Voting about God in Early Church CouncilsIn this study, Ramsay MacMullen steps aside from the well-worn path that previous scholars have trod to explore exactly how early Christian doctrines became official. Drawing on extensive verbatim stenographic records, he analyzes the ecumenical councils from A.D. 325 to 553, in which participants gave authority to doctrinal choices by majority vote. The author investigates the sometimes astonishing bloodshed and violence that marked the background to church council proceedings, and from there goes on to describe the planning and staging of councils, the emperors' role, the routines of debate, the participants' understanding of the issues, and their views on God's intervention in their activities. He concludes with a look at the significance of the councils and their doctrinal decisions within the history of Christendom. |
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - timspalding - LibraryThingI had high expectations for this book. The topic is fascinating. I'd enjoyed a number of MacMullen's other books. I shelled out full price for the hardback and eagerly awaited its arrival. But I have ... Read full review
Contents
| 1 | |
2 The democratic element | 12 |
3 The cognitive element | 24 |
4 The supernaturalist element | 41 |
5 The violent element | 56 |
6 Preliminaries | 67 |
7 Councils in action | 78 |
Summary | 113 |
Notes | 119 |
| 155 | |
| 167 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acclamations acta Alexandria Ambrose Antioch Aquileia Arian Ariminum Arius ascetics assembly Athanasius Basil belief called Carthage Chadwick Chalcedon Chap Christ Christian Chron church clergy conciliar Constantine Constantinople Cple creed CSEL curse Cyril debate definition deposed Dioscorus dispute divine doctrinal Donatists eastern Egyptian emperor empire’s Ephesus Epiphanius episcopal Eusebius Eusebius of Dorylaeum Eutyches Evagrius exile faith Fathers fifth century figure find first Flavian flesh flow fourth century God’s Greek Gryson Hamilton and Brooks Hefele heretic Hilary hoi polloi Holy Council homoousios Ibas ibid imperial influence Jerusalem Justinian Lancel later MacMullen 1997 Mansi mass meeting monks Monophysite nature Nestorian Nestorius Nicaea Nicene officials one’s ordinary bishops Orientals orthodox ousia parisina participants party passim person Philostorgius Pietri Pneuma presiding provinces quoted read aloud Reverend Bishops shouted Roman Rome Schwartz scripture secular Serdica session significance Sirmium sort synodal letter Theodoret theological Vita vote words
Bibliographic information
| Title | Voting about God in Early Church Councils |
| Author | Ramsay MacMullen |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Yale University Press, 2006 |
| ISBN | 0300135297, 9780300135299 |
| Length | 170 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / General Religion / Christian Church / Administration Religion / Christian Church / History Religion / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |