| Fourth Council of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Date | 879–880 |
| Accepted by | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Previous council | Second Council of Nicaea |
Next council | Fifth Council of Constantinople |
| Convoked by | EmperorBasil I |
| Attendance | 383 bishops |
| Topics | Photius' patriarchate |
Documents and statements | Restoration of Photius, protection of Nicene creed |
| Chronological list of ecumenical councils | |
TheFourth Council of Constantinople was held in 879–880. It confirmed the reinstatement ofPhotius I aspatriarch of Constantinople.
The result of this council is accepted by theEastern Orthodox as having the authority of anecumenical council.[1] Eastern Orthodox sometimes call it theeighth ecumenical council.[2]
The Council settled the dispute that had broken out after the deposition ofIgnatius asPatriarch of Constantinople in 858. Ignatius, himself appointed to his office in an uncanonical manner, opposedCaesarBardas, who had deposed the regentTheodora. In response, Bardas' nephew, the youthful EmperorMichael III engineered Ignatius's deposition and confinement on the charge of treason. The patriarchal throne was filled withPhotius, a renowned scholar and kinsman of Bardas. The deposition of Ignatius without a formalecclesiastical trial and the sudden promotion of Photius caused scandal in the church.Pope Nicholas I and the western bishops took up the cause of Ignatius and condemned Photius' election as uncanonical. In 863, at a synod in Rome the pope deposed Photius, and reappointed Ignatius as the rightful patriarch. However, Photius enjoined the support of the Emperor and responded by calling a Council and excommunicating the pope.[citation needed]
This state of affairs changed when Photius's patrons, Bardas and Emperor Michael III, were murdered in 866 and 867, respectively, byBasil the Macedonian, who now usurped the throne. Photius was deposed as patriarch, not so much because he was a protégé of Bardas and Michael, but because Basil was seeking an alliance with the Pope and the western emperor. Photius was removed from his office and banished about the end of September 867, and Ignatius was reinstated on 23 November. Photius was condemned by aCouncil held at Constantinople from 5 October 869 to 28 February 870. Photius was deposed and barred from the patriarchal office, while Ignatius was reinstated.[citation needed]
After the death ofIgnatius in 877, theEmperor madePhotius againPatriarch of Constantinople.[3] A council was convened in 879, held atConstantinople, comprising the representatives ofall the five patriarchates, includingthat of Rome (all in all 383bishops). Anthony Edward Siecienski writes: "In 879 the emperor called for another council to meet in Constantinople in the hopes that the new pope,John VIII (872-882) would recognize the validity of Photius's claim upon the patriarchate. This council, sometimes called the eighth ecumenical in the East was attended by the papal legates (who had brought with them a gift from the pope—apallium for Photius) and by over 400 bishops, and who immediately confirmed Photius as rightful patriarch."[2]
The council also implicitly condemned the addition of theFilioque to theNicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, an addition rejected at that time in Rome: "The Creed (without thefilioque) was read out and a condemnation pronounced against those who 'impose on it their own invented phrases [ἰδίας εὑρεσιολογίαις] and put this forth as a common lesson to the faithful or to those who return from some kind of heresy and display the audacity to falsify completely [κατακιβδηλεῦσαι άποθρασυνθείη] the antiquity of this sacred and venerableHoros [Rule] with illegitimate words, or additions, or subtractions'."[4] Eastern Orthodox Christians argue that thereby the council condemned not only the addition of theFilioque clause to the creed but also denounced the clause as heretical (a view strongly espoused by Photius in his polemics against Rome), while Roman Catholics separate the two and insist on the theological orthodoxy of the clause. According to non-Catholic Philip Schaff, "To the Greek acts was afterwards added a (pretended) letter of Pope John VIII to Photius, declaring the Filioque to be an addition which is rejected by the church of Rome, and a blasphemy which must be abolished calmly and by degrees."[5]
The council was held in the presence ofpapal legates, who approved of the proceedings.[6]
Roman Catholic historianFrancis Dvornik argues that the pope accepted the acts of the council and annulled those of theCouncil of 869–870. Other Catholic historians, such asWarren Carroll, dispute this view, arguing that the pope rejected the council. Siecienski says that the Pope gave only a qualified assent to the acts of the council.[4]Philip Schaff opines that the pope, deceived by his legates about the actual proceedings, first applauded the emperor but later denounced the council.[5] In any case, the Pope had already accepted the reinstatement ofPhotius as Patriarch.[2]
On 8 March 870, three days after the end of the council, the papal and Eastern delegates met with theBulgarian ambassadors led by thekavhanPeter to decide the status of theBulgarian Orthodox Church. Since the Bulgarians were not satisfied with the positions of the Pope after prolonged negotiations, they reached favorable agreement with the Byzantines and the decision was taken that the Bulgarian Church should becomeEastern Christian.[7]
ThePhotian Schism (863–867) that led to the councilsof 869 and 879 represents a break between East and West. While the previousseven ecumenical councils are recognized as ecumenical and authoritative by both East and West, many Eastern Orthodox Christians recognize the council of 879 as the Eighth Ecumenical Council, arguing that it annulled the earlier one.[2] This council is referred to as Ecumenical in theEncyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs of 1848.[8] TheCatholic Church, however, recognizes thecouncil of 869 as the eighth ecumenical council and does not place the council of 879 among its ecumenical councils.[9]
