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Show - " ? CHURCH COUNCILSThe COUNCILS COUNCILSThe Thefirst The first first ecumenical ecumemcal ( geneial genelal general or universal umversal ) ) coun coun- counCIl counciI council - cil ciI of the Christian ChUlchas chuich ChUlch church \ - was \\-as as called by the Emperor Em- Em Emperor Em Emperor - peror Constantine at NICem Nice NICe- - , , in m Asia Minoi MmoI Minos , , in the year v.ear325 vear325 . ear 325 , for the purpose of defining defimng the Chustian Chustfan Christian faIth faIthand faithand faithand and dealInguth dealing \ with \uth uth the alleged heresy of Anus Arms ofAle'candria of ofAle"iandrm ofAlexandria Ale"iandrm Aleiandrm Ale'candria Alecandria " ' and his lus followersAnus followersAnus followers followersAnus Anus contended that there is a difference be- be bet"een between be between - tween t"een teen " the Father and Son , , making makmg the latter secon secon- secondar secondary secondary - dar dary ' The orthodox orthodo > . view " was .as as . and still stIli is 15 , that the thet thetw thetwo t\\ t tw \ t0 0 o aI aie e a in all 1 i lespects esrects equalLittle equalLittle equal equalLittle Little is known kno\\D kno D \ \ of the pr proceedings eedmgs of the councIl councIle.cept councilexcept councilexcept e\.cept e.cept e .cept cept except . \ . that theyere they \ were \\ere ere marked b bi by } bitter contro"rerles controrerles contro"rerlesamong controrer controversiesamong " ; : , ies iesamong among the bishops piesent plesent , , finaUy finally fina11 : ' resulting resultmg in the theadoption theadoption theadoption adoption of the Nicene Nlccne Creed , , sustaining sustammg the ortho ortho- orthodo orthodox orthodox - do dox > . opinion opmlO11 by a decisive decIS1"re decIS1re " ' \ vote voteOther ote- ote oteOther oteOther - Other ecumenical councils \ were ere held from bme time bmeto timeto timeto to time bme , usinlly uSlnlly usutilly foi fOl for the purpose of dealing dealmg with with.heresy withheresy with.heresy withheresy .heresy heresy . . and schism sch15m , , 01 or for further decid'ng decidng decidIng ' matters offaith or of orfaith offaith faith and discipline Twenty such councils are recognized re- re recogmzed re recognized - cognized cogmzed by the Catholic church , , while wluIe Protestantchurches Protestant Protestantchurches Protestantchurches churches recognize recogruze the authority authol1ty of only the first firstfour firstfour firstfour four , , the Church of England the first five and the theGreek theGreek theGreek Greek chuich chUlch church the first seven se\en se en seen \ Decisions of ecumenical ecumenicalcotmcIIs ecumenicalcouncils ecumenicalcouncils cotmcIIs councils \ ' were 'acre acre ere supposed sup'posed ' to have been guided by the theHol theHoly theHoly Hol Holy } ' Ghost and hence infallible mfalhble mfalhbleThe infallibleThe infallibleThe The last general council of the Catholic church - - - - - - . - - - - - mat- mat matters matters mat matters - ' I 1D )1870"decrccd"the 1870decrccdthe in)1870'decrccd'the in1870decrccdthe nP ) O " ' decrccdsthe ' " infallibility of the Pope in ters of or ' faith 1'aith 1aith and morals moralswhich , -which which - decree seems to torender torender torender for such purposes un- un unnecessary un unnecessary . - render any further councils councUs necessary for that church |