Church Councils: When did they happen?

What are the dates of Seven Ecumenical Councils?

by Matt Slick | Mar 28, 2016 | Questions, The Church

Different denominations and divisions within Christianity’s overall umbrella have produced different councils throughout the centuries. The following list represents the broad spectrum of church councils that fall under the general category of Christianity. Of particular importance are the Seven Ecumenical Councils. A church council is an assembly of religious leaders within a general ecclesiastical structure who are gathered to deliberate various religious, civic, and legal matters. Their conclusions are generally considered authoritative for that particular ecclesiastical structure.

The seven ecumenical councils are…

First Council of Nicaea (325)
First Council of Constantinople (381)
Council of Ephesus (431)
Council of Chalcedon (451)
Second Council of Constantinople (553)
Third Council of Constantinople (680)
Second Council of Nicaea (784)

Date Location	Topics Addressed
50?	Acts 15:1-35 contains the first Council of the Christian church. It met to discuss the necessity of circumcision for Gentile converts. It concluded it was not necessary.
251, 252, 254, 255, 256 Councils of Carthage	Under St. Cyprian. Dealt with the reconciliation of those who apostatized during the Decian Persecution.¹Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
325 First Council of Nicaea (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	Dealt with the deity of Christ and declared Arianism to be heretical. Arianism (Arius, d. 336) taught that Jesus was a created being, not divine. The correct position was defended by Athanasius (293-373), who affirmed that Jesus Christ was eternally divine and fully God, homoousios.²McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition:
341 Council of Antioch	Attempts were made to replace the Nicene Creed in which four creeds were produced.³McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition:
348, 390 Council of Carthage	An African Council under Gratus and Genethlius⁴The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2005.
381 First Council of Constantinople (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	It dealt with Christ’s humanity, condemned Arianism, Sabellianism, and Apollinarianism, and affirmed the deity of the Holy Spirit. 150 Eastern bishops attended it.
397 Third Council of Carthage	Represented the churches in the western part of the Mediterranean area. It accepted the 27 books of the New Testament as canon.⁵The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2005.
419 Council of Carthage	Claims of Rome’s authority and jurisdiction over Africa were disputed.⁶The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2005.
431 Council of Ephesus (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	Dealt with Jesus being one person. It condemned Nestorianism and Pelagianism. It also, Theotokos, declaring Mary as the “Mother of God.”
449 Robber Synod of Ephesus	Asserted that the view that Jesus has two natures was false. This position was later rejected by the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
451 Council of Chalcedon (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	Affirmed that Jesus is one person with two distinct natures: divine and human. Condemned Monophysitism.
506 Council of Agde	South of France, “clerical celibacy, the age for ordination, the relation of a bishop and a diocesan synod, church property, public peace, and religious obligations.”⁷McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Locations 455-456). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
525, 534 Council of Carthage	Under Boniface, Bishop of Carthage. No Canons survive of this Council.
553 Second Council of Constantinople (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	The fifth Ecumenical Church Council Attended by 168 bishops. It condemned Nestorianism, Monothelitism, and declared the perpetual virginity of Mary. It affirmed the two natures of Jesus: Divine and human.
589 Council of Toledo	Stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son within the Trinity. This was rejected by the Eastern church in 1054.
680-681 Third Council of Constantinople (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	The sixth ecumenical Council. Condemned Monothelitism and affirmed Dithelitism.
784 Second Council of Nicaea (One of the Seven Ecumenical Councils)	Dealt with iconoclasm and affirmed the use of images of Jesus and Mary in church services.⁸ Though this 2nd Council of Nicaea affirmed the use of images in worship, CARM considers this decision a violation of Scripture and an example of the general apostasy that was already beginning in the Christian church.
1095 Council of Clermont	The church counselor Pope Urban the Second (1042-99) initiated the first Crusade against the Muslim invaders.
1215 Fourth Lateran Council	Approved, as a rule, the church a life of love, community, obedience, and service.⁹McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Location 1235). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
1414-18 Council of Constance	It was called by Antipope John 23rd (died 1419) and intended to end the great schism in the Roman Catholic Church.
1431-49 Council of Basle	A Roman Catholic Council that did not receive papal recognition. It dealt with various heresies, reform in the church, and peace within Christendom.
1431-49 General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Church	Dealt with people supremacy, tax demands, the Turkish threat to Christianity, and the followers of John Huss.¹⁰McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Location 1428). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
1438-45 Council of Florence,	“held in three Italian cities (Ferrara, 1438); Florence, 1439; Rome, 1443), dealt with the issue of reuniting with the Greek and Latin churches. The Greek churches rejected this attempt.
1545-63 Council of Trent	A Roman Catholic Council in response to the Protestant Reformation. It affirmed the Apocrypha to be Scripture and part of the canon with the exception of 1st and 2nd Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh¹¹Ref. Grudem, Wayne A. (2009-05-18). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Cómo Entender) (p. 59). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
1852 First Plenary Council of Bishops	A Roman Catholic council that met in Baltimore, Maryland. It dealt with loyalty to the Pope, examination of religious material, Catholic schools, marriage, etc.
1886 Second Plenary Council of Bishops	A Roman Catholic Council that met in Baltimore, Maryland. dealt with issues concerning the faith, Scripture, the Trinity, and veneration of Mary and the saints.
1884 Third Plenary Council of Bishops	A Roman Catholic Council that met in Baltimore, Maryland. Dealt with Catholic education.
1948 World Council of churches	A World Council of Churches gathered to promote cross-denominational fellowship worldwide.
1962-65 Vatican Council 2	New church reforms were enacted dealing with revelation, salvation, and the church. “called for a new openness in the church to the world, toward other Christian churches, and to non-Christian religions.”¹²McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Locations 480-481). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

References:

http://www.bible-researcher.com/carthage.html
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3816.htm
Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/council-basle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plenary_Councils_of_Baltimore

References[+]

References
1↑	Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
2↑, 3↑	McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition:
4↑, 5↑, 6↑	The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2005.
7↑	McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Locations 455-456). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
8↑	Though this 2nd Council of Nicaea affirmed the use of images in worship, CARM considers this decision a violation of Scripture and an example of the general apostasy that was already beginning in the Christian church.
9↑	McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Location 1235). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
10↑	McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Location 1428). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
11↑	Ref. Grudem, Wayne A. (2009-05-18). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Cómo Entender) (p. 59). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
12↑	McKim, Donald K. (2014-04-21). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Kindle Locations 480-481). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.