New-York tribune., 1867-09-18
rur GLNrRAL coryclLs or THE oHrEcH


Alto, q neriod of more than 800 years 'i'e
Vopc has sicnifcd his intention oil hoi'lns -
r,nrcn of the Church. 1t will be the 2y'h UcI1i,'
C,,,,.,l r.coopiz.d by the Roman Catholic ChIcn'
I'm IA. in won lcrlul contrast to all tha' nave
r.c.l.l IL. The last general council was the famous
So,p,u Of Trent occaioncd 10y the Icioil"iUHi Ut
Martin Luther. then sWeeph- "'v, ,,s5 - c,,r1d Le
hc wonderful 30 years oel2ic i' 'Tre corUcils are
saved or its success Tctaiu'l' IN ;,,;r,;,,o tlc
s,U Il c.crwcnical. from Greek W"lc' @ w
iqhitahc earth, and are coh";;r a. i ' - r, @ ~ con-
~ nCCh,.tcdom: but this name ls Olteil gwen 10 ~
.N,t,cr. al q less universal import. NAth thD
Cnuci of Trent was held the dark ages ll2u !og g o
,a,,,d the CUsades were ended ana lie l,,t, lltCa
ino wears had been NCaIs Ot uncNdnWcu pITtIaaT
Id uro.I... both material and nielo. lMudl' M Init,
.ll filings considered the d0WnIall OF .o,,s VIC ond
Roman Empire, the conquCsts GI 'HV ,ii9Tds and
Turks thc iucui.iOus Of the huns, lOl'31t Ci,aIio
FrnLs controlled for n moment ny lilc blD"r S to
,pqeto and the romantic wars fol Iie 81 so,,ec
ifi,- lac progress IN every t'' tio
az nrosI.-~ Of the 200 years altciioi ~ ~ nv 80 c a.
Grcnt was great u hot 1--we succeeded That
Lo1stcd three centuries Nhl'h ia IC stttCV NV f,,,6
Courcil for the first time since Ol'ta,iC' ti iv t
Europe presenting an cStahlsheu lohtiC"l lSOO'' i''
gI tLc States bound together hA tc 'ICa ol " IN
co., ,.1r;or and controlled in their intercourse WIN
,ur another hy the principles ol MteIh"tlVdl @ laW'
a. no nineteenth century does not find cNlz4uon,
society rc gion, and government. tle % %maI3'lii o
lud Questions of personal ana lllol' lVu'i ~
,,i.'rt tte siNtccnth century left them, neith,,i
were the preceding three centuries less ULul Iu "I
,aucing the standard above what the lhI'een'h
Wcy5 i tIc Cognci of Trent was held America had
,,,,f noon discovered hut this was accomplishing ne
f,re tbe close of the century. and IN ms achlcNe-
mcUi SID be found tAc eit,t ConI%S' O'f f ~ i
nineteenth aud twentleth General OOuliSiiS ol tlo
Church lu Europe the first lOQ years Oi TINS new
era were consumed in religious mchermss anH hiu
tual pei,l lons, but the colonial system ol NI9
and alfrrvaId of the Netherlands, OF France ah0 "I
ENGLAND which, moro even than the hGlolh't!9H
itself will distinguish this epoch had pante9 Ihe
standard ol the Church in the West; and here Ie Ione
was 90 have her greatest tlumphS' con- tetttiHSi
through the instrumcntaHty OF me HocIiN Ln L
f,f
,Ivacc- of the ST. Lawrence. the MISSISSIPPI ana
the MISUNDERSTANDING the thrones Oh me
Iuc3s and slpnTeSsng the lanes OF TIE AItcC
,r;rstbond and making the United states very
foot STOOL Of the Papacy, main naulng The NeclapIe
symbols oi the catacombs ana the DiSlllcS sue ny
side with the scyerer forms observed by the llucSgc
not, i'm the CaronaS and the IurltanS OF NEVILLE
Gland And now. for the first time in the history OF
the Church and the world, the bishops or inns new
domain where Rome had recovered more thah she
lost by the Reformation, Will slt down III coUhcll
with the leprcsentauves oi secs as ?Io - au,oSy ,s
Christianity itself. and distinguished IN every cOuli-
ci since the inst Council OF Nice III the 1ouflh
Tic First General Council was held at Jerusaemby
tie Apostles about the middle of the first century.
