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At an {{Orthodoxchristianity}}'''Ecumenical CouncilCouncils''', the are extraordinary [[synod]]s of [[bishop]]s of the entire which primarily decide upon [[Churchdogma]] recognize what the truth is and proclaim it. The proclamation is then verified by tic formulations, especially in the agreement face of the whole Christian people[[heresy]]. Both Secondarily, they also issue [[canon law|canonical legislation]] which governs the bishop’s recognition and the people’s verification, is believed to be inspired by God. {{stub}}==Councils==Not all councils are ecumenical. Most are just local councils dealing with local administration. Also, councils of bishops can err or be deceived. Even when a council is called to be an ecumenical council, that does not make it so. A council is said to be ecumenical if it bears witness to the true faith of the entire (ecumenical) Church.

<!-- ==Infallibility of ecumenical councilsHistory== Infallibility belongs to the whole Church, not just to the episcopate in isolation. The whole people of God&mdash;bishops, clergy, and laity together&mdash;are the guardian of the faith. The bishop is the divinely appointed teacher of the faith. By this, bishops, clergy, or the laity can call and participate in a council, but only the bishops can, by their consensus, come up with the proclamation of the council. -->

The truth ==Ecumenicity==An [[ecclesiology|ecclesiological]] theory which has been popular since the time of the proclamation of [[Slavophiles|Slavophile]] philosopher [[Alexei Stepanovich Khomiakov|Alexis Khomiakov]] first defined it is that ecumenicity&mdash;the idea that a particular council is the only criterion of infallibility. The Spirit of Truth must be present at the council. To the Orthodoxuniversal, infallible significance for the Church &mdash;is determined by the miracle reception of the presence whole body of God among menthe Church. Infallibility That is not materialized in the letter of Scripture, or in while a particular council may declare itself to be ecumenical, it may later be regarded by the person of Church as being a Pope[[Robber Council]], but in Godthat is, living mysteriously in a council which did not declare the Churchtruth but rather [[heresy]]. If Likewise, a council may properly teach the Church does truth but not see truth in be of universal significance for the proclamation of Church. Such councils are usually termed ''local''. That a council, the council will not must be called ecumenical "received" by the Churchbefore it can be considered ecumenical is sometimes termed ''receptionism''.

== Seven Receptionism was formed primarily in opposition to [[Roman Catholic]] viewpoints on the same question. For the Roman Catholic Church, a council's ecumenicity is primarily determined by its ratification by the Pope of Rome. Orthodoxy does not have the same ecclesiological structure as Rome, however, and so Khomiakov and others attempted to formulate another model by which the infallibility of Ecumenical Councils may be determined. A form of receptionism (or, at least, language which is conducive to receptionist thought) may also be found in the 1848 [[Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs]], which proclaims against papism that the guardian of the truth is not the office of the pope, but the whole people of God. Theologians such as Fr. [[John S. Romanides]] have argued, however, that the councils universally regarded as ecumenical within the Orthodox Church seemed of themselves to have no sense of requiring a reception by the Church before they went into effect. Their texts do indeed include self-declarations of their ecumenicity, and in most cases, their decrees immediately were written into Roman imperial law. No condition of later reception is reflected in the councils' texts. Further, the question of when exactly one may say that the Church has received or Nine rejected a council is not answerable by receptionist theory. Another ecclesiological problem is also created by receptionism: Why is it, for instance, that the [[Fourth Ecumenical CouncilsCouncil]] may be said to have been "received by the whole Church" while significant numbers of Christians apparently within the Church rejected it, leading to the [[schism]] which even now persists? == Such reasoning is circular, because whoever accepts a council is therefore inside the Church, but any who reject it are outside. In other words, such councils are ecumenical essentially because those who hold to their decrees declare themselves exclusively to be the Church.

As far as some Orthodox are concerned, since The practical needs of the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] there has been no synod or council historical circumstances of the same scope as any of councils also bear out Romanides' analysis. Dogmatic decisions were needed right away when the Ecumenical councilsmet. Local meetings of hierarchs The idea that one could wait for decades or even centuries to know whether a council was truly ecumenical would have been called "pan-Orthodox," but these have invariably been simply meetings radically changed the character of local hierarchs of whatever Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions are party to such a specific local matter. From this point of view, there has been no fully "pan-Orthodox" ('''Ecumenical''') council since 787. Unfortunately, the use of the term "pan-Orthodox" is confusing to those not within Eastern Orthodoxy, and it leads to mistaken impressions that these are The councils''ersatz'' ecumenical councils rather than purely local councils to which nearby Orthodox hierarchs, regardless of jurisdiction, are invitedfathers regarded their decisions as immediately binding.

