Fourth Council of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Council of Constantinople of 879-880 is believed to have been the Eighth Ecumenical Council by some Eastern Orthodox. Photius had been appointed Patriarch of Constantinople but deposed by a Council of Constantinople
called in 869 by Emperor Basil I
the Macedonian and Pope Adrian II
. Called in 879, this Greek Fourth Council of Constantinople, held after Photios had been reinstated on order of the emperor, annulled the earlier one. Today, the Roman Catholic Church
recognizes the council in 869-870 as "Constantinople IV", while the Eastern Orthodox Churches recognize the councils in 879-880 as "Constantinople IV". At the time that these councils were being held, this division was not entirely apparent.
These two councils represent a break between East and West. The previous seven ecumenical councils
are recognized as ecumenical and authoritative by both East and West.
, was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, making him equal to the Patriarch of Rome per Canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon according to the Greek Church. Canon 28 was never ratified by Pope Leo I. Emperor Michael III had deposed the previous patriarch, Ignatius. Ignatius refused to abdicate, setting up a power struggle between the emperor and the pope. In 867, another council in Constantinople deposed the pope, declared him anathema
, and excommunicated
him. In addition, Roman claims of papal primacy and the filioque clause
were condemned.
the Roman church accepted Constantinople's position – albeit when Constantinople was in western hands following the Fourth Crusade
. Subsequently at the Council of Florence
this was confirmed to the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople.
The council also condemned any alteration whatsoever to the original Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
, thereby condemning the addition of the filioque clause
to the creed as heretical — a view strongly espoused by Photius in his polemics against Rome. Later on, Roman Catholics came to separate the two issues and insist on the theological orthodoxy of the clause. According to Philip Schaff
, "To the Greek acts was afterwards added a (pretended) letter of Pope John VIII
to Photius, declaring the Filioque to be an addition which is rejected by the church of Rome, and a blasphemy which must be abolished calmly, and by degrees."
Whether the council was confirmed by Pope John VIII is also a matter of dispute. The council was held in the presence of papal legate
s, who approved of the proceedings, though this is not considered binding in the Latin Church. Historian Francis Dvornik
argues that the pope accepted the acts of the council and annulled those of the council of 869-870. Other Roman Catholic historians, such as Warren Carroll, dispute this view, arguing that the pope rejected the council. Philipp Schaff opines that the pope, deceived by his legates about the actual proceedings, first applauded the emperor but later denounced the council.
In any case, the pope de facto accepted the reinstatement of Photius as patriarch. However later, in the wake of further conflicts between East and West in the 11th century, the council was repudiated by the West.
On 8 March 870, three days after the end of the counsel the Papal and Eastern delegates met with the Bulgarian
ambassadors led by the kavhan Peter
to decide the status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
. Since the Bulgarians were not satisfied with the positions of the Pope after prolonged negotiations, they reached favorable agreement with the Byzantines and the decision was taken that the Bulgarian Church should become Eastern Orthodox.
This council has been accepted by many Orthodox Christians as the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and is referred to as such in the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs
of 1848. But it has not been universally accepted as ecumenical, though it is held in high esteem at least as a local council
.
Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic)
The Fourth Council of Constantinople was the eighth Catholic Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople from October 5, 869, to February 28, 870. It included 102 bishops, three papal legates, and four patriarchs...
called in 869 by Emperor Basil I
Basil I
Basil I, called the Macedonian was a Byzantine emperor of probable Armenian descent who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a simple peasant in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia, he rose in the imperial court, and usurped the imperial throne from Emperor Michael III...
the Macedonian and Pope Adrian II
Pope Adrian II
Pope Adrian II , , pope from December 14, 867 to December 14, 872, was a member of a noble Roman family, and became pope in 867, at an advanced age....
. Called in 879, this Greek Fourth Council of Constantinople, held after Photios had been reinstated on order of the emperor, annulled the earlier one. Today, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
recognizes the council in 869-870 as "Constantinople IV", while the Eastern Orthodox Churches recognize the councils in 879-880 as "Constantinople IV". At the time that these councils were being held, this division was not entirely apparent.
These two councils represent a break between East and West. The previous seven ecumenical councils
First seven Ecumenical Councils
In the history of Christianity, the first seven Ecumenical Councils, from the First Council of Nicaea to the Second Council of Nicaea , represent an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to establish a unified Christendom as the State church of the Roman Empire...
are recognized as ecumenical and authoritative by both East and West.
Photius
In 858, Photius, a scholar who taught philosophy and lectured at the University of ConstantinopleUniversity of Constantinople
The University of Constantinople, sometimes known as the University of the palace hall of Magnaura in the Roman-Byzantine Empire was founded in 425 under the name of Pandidakterion...