General Councils do not create new dOgmas mt m
terpIct the meaning of the Scripture, ana aGJGdge
questions of schsm and heresy, belief ana dlsclpme'
The decree of the Council of Jerusalem was remark
ably pointed and was addressed to the Gentics OF
Antioch and SYRIA. The occasion OF the council was
The question of circumcision, aud the decree was as
follows For it seemed good TO the Holy Ghost anu
ouS 10 lay upon YOU no greater burden lah slieSJ @
9
10 idols and from blood and from things strnGied'
and from formcatiOnD - -
the first Council of Nice III hthynla was held III tle
wear o. ITOtesants regard TINS as I5 Ilst ueISI ~
Council twas called together by the LnlTIoIC l C oU
,tantiue 10 settle the Aum c0ntroNclsy as lne Gun
c at Jerusalem had been called 10 Scttle NE question
Of circumcision, and was attended by olS bishops;
a." Cburrb adopted the celebrated word HOm00asiOH
which affirmed that the Father ana the son WeIo
consubStautial, or of the same substance: Ihe doc
fvf,t. -fffI AYf ms err
ATius himself was deprived OF his oee; ana OahlsISu
into Of the remote provinces Ol lliylcuD. Ils
writings were ordered TO be burned. ana II was mace
"A capital OflcnSc to read them COhSl3luhc, hiiii-
self was present at the council ana 6ooh an
active part in It's deliberations, but OsluS;
favorite general, seems 10 have presided. Ihe
Nicenc Creed was ratified by the Emperor, Dut
this celebrated formula OF faith Is not the same nov
known as Ncene The creed now used III Catholic
and Protestant churches under that name Is an eN-
emphcaion of the one made at Nice, and was drawn
up at Constantinope III .3Sl. NOtVlthst9n9hg Con-
stantine had ratified possibly prompted, the action
of the Council of Nice, he was baptized before ms
Nicomedia and had received ATiuS INTO favor and
protected his followers, before the death OF Ia re-
nowned Preshyter. second council was held al
Nice in Isl. which is recognized 10y the Roman Cath
olics as the Eighth General Council. IL was as
senbled by Pope Adrian L. AZ the desire OF l1 the
Empress Irene, who obliged by her husband TO ahan
don the worship of images to winch she had oeel
educated. manifested her zeal by obtaining from th'
Council declaration that the vcnelatlon ol image,
and of the cross was agreeable TO scripture 'ho
reason.
Constantnople, was held in ISL. and was convened
by the Emperor ThcOdOsius at the instance Of Pope
St Damascus. IL this Council which put the
Nccue Creed in the formula II has since retained.
seven CanOnS were agreed upon, bur ITS most import
ant action was the declaration that aYmas Cynlcu>,
Bi,hop of Constantiuople had not been c0nsccratcd
and the installation Of ST. Gregory Nazianzan in That
important See and the acceptance OF the DEGREES OF
the Council of Nice
tinople were held the First Council of EphesuS and
the Couucil Chalcedon. The disputes concerning the
Trinity, settled at Nice, followed 10y those re-
lang 10 the Incarnation, and the first Council of
Ephcsus was assembled in 81 TO condemn the heTesy
oi Nc,tOllus, bishop of COnSt tan1lnople. Ii was
called by the Emperor Theodosius H.. aud was pre-
sided over by ST. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria. Ncs-
tOrius maintained that there was a great distinction
between Christ the Son Of God and Christ the Son
pf Man. in other words. between the humanity OF
the MgsT Christ and the divinity Of the Lord Jesus
and that the Virgin Mary could only be called
mother Of ChriSt and not mother OF Cod" Glib
bon describes the Council. which lasted only q single
day as the scene of much confusion. and NestOIius
condemned and dCpOSed with 1guOmlnH. lhc
second Council of Ephesus held i'm 40 was not
Car.,.I Courc1 I,ut doai+ ,,.ith H. conc
general questions the which had preceded IL,
and was much more violent as 10 be called LdhO-
rEiHm. TObbcr synod and led TO the Fifth General
Council. that of ChalcedOn III 4jl. 1t called at
the request of the Emperor MaTcian 10 counerac the
bad effects OF the synod of 40 IN which DIOscurus u
fierce soldier. but Jealous disciple Of Eutychcs had
caused flayiIn. the Byzantine pOntit 10 be gwen 10
Wild beasts. Eutychcs was the head OF the party OPP
posed 10 Ncstns bnt i'm his zeal fOr the singlene,s
ofpcrSon i'm Christ, led TO avOw also that he pos
scssCd but nature. Pope Leo refused 20 rcc0g-
nIc the Synod Of 40. and in the General Council Of
Chalccdon the doctrines OF both NcStorius and Euty
The Sixth Gcrcral Council, the second Of Constan-
tmOplc embed in 81, two Years after the Council
of ChalCcdon, TO consider further the same general
questions before that Council, but especially 10 cN-
anime the writings of Theodore of MOpsucstia which
were condemned rs containing the lcreoieS of AruS,
Nc,touus and Others The seventh General Council
was held 40 (0Usantnoplo IN $50. lis object was 10
lut an end 10 lEe dsesions 0ccasloned O{ the doc