Others, including 20th century theologians Fr. [[John S. Romanides]] and Fr. [[George Metallinos]] (both of whom refer repeatedly to At the "Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils"), Fr. [[George Dragas]]current time, Metropolitan [[Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos]], and the 1848 [[Encyclical episcopacy of the Eastern Patriarchs]] (which refers explicitly to the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and was signed by the [[patriarch]]s of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]] has not as well yet put forward a universal definition as the [[Holy Synod]]s of the first three), regard other synods beyond the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] as being ecumenicalto what precisely lends a council its ecumenicity. Those who regard these What is generally held is that councils may be regarded as ecumenical often characterize the limitation of Ecumenical Councils to only seven to be and infallible because they accurately teach the result of Jesuit influence truth handed down in Russia, part of tradition from the so-called "[[Western Captivity of OrthodoxyChurch Fathers]]."

== List Canonical status==The canons of the Ecumenical Councils ==are regarded within the Orthodox Church as universally authoritative, though not in a strictly constructionist sense. Their canons have often been repealed or revised by the decisions of local synods or even of later Ecumenical Councils. Nevertheless, their legislation is central to the Orthodox canonical tradition, and appeals to such canons are more frequently made than to any other source of canonical legislation.

:*[[Quinisext Council|Quinisext/Penthekte Council]] (= Fifth and Sixth) = Seven or Council in TrulloNine Ecumenical Councils? ==As far as some Orthodox are concerned, (692); mostly an administrative council that raised some local since the [[canonSeventh Ecumenical Council]]s to ecumenical status and established principles of clerical discipline. It is not considered to be a full-fledged there has been no synod or council in its own right because it did not determine matters of doctrine. This council is accepted by the [[Orthodox Church]] same scope as a part any of the [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]]councils. Local meetings of hierarchs have been called "pan-Orthodox, " but that is rejected by [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]these have invariably been simply meetings of local hierarchs of whatever Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions are party to a specific local matter. * VII. [[Seventh Ecumenical Council|Second Council From this point of Nicaea]]view, there has been no fully "pan-Orthodox" ('''Ecumenical''') council since 787); restoration . Unfortunately, the use of the veneration of [[icons]] term "pan-Orthodox" is confusing to those not within Eastern Orthodoxy, and end it leads to mistaken impressions that these are ''ersatz'' ecumenical councils rather than purely local councils to which nearby Orthodox hierarchs, regardless of the first [[iconoclasm]]jurisdiction, are invited.

The next ===Eight and Ninth=== These two are regarded as ecumenical by some in the [[Orthodox Church]] but not by other Orthodox Christians, who instead consider them to be important local councils. 

==Later Councilscouncils== Although based strongly on the [[Ecumenical Councils]] Orthodox doctrine continues to be defined through the church. These include the mind of the church as expressed through [[Synod|Local Councils]] and letters or statements of faith put out by individual bishops. Those decisions/statements made in the past that bear particular importance today are:

#The First Letter of [[Michael I Cerularius of Constantinople|Michael Cerularius]] to Peter of Antioch (1054)

#The Encyclical Letter of Saint [[Mark of Ephesus ]] (1440-1441).

#The Replies of [[Jeremias II Tranos of Constantinople|Jeremias]] the Second to the Lutherans (1573-1581)#The Confession of Faith by [[Metrophanes (Kritopoulos) of Alexandria|Metrophanes Kritopoulos ]] (1625)#The Orthodox Confession by [[Peter Mogila|Peter of Moghila]], in its revised form (ratified by the Council of Jassy, 1642)

#The Encyclical Letters by the Patriarchate of Constantinople on Christian unity and on the ‘Ecumenical Movement’ 'Ecumenical Movement' (1920, 1952)

 *[[Canons of the Orthodox ChurchCanon law]]

 * [http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=5 The Councils] - Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]]'s outline of the Ecumenical Councils (in "the rainbow series" [[Orthodox_Catechisms_in_English|catechism]])* [http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Ecumenical_Councils.htm The Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Church] by the V. Rev. N. Patrinacos* [http://www.geocities.com/trvalentine/orthodox/8-9synods.html The Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils]* [http://mb-soft.com/believe/txw/orthcoun.htm Orthodox Church Listing of Synods and Councils] 

[[Category:Ecumenical Councils|*]]