, was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, making him equal to the Patriarch of Rome per Canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon according to the Greek Church. Canon 28 was never ratified by Pope Leo I. Emperor Michael III had deposed the previous patriarch, Ignatius. Ignatius refused to abdicate, setting up a power struggle between the emperor and the pope. In 867, another council in Constantinople deposed the pope, declared him anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
, and excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
him. In addition, Roman claims of papal primacy and the filioque clause
Filioque clause
Filioque , Latin for "and the Son", is a phrase found in the form of Nicene Creed in use in the Latin Church. It is not present in the Greek text of the Nicene Creed as originally formulated at the First Council of Constantinople, which says only that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father":The...
were condemned.
Historical Note
Eventually Canon 28 was accepted in the West. In 1215 at the Fourth Council of the LateranFourth Council of the Lateran
The Fourth Council of the Lateran was convoked by Pope Innocent III with the papal bull of April 19, 1213, and the Council gathered at Rome's Lateran Palace beginning November 11, 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bishops had the opportunity...
the Roman church accepted Constantinople's position – albeit when Constantinople was in western hands following the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
. Subsequently at the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
this was confirmed to the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople.
The Council of 879-880
After the death of Ignatius in 877, Photius mounted the See of Constantinople for a second time. A Council, comprising the representatives of all the five patriarchates, including that of Rome (all in all 383 bishops), was called in 879 and reinstated Photius as Patriarch.The council also condemned any alteration whatsoever to the original Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
, thereby condemning the addition of the filioque clause
Filioque clause
Filioque , Latin for "and the Son", is a phrase found in the form of Nicene Creed in use in the Latin Church. It is not present in the Greek text of the Nicene Creed as originally formulated at the First Council of Constantinople, which says only that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father":The...
to the creed as heretical — a view strongly espoused by Photius in his polemics against Rome. Later on, Roman Catholics came to separate the two issues and insist on the theological orthodoxy of the clause. According to Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff , was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and a historian of the Christian church, who, after his education, lived and taught in the United States.-Biography:...
, "To the Greek acts was afterwards added a (pretended) letter of Pope John VIII
Pope John VIII
Pope John VIII was pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. He is often considered one of the ablest pontiffs of the ninth century and the last bright spot on the papacy until Leo IX two centuries later....
to Photius, declaring the Filioque to be an addition which is rejected by the church of Rome, and a blasphemy which must be abolished calmly, and by degrees."
Whether the council was confirmed by Pope John VIII is also a matter of dispute. The council was held in the presence of papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
s, who approved of the proceedings, though this is not considered binding in the Latin Church. Historian Francis Dvornik
Francis Dvornik
Francis Dvornik , in Czech František Dvorník, was a priest and academic, and one of the leading twentieth-century experts on Slavic and Byzantine history, and on relations between the churches of Rome and Constantinople.-Career:Dvornik taught at Charles University in Prague, the Collège de France,...
argues that the pope accepted the acts of the council and annulled those of the council of 869-870. Other Roman Catholic historians, such as Warren Carroll, dispute this view, arguing that the pope rejected the council. Philipp Schaff opines that the pope, deceived by his legates about the actual proceedings, first applauded the emperor but later denounced the council.
In any case, the pope de facto accepted the reinstatement of Photius as patriarch. However later, in the wake of further conflicts between East and West in the 11th century, the council was repudiated by the West.
On 8 March 870, three days after the end of the counsel the Papal and Eastern delegates met with the Bulgarian
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
ambassadors led by the kavhan Peter
Peter (diplomat)
Peter was a relative of knyaz Boris I who was in charge of diplomatic missions during the Christianization of Bulgaria. His position in the Bulgarian administrative hierarchy is unknown but it has been suggested that he had the title kavhan, i. e...
to decide the status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
. Since the Bulgarians were not satisfied with the positions of the Pope after prolonged negotiations, they reached favorable agreement with the Byzantines and the decision was taken that the Bulgarian Church should become Eastern Orthodox.
This council has been accepted by many Orthodox Christians as the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and is referred to as such in the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs
Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs
The Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs was a letter sent in May, 1848 by the patriarchs of the Orthodox Church in reply to Pope Pius IX's Epistle to the Easterns...
of 1848. But it has not been universally accepted as ecumenical, though it is held in high esteem at least as a local council
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
.
External links
- Philip Schaff's Church History: Conflict of the Eastern and Western Churches
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Fourth Council of Constantinople (on the Council of 869)
- Legion of Mary, Eight Ecumenical Council (on the Council of 869)
- George Dion Dragas. The Eighth Ecumenical Council: Constantinople IV (879/880) and the Condemnation of the Filioque Addition and Doctrine (An Eastern Orthodox perspective on the Council of 879)
- T. R. Valentine, The Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils (An Eastern Orthodox perspective on the Council of 879)
- The First-Second Council from the Rudder