3.
  • Tanner, Norman P. Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, ISBN 0-87840-490-2.

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