First Council of Constantinople facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Council of Constantinople |
|
|---|---|
9th century Byzantine manuscript illumination of I Constantinople. Homilies of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, 879–883.
|
|
| Date | 381 |
| Accepted by | |
|
Previous council
|
First Council of Nicaea |
|
Next council
|
Council of Ephesus |
| Convoked by | Emperor Theodosius I |
| President | Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, Gregory Nazianzus, and Nectarius of Constantinople |
| Attendance | 150 (no representation of Western Church) |
| Topics | Arianism, Holy Spirit |
|
Documents and statements
|
Nicene Creed of 381, seven canons (three disputed) |
| Chronological list of ecumenical councils | |
The First Council of Constantinople was a big meeting of Christian bishops. It happened in Constantinople (which is now Istanbul, Turkey) in the year 381 AD. The Roman Emperor Theodosius I called for this meeting.
This was the second ecumenical council, a major gathering meant to help the church agree on important beliefs. Bishops from all over the Christian world attended, except for the Western Church. At this council, they confirmed the Nicene Creed. They also added more details to it, creating what is now called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The council also discussed other important church matters. It took place from May to July 381 in the Church of Hagia Irene. Later, in 451, another council called the Council of Chalcedon officially recognized it as an ecumenical council.
Contents
Why Was the Council Held?
Between the years 350 and 450, many new ideas about Christianity appeared. This made churches need to clearly explain "Who is Jesus Christ?" Around 380, a bishop named Apollinaris started teaching something different. He said Jesus had a human body and a lower soul, but his mind was replaced by God's divine word.
This idea caused many questions. Did the Bible not show Jesus as a complete human? If God replaced Jesus' human mind, how could Jesus save all people?
When Emperor Theodosius I became ruler in 380, he wanted to unite the Eastern Church. He wanted everyone to follow the Nicene Christian beliefs. So, he decided to call a church council. This council would help solve faith and church rule issues. Gregory Nazianzus, another important church leader, also wanted to unite Christianity. In the spring of 381, they held the second ecumenical council in Constantinople.
Understanding the Beliefs at the Time
The First Council of Nicaea in 325 tried to end arguments about Jesus. But it didn't fully succeed. Its words about God's nature were confusing to some. After Nicaea, some who disagreed with the Nicene Creed, like Arius, were allowed back into the church. Athanasius, a bishop who strongly opposed Arianism, was even sent away from his church.
After Emperor Constantine I died in 337, his son Constantius II became emperor. Constantius leaned towards Arian beliefs. People then openly started talking about changing the Nicene Creed. Until about 360, most debates were about whether Jesus, the Son, was truly God.
However, the Council of Nicaea hadn't clearly explained if the Holy Spirit was also God. So, this became a new topic of debate. A group called the Macedonians denied that the Holy Spirit was God. This belief was also known as Pneumatomachianism.
But there were also strong defenders of Nicene Christianity. The Cappadocian Fathers (important church leaders) helped explain the idea of the Trinity (God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Their ideas were very important at the council in Constantinople.
Apollinaris of Laodicea, another supporter of Nicene beliefs, also caused arguments. He taught that Jesus had a human body but a divine mind. He rejected the idea that Jesus had a complete human nature, including a human mind. People accused him of mixing up the parts of God. They also said he was following the wrong ideas of Sabellius. His views were condemned in a meeting in Alexandria in 362.
What Made it an Ecumenical Council?
This meeting is known as the second ecumenical council. However, it wasn't meant to be a huge, universal council like Nicaea. Only about 150 bishops attended. They were chosen carefully from areas that supported Meletius, who was the council's president. The city of Rome was not involved in this council at all.
Politics and the Church
Politics played a big role because the Emperor was very powerful in the church. The Emperor's decision was the final authority on church teachings. After Emperor Constantius died in 361, his cousin Julian became emperor. Julian was not a Christian and tried to cause arguments within the church. But he ruled for only two years.
After Julian's death in 363, Emperor Valens ruled in the East. Valens was often seen as an "Arian" emperor. But he was also practical and allowed some Nicene leaders to stay in power. Valens was killed in a big battle in 378. This meant the leader who supported Arian views was gone.
Then, Theodosius became Emperor in January 379. He was a strong supporter of Nicene Christianity. In February 380, even before the council, Theodosius issued a decree. It stated that people should believe in "the Single Deity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." He sent away leaders who opposed Nicene beliefs. For example, he exiled Demophilus, the bishop of Constantinople, because Demophilus refused to accept the Nicene Creed.
Theodosius issued another pro-Nicene decree in January 381, before the council. This decree said that God the Father and Christ the Son were one. It also said that the Holy Spirit should not be denied. This decree also banned "heretics" (people with different beliefs) from meeting for worship. Theodosius took a risk because Constantinople, the capital, had many Arian followers.
To make things more difficult, the two main groups of Nicene Christians in the East were deeply divided. These were the Alexandrians and the supporters of Meletius in Antioch. Also, Damasus, the bishop of Rome, and Basil, a Cappadocian Father, disagreed with each other. Rome and Alexandria also tried to stop Constantinople from becoming too powerful.
The Meletian Split
The Meletian split was a disagreement before the 381 council. It was between two groups who supported Nicene beliefs. They argued over who was the rightful bishop of Antioch. Meletius was bishop of Antioch from 360 until he died in 381. Another bishop named Paulinus opposed him.
Athanasius of Alexandria and Pope Damasus I of Rome supported Paulinus. But Basil of Caesarea, a Cappadocian Father, supported Meletius. This disagreement was not just about people. It was also about deep theological ideas. Basil thought Paulinus believed in only "one hypostasis" (one Person) in God. Basil and Meletius taught "three hypostases" (three Persons or Realities). This led to hostile relationships between these important church leaders.
The Bishop of Constantinople
The current bishop of Constantinople was Demophilus, who followed Arian beliefs. When Theodosius became emperor, he offered to let Demophilus stay as bishop. But Demophilus had to accept the Nicene Creed. Demophilus refused, so he was ordered to leave Constantinople. After 40 years under Arian bishops, the churches in Constantinople were given back to those who followed the Nicene Creed. Arians were also removed from churches in other Eastern Roman Empire cities. This brought back traditional Christian beliefs in the East.
Then, there was a competition to control the newly available bishop position. A group led by Maximus the Cynic got support from Patriarch Peter of Alexandria. Peter was jealous of Constantinople's growing importance. They planned to make a cleric loyal to Peter the bishop of Constantinople. This would keep Alexandria as the main leader of the Eastern Churches.
One night, while Gregory was sick, the plot began. The conspirators broke into the cathedral and started making Maximus the bishop. They had seated Maximus on the bishop's throne and were cutting his hair when morning came. News spread quickly, and people rushed to the church. Officials arrived, and Maximus and his supporters were forced out of the cathedral.
The people were angry about this attempt to take over the bishop's throne. Gregory was very popular among them. Maximus went to Thessalonica to complain to the emperor. But the emperor did not support him. Theodosius asked Ascholius, the respected bishop of Thessalonica, to get advice from Pope Damasus I.
Pope Damasus rejected Maximus's claim. He advised Theodosius to call a council of bishops. This council would settle church issues, like the split in Antioch and choosing a proper bishop for Constantinople. Damasus said bishops should not move from one church area to another. He urged Theodosius to choose "a bishop who is above reproach."
Council Meetings
.jpg)
Thirty-six bishops who denied the Holy Spirit's divinity arrived. But they were not allowed into the council. They refused to accept the Nicene Creed.
Since Peter, the Pope of Alexandria, was not there, Meletius, the Patriarch of Antioch, led the council. The first thing the council did was declare Maximus's secret appointment as bishop invalid. They also confirmed Emperor Theodosius's choice of Gregory Nazianzus as Archbishop of Constantinople.
Meletius died soon after the council began. Gregory was then chosen to lead the council. Later, bishops from Egypt and Macedonia arrived. They had supported Maximus. They refused to accept Gregory as head of the Constantinople church. They argued that his move from his previous church area was against church rules. The Council of Nicaea had forbidden bishops from moving their sees (church areas).
Gregory was tired and felt he was losing the trust of the bishops and the emperor. He also made himself unpopular by supporting the losing candidate for the Antioch bishopric. He strongly opposed any compromise with those who had different views.
Instead of fighting, Gregory decided to step down. He said, "Let me be like the Prophet Jonah! I caused the storm, but I will sacrifice myself to save the ship. Grab me and throw me out... I was not happy when I became bishop, and I would gladly step down." He surprised the council with his resignation. He then gave a powerful speech to Theodosius, asking to be released from his duties. The emperor was moved and accepted his resignation. The council asked him to appear one more time for a farewell. Gregory gave a final speech and then left.
Nectarius, a civil official who had not yet been baptized, was chosen to replace Gregory as the council's president.
Council Rules (Canons)
Seven rules, called canons, came from this council. Four of these canons were about beliefs, and three were about church rules. Both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches accept all seven. The Roman Catholic Church accepts only the first four. This is because only the first four appear in the oldest copies. There is also evidence that the last three were added later.
- The first canon strongly condemned all forms of Arianism. It also condemned Macedonianism and Apollinarianism.
- The second canon repeated the Nicene rule. It made bishops follow the limits of their church areas (dioceses and patriarchates).
- The third canon stated: "The Bishop of Constantinople, however, shall have the prerogative of honour after the Bishop of Rome because Constantinople is New Rome." This meant Constantinople's bishop would be second in honor after Rome's.
- The fourth canon declared that Maximus's appointment as Bishop of Constantinople was invalid. It said he "neither was nor is a bishop." This canon was against Maximus and the Egyptian bishops who secretly appointed him.
- The fifth canon might have been passed in 382. It was about a document from the Western bishops, possibly from Pope Damasus I.
- The sixth canon might also be from 382. It was later included in another council as canon 95. It limited how bishops could be accused of wrongdoing.
- The seventh canon explained how certain heretics could be accepted into the church.
Disagreement About the Third Canon
The third canon was a big step for Constantinople. The city was only 50 years old, but its bishop was now given higher honor than the bishops of Antioch and Alexandria. Jerusalem, as the place of the first church, kept its special place.
At first, this canon did not cause arguments. Later, during the Council of Chalcedon in 451, some church leaders referred to it as being in effect. One leader even said he read this canon to the Pope in Rome, and the Pope accepted it.
However, arguments started later. The status of this canon was questioned after disagreements over Canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon. Pope Leo the Great said this canon was never sent to Rome. He also said that lowering the honor of Alexandria and Antioch went against the Nicene council's order.
Over the next few centuries, the Western Church said the Bishop of Rome had the highest authority. By the time of the Great Schism in 1054, the Roman Catholic Church based its claim to be supreme on the idea that its popes were direct successors of St. Peter. At the Fourth Council of Constantinople in 869, Roman representatives said the bishop of Rome had higher honor than Constantinople's bishop.
After the Great Schism in 1054, the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 declared that the Roman Church "holds over all others pre-eminence of ordinary power." This meant it was the "mother and mistress of all the faithful." Roman supremacy over the whole world was officially claimed.
Later, a historian named Baronius said the third canon was not real. But Greeks at the time said it did not claim Rome's supremacy. Instead, it meant Rome was "the first among equals." This is how they still see the Bishop of Constantinople today.
What Happened After the Council?
Many people say that Pope Damasus I held a meeting in 382. This meeting opposed the rules made at the Council of Constantinople. Especially the third canon, which placed Constantinople above Alexandria and Antioch. This meeting protested against raising the new capital's bishop to a higher status. It also said that the Roman see's leadership came from Christ himself, not from a meeting of bishops.
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed is traditionally linked to the Council of Constantinople (381). It is very similar in belief to the Nicene Creed from 325. But it adds two more parts. One part is about the Holy Spirit. It describes Him as "the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, and Who spoke through the prophets." The other part is about the church, baptism, and the resurrection of the dead. You can see the full text of both creeds in the Comparison between Creed of 325 and Creed of 381.
However, experts disagree on how closely this creed is connected to the Council of Constantinople. Some modern experts think this creed was said by the bishops at Constantinople. But they don't think it was an official act of the council. Experts also argue if this creed was just an update of the Nicene Creed. Or if it was an update of another traditional creed that was similar but not exactly the same as the one from Nicaea. In 451, the Council of Chalcedon called this creed "the creed ... of the 150 saintly fathers assembled in Constantinople." This shows that by 451, this creed was linked to the 381 council.
Understanding Jesus' Nature
This council condemned Arianism. This belief started to fade away after more condemnations at a council of Aquileia by Ambrose of Milan in 381. After the ideas about the Trinity were more developed, discussions shifted to Christology. This is the study of Jesus' nature. This would be the main topic of the Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Power Shift from Rome to Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople showed that Rome's influence over the East was decreasing. All three bishops who led the council were from the East. Pope Damasus had considered Meletius and Gregory to be illegitimate bishops. But the Eastern bishops ignored his opinions.
The term 'New Rome' was first used for Constantinople at this council. This term was used to explain why the relatively new church of Constantinople should have higher importance than Alexandria and Antioch. This was "because it is the New Rome."
Remembering the Council
The 150 people at the council are remembered in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on February 17.
The Eastern Orthodox Church in some places, like Russia, has a special day to honor the Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils. This day is the Sunday closest to July 13 and also on May 22.
