of the schism. Leaving, then, this disputed case out of account, we have seven councils acknowledged as œcumenical by both Catholics and Orthodox, namely: (1) Nicæa I (325), (2) Constantinople I (381), (3) Ephesus (431), (4) Chalcedon (451), (5) Constantinople II (553), (6) Constantinople III or Trullanum I (680), (7) Nicæa II (787).
What Catholics believe about general councils is this: Since the Pope is the visible Head of the Church on earth, he alone has the right (1) of summoning a general council, (2) of presiding at it when summoned, (3) of confirming or rejecting its decrees. The analogy with a king and his parliament is obvious. But the Pope may do any of these three things by deputy. He may authorize another person to summon the council, he may preside thereat through his legate, he may even confirm its decrees beforehand, by instructing his legates what they are to agree with, or by sending to the council a standard of orthodoxy to guide it. When the council then follows the Pope's directions, we have already the necessary agreement between the chief and his followers and there is no absolute need of a further papal confirmation.[1] It is difficult to see what other theory will fit the facts. We cannot discover what councils were œcumenical by counting the number of their attendants. Many of them were quite small assemblies; at Nicæa in 325 about 318 bishops were present, at the second general council only 150, at Ephesus 198, at the sixth 174. On the other hand, the Synod of Ariminium (Rimini) in 359 mustered four hundred bishops; but it has never been counted œcumenical. Nor would it be possible to make the œcumenical character of a council depend on the attendance of representatives from all parts of the Church. There were very few Western bishops present at any of the earlier general councils, only four at Nicæa,[2] none at all at the second, two at the third. Still less can the summons or confirmation of the Emperor constitute a general council.
- ↑ This view (which has been disputed by some Catholic theologians) is that of Cardinal Bellarmin (de Concilius et Ecclesia, 2, ii) and of F. X. Funk, in his Kirchengeschichtliche Abhandlungen, vol. i. pp. 87–121.
- ↑ Cecilian of Carthage, Nicasius from Gaul, Mark from Calabria, Hosius of Cordova.
