These are a list of the councils held by the Orthodox Church over the doctrinal disputes in the first millennium of the Christian Church.
| The First Ecumenical Council |
was convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine at Nicaea in 325 and presided over by the Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria, with over 300 bishops condemning the view of Arius that the Son is a created being inferior to the Father. |
| The Second Ecumenical Council |
was held at Constantinople in 381, presided over by the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch, with 150 bishops, defining the nature of the Holy Spirit against those asserting His inequality with the other persons of the Trinity. |
| The Third Ecumenical Council |
is that of Ephesus in 431, presided over by the Patriarch of Alexandria, with 250 bishops, which affirmed that Mary is truly "Birthgiver" or "Mother" of God (Theotokos),contrary to the teachings of Nestorius. |
| The Fourth Ecumenical Council |
is that of Chalcedon in 451, Patriarch of Constantinople presiding, 500 bishops, affirmed that Jesus is truly God and truly man, without mixture of the two natures, contrary to Monophysite teaching. |
| The Fifth Ecumenical Council |
is the second of Constantinople in 553,interpreting the decrees of Chalcedon and further explaining the relationship of the two natures of Jesus; it also condemned the teachings of Origen on the pre-existence of the soul, etc. |
| The Sixth Ecumenical Council |
is the third of Constantinople in 681;it declared that Christ has two wills of his two natures, human and divine, contrary to the teachings of the Monothelites. |
| The Seventh Ecumenical Council |
was called under the Empress Regent Irene of Athens in 787, known as the second of Nicaea. It supports the veneration of icons while forbidding their worship. It is often referred to as "The Triumph of Orthodoxy." |
Some Orthodox consider the following councils to be ecumenical, although this is not agreed upon:
The Fourth Council of Constantinople
|
was called in 879. It restored St. Photius to his See in Constantinople and condemned any alteration of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381. |
| The Fifth Council of Constantinople |
was actually a series of councils held between 1341 and 1351. It affirmed the hesychastic theology of St. Gregory Palamas and condemned the philosopher Barlaam of Calabria. |
In addition to these councils there have been a number of significant councils meant to further define the Orthodox position. They are the Synods of Constantinople, 1484, 1583, 1755, 1819, and 1872, the Synod of Iaşi (Jassy), 1642, and the Pan-Orthodox Synod of Jerusalem, 1672.