Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Councils · On the Authority of Councils, Book I
Chapter 6: The Rejected General Councils
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Conciliis (De Conciliorum Auctoritate), On Councils, Book I (of the controversy On Councils and the Church). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
The first rejected general Council is that of Antioch in the year 345, in the fifth year of Constantius, as is said by Socrates, Book 2 chapter 5, and Sozomen Book 3 chapter 5; in which Athanasius was condemned, and the way opened to the overthrow of the first Council of Nicaea.
It is to be noted that this Council is confounded, by the Summa of the Councils and by others, with certain others. For there were six Councils of Antioch. The first and second against Paul of Samosata, in the time of Pope Dionysius, about the year 269 (see Eusebius, Book 7 of the history, chapters 23, 24, 25, and 26). The third, of the Arians, in the time of Julius I, in the year 345, as we said above. The fourth is of the Macedonians for their heresy, in the year 367, in the time of Pope Liberius (Jerome in the Chronicle). The fifth is a Catholic provincial Council of 30 Bishops, whose 25 canons are had in volume 1 of the Councils; it seems to have been in the time of Jovian and Liberius (see Sozomen, Book 6 chapter 4). The sixth is inserted in act 14 of the Council of Chalcedon.
The second general is that of Milan, of more than 300 Bishops, in the year 354, in the time of the same Constantius, in which also the Catholic faith was obliquely condemned. Rufinus Book 10 chapter 20, Socrates Book 2 chapter 29.
The third general is that of Ariminum, of 600 Bishops, under the same Constantius in the year 363, as Jerome notes in the Chronicle, in which the word homoousion (consubstantial) was taken from the Creed; of which Council the Council of Seleucia in the East was as it were a certain part. See Augustine, Book 3 against Maximinus chapter 14, Jerome against the Luciferians, Ambrose letter 32, Rufinus Book 10 chapter 21, Socrates Book 2 chapter 29, Basil letter 52 to Athanasius.
The fourth is the second of Ephesus, in the time of Theodosius the younger, in the year 449, in which, by the faction of Dioscorus, Saint Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople, was killed, and the Legates of the Roman Pontiff Leo put to flight, and at last the Eutychian heresy confirmed. This Synod was rejected by Leo in his letter to the Clergy and people of Constantinople; likewise to Theodosius; likewise to Pulcheria — which are letters 22, 23, 24, 25. And see the Breviary of Liberatus chapter 12, and Evagrius Book 1 chapters 9 and 10.
The fifth is the Council of Constantinople under Leo the Isaurian against the sacred images, in the year 730, which was the thirteenth of his reign. The Council is rejected; for none of the Patriarchs was present, except Saint Germanus, who yet did not consent, and therefore was cast down from his see of Constantinople.
The sixth is the Council of Constantinople under Constantine Copronymus, in the year 755. There came together 338 Bishops, but none of the Patriarchs was present, except the Pseudo-bishop of Constantinople. It was defined in the Council that the images of Christ and the Saints were to be abolished. This Council was rejected in the Seventh Synod, act 6. See of these two Councils of Constantinople Paul the Deacon, Books 21 and 22 of Roman affairs, and Zonaras in the annals.
You will also observe that this Synod is falsely called by some the third of Ephesus — as by the author of the Summa of the Councils at the beginning of the Seventh Synod, and by Sixtus of Siena, Book 5 of the Holy Library, annotation 247. For all the ancients call it the Constantinopolitan, and this very thing is most clearly plain from that very Council, which is read inserted in the Seventh Synod, act 6. The cause of the error seems to have been that over that profane Synod presided Theodosius, Bishop of Ephesus.
The seventh is the Council of Pisa in the year 1511, gathered by the Emperor and the King of France, and some Cardinals, against Julius II, and rejected a little after in the Lateran Council under Julius II, sessions 2 and 3.
The eighth may be numbered the Council of Wittenberg, which the Lutherans call a general one of 300 pastors, Luther presiding, in the year 1536. See Cochlaeus in the acts of Luther, and Surius in his commentary on the things done in the world in the year 1536.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VI. Concilia generalia reprobata. Primum generale reprobatum, est Conci¬ lium Antiochenum anno 345, in anno quinto Constantii, ut dicitur a Socrate lib. II, cap. 5. et Sozomeno lib. III, cap. 5. in quo dam¬ natus est Athanasius, et via patefacta ad eversionem Concilii Nicseni Primi. Notandum est autem, a summa Concilio¬ rum, et ab aliis confundi hoc Concilium cum aliis quibusdam. Sex enim fuerunt Concilia Antiochena. Primum et secundum contra Paulum Samosatenum, tempore Dionysii Papae, circa annum 269. Yide Eusebium lib. Y1I hist. cap. 23, 24, 25 et 26. Tertium Aria- norum, tempore Julii I, anno 345, ut supra diximus. Quartum est Macedonianorum pro sua haeresi anno 367, tempore Liberii Papae. Hieronymus in Chronico. Quintum est Ca¬ tholicum provinciale Episcoporum 30, cujus canones 25 habentur in tom. I Conciliorum. Yidetur fuisse tempore Jovimani, et Liberii. Yide Sozomenum lib. YI, cap. 4. Sextum est insertum act. 14. Concilii Chalcedonen- sis. Secundum generale est Mediolanense Epis¬ coporum plusquam 300, anno 354, tem¬ pore ejusdem Constantii, in quo etiam obli¬ que fides Catholica damnata est. Ruffinus lib. X, cap. 20. Socrates lib. II, cap. 29. Tertium generale est Ariminense Episco¬ porum 600, sub eodem Constantio anno 363, ut notat Hieronymus in Chronico, in quo sublatum est de Symbolo nomen opoovi-io ? : hujus Concilii fuit quasi pars quaedam Se- leuciense in Oriente. Yide Augustinum lib. III contra Maximinum, cap. 14. Hierony¬ mum contra Luciferianos. Ambrosium epist. 32. Ruffinum lib. X, cap. 21. Socratem lib. II, cap. 29. Basilium epistol. 52. ad Atha- nasium. Quartum estEphesinumll, tempore Theo¬ dosii junioris anno 449, in quo, factione Dioscori, occisus est S. Flavianus Episcopus Constantinopolitanus ; et Legati Romani Pontificis Leonis fugati, ac demum haeresis Eutychiana confirmata. Reprobata est haec Synodus a Leone in epistola ad Clerum et populum Constantinopolifcanum ; Item ad Theodosium ; item ad Pulchcriam, quae sunt 22, 23, 24, 25, et Yide Breviarium Liberati cap. 12. et Evagrium lib. I, cap. 9 et 10. Quintum est Concilium Constantinopolita- num sub Leone Isauro contra sacras imagi¬ nes anno 730, qui fuit tertiusdecimus Impe¬ rii ejusdem. Concilium est reprobatum : Nam non interfuit ullus Patