ecumenical council paper
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
St. John's University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
2400
Subject
Religion
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
Pages
6
Uploaded by JudgeNeutron13694
Dr. Antony Andrews
Theology 2700
Esther Babalola
Ecumenical Councils Paper
Christianity Depicted through Icons
The early church was made up of many Christians, and with many people came a
plethora of heresies. Due to controversy, councils would gather to affirm unity and doctrine that
the church was built upon. These councils settled disagreements, heresies and divisions that
could ultimately drive the church apart. During these councils, decisions are made; and the
church body has the power to accept or reject the standard set during the council. These decisions
brought a sense of order to the Church and were boundaries set in place to aid in the reassurance
of certain theological theories.The focus of this paper will be the Ecumenical Councils, held in
the Byzantine Empire and more specifically the 7th Ecumenical Council held in 787 AD in
Nicea. The Seven Ecumenical Councils were profound meetings that the foundation of
Orthodoxy was built upon, global councils that were summoned to resolve crises in the church.
These meetings were not perfect, considering the judge of these issues was man vs man. Certain
decisions of leaders in the church caused many Christians to be led astray, further leading to
schisms in the church.
According to Merriam Webster, the definition of Ecumenical is “ promoting or tending
toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation”. The seven Ecumenical councils took place
over a 4.5 century period, from 325 A.D to 787 A.D.; with bishops and church authority present
to provide insight on different discrepancies within the church and the Christian Faith. Each
council produced a theological decision that reassured Orthodox Christianity, with a focus on the
Holy Trinity and the importance and impact of Jesus Christ. The church was often the target of
persecution until Emperor Constantine made Christianity lawful and the Roman religion in 323
A.D. Shortly after, the Ecumenical Councils were called into place to maintain the integrity of
church doctrine. To give some background on the councils; the first ecumenical council was held
in Nicea, Constantinople and this is also where the seventh council was held. The first council
focused on Arianism, a heresy associated with the relationship of the Holy Trinity (God the
Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit). This council produced an expansion of Creed in
the church. The second ecumenical council was the Council of Constantinople, which focused on
completion of the Nicene Creed with additions of new learned information on the Holy Spirit.
The Council of Ephesus dealt with the heresy from Archbishop Nestorius. Archbishop Nestorius
believed that Jesus could not be fully human and be fully divine simultaneously. This heresy was
combated by Eutyches and Saint Cyril. The Council of Chalcedon was the fourth ecumenical
council, and was a turning point in the history of the church. This council expressed the nature,
duality and unity of Jesus, because he was begotten of both God the Father and Mary. This
created the distinctions between the Oriental Orthodox Churches, who rejected the fourth
council. The next council was held in Constantinople in 553 A.D, and was an attempt to unite the
Non-Chalcedonians and Chalcedonian ideas in the church; to establish firm tradition and
preserve the faith. The sixth ecumenical council was held in Constantinople, in 681 A.D. and
once again visited Christ as a unified person. This council arose from a heresy called
Monothelitism, where monothelites taught that Jesus was divine, with a human soul but without
human will. Lastly, there was a seventh ecumenical council held in Nicea in 787 A.D. and this
was the last Ecumenical council for the Eastern Orthodox church.
To go into depth, the 7th council held in Nicea, Constantinople was a full circle event
held where the first Ecumenical Council convened. This council centered on the issue of
Iconoclasm throughout the church. Iconoclasm is the deliberate “destruction of images seen as
idolatrous” and this was a prodigious issue which was magnified by different political and
situational factors during this time. The church struggled with establishing respect for religious
icons, with pushback from people who did not recognize Christianity as their religion nor
understand the reverence of icons(especially those who honor Islam), and the controversy within
Christian communities due to the second commandment. In the bible, you can find the second
commandment in Exodus 20: 4 - 6. The second commandment states “You shall not make for
yourself a carved image—any likeness
of anything
that
is
in heaven above, or that
is
in the earth
beneath, or that
is in
the water under the earth;
5
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
For I, the L
ORD
your God,
am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
to the third and fourth
generations
of those who hate Me,
6
but showing mercy to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (NKJV) As the body of Christ strived to keep
the Lord’s commandments, it became apparent to Bishops and church authority that the body of
Christ (the church) interpreted the reverence shown to icons in the church (paintings of Jesus,
Mary and the Saints) as contradiction of the second commandment. Due to traditions in the
Orthodox church, this confused many Christians and they interpreted these actions as worship of
a graven image. There were people who worshiped the actual icons (as in the images themselves)
while there were people who reverenced the icon and prayed through the Saints portrayed on the
icons. In reality, the function of an icon is to depict a certain image, usually one of beauty that
can be physically appreciated. The elaborate creation of icons, statues, mosaics, fabrics and
architectural patterns in the Church were created as reverence to the Holy Trinity, and as a
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
method of preserving and passing down the faith. Icons can also represent Jesus and what he did
on Earth, because when Jesus came down to earth in human form he was the human incarnation
of God the Father.
Islam, a religion that emphasizes the idea of monotheism, was very opposed and inimical
to the idea of icon worship in the church. The Muslim faith is founded on the idea that there is
only one God (Allah) who has departed his wisdom to the people through the Prophet
Muhammad. Muslims are to pray 5 times a day and recite the Quran as they pray, and observe
strict fasting during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims are required to help the
needy, and express their gratitude for the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (which is one of
the reasons Ramadan is important). Islamic religion does not agree or condone the idea of
creating an image of God. The idea of a physical or visual representation of God whether it be
through image, sculpture or figures is attributed to idolatry, known as one of the worst sins. Islam
does not accept Jesus as the incarnation of God, and sees these icons as a form of disrespect to
Allah (God). During this time period, it was crucial that Christians and Muslims remain in
political harmony, and decisions to be anti- iconic stemmed from the desire to maintain equal
political footing. Regardless, Pope Adrian responded in the way he best saw fit for this citation.
During the year of 787 AD, Pope Adrian I was highly revered and during this council he
spoke about the importance of icons in Christianity and favored ideas of the Eastern Orthodox
Church. He wrote a letter to Emperor Charlemagne who favored the ideas of the Gallican
Church, and the ideas of iconoclasts. Pope Adrian described icons as windows to heaven, and
could “
never could pass by the work of art which brought this history before my eyes without
tears.”
These icons are a material image that remind Christians of the trials and tribulations
described in the Bible that were overcome through Jesus. He goes on to describe the feelings that
the icons provoke, for
“ he who looks on the image which by painter’s art fill the canvass does
not regard the variety of the colours but rather by them is led to the contemplation of the
Prototype ''.
Pope Adrian alludes to the idea that icons are necessary for the constant reminder of
why Christians uphold the faith, and these icons are a testament to the birth, death and
resurrection of Jesus and the holiness of the Saints. Iconoclasts were excommunicated from the
church, and the practice of reverence through icons was confirmed. The church detests the
destruction of icons and accepted veneration of these icons.
In addition to the Pope’s response to Iconoclasm, St. John of Damascus explained the
importance of icons in the church. When Jesus became human, sharing flesh with mortal men, he
was the incarnation of the God of the Old Testament. God would often speak and visit his people,
coming as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Now that Jesus was on Earth in
human form, John believed that it was lawful and expedient to “make an image of the God who I
see”. He goes on to explain that the act of veneration towards these icons is to show appreciation
for his salvation through Jesus Christ that came down in the form of early or human matter. To sit
in heaven with the sovereign God, and come down to Earth to die for the sins of mere men, to
give them everlasting life or lead them to salvation is something that should be recognized even
after his death.
The Seventh Ecumenical Council was an opportunity for the church to establish order and
reign in ideas of idolatry. These councils were crucial to strengthen the Christian faith and
promotion of synergy of the various early churches. Looking back from a modern perspective,
many people make idols out of things such as money, entertainment and worldly pleasures. The
icons discussed here today were not idols, but rather a material perception of the people who
built the foundations and developed the traditions of Christianity.
Works Cited
1911 Encyclopedia. (n.d.).
Pope Adrian
. Pope adrian.
https://www.worldspirituality.org/adrian.html
Andrews, Antony (2024, February)
The Ecumenical Councils
[Powerpoint Slides] Canvas
Andrews, Antony (2024, February)
Orthodox Approach to Councils and Conciliarity
[Powerpoint Slides] Canvas
Idolatry: Icons and iconoclasm
. Folgerpedia. (n.d.).
https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/Idolatry:_Icons_and_Iconoclasm
The five pillars of islam
. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2013, May 6).
https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-worl
d/unit-one/the-five-pillars-of-islam#:~:text=The belief that "There is,holy book of divine
revelations.
Truglia, A. C., Published by Craig Truglia (2023, November 22).
Pope Adrian's Greek and
Latin letters in Nicea II (je 2448 and je 2449)

. Orthodox Christian Theology.
https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2021/10/08/pope-adrians-greek-and-latin-letters-in-
nicea-ii-je-2448-and-je-2449/
Truglia, A. C., Published by Craig Truglia, R. (2020, April 14).
Highlights from the minutes
of Nicea II
. Orthodox Christian Theology.
https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2019/08/28/highlights-from-the-minutes-of-nicea-ii/
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help