The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History

Read this and know the true theological facts behind the structure of the Catholic system.

Church Councils span some two thousand years of trying to define details of the Roman Church (except for the earlier Councils which were all inclusive) and its belief systems. This is done against significant political backdrops. Nicea was mandated by Constantine amidst the complexity of early Christology, and then as the West dominated, the Medieval ones dealt with the improvement in quality of the religious, to Trent and the Reformation and then to Vatican I and then Vatican II.This book presents the issues, the highlights, the principals, and some of the conflicts. It does not delve into details so if that is what you are seeking this is not is. However as a first introduction this is superb.I did not sense any inclination to shape the narrative. It seems to present a fair, balanced and complete discussion of all of the Councils. If one seeks more detail, it is available but most like more difficult to digest. Also to obtain the detail it is critical to understand the details of the historical environment. For example, the Avignon papacy is highly complex in the development of the French monarchy as well as the other changes in European culture and politics.Yet for an initial introduction this is one of the best I have seen and worth the read.

In this work, Kelly has crafted a readable and succinct, “greatest hits” examination of the 21 councils considered to be ecumenical by the Roman Catholic Church. As suggested in the introduction, councils need to be understood within their historical framework and Kelly carefully offers the important historical moments that link each council to the next. Clearly, the councils are not stand-alone events; they arise from the situation of the church and the will of the pope. For example, Kelly notes several occurrences between the Council of Constantinople (381) and the Council of Ephesus (431) that created the need for a council; Rome was sacked, Christian asceticism lead to the development of monasticism, and the rise of heresies (Gnosticism, Apollinarianism, and Nestorianism) lead to a need to deal with theological issues. All of these created the historical moment where a council was called upon to stabilize, strengthen, and clarify issues that directly impacted the Church. As Kelly emphasizes, councils do not seek to explain mysteries of Christianity, but to help establish a collective understanding. No doubt, Kelly himself contributes to the understanding of faith and the Church with his own summaries and analyses of the councils offered in this volume.

Good read to understand basic outline of Councils. There are many unfamiliar words to me . homoousins? Monarchian theologians?Could someone recommend a Catholic Dictionary for these type words? Hahn's is good but only covers common English Catholic definitions.

does not tell the hole story. only what makes the church look good. does not have the council of ancyra or elvira or toliado. do not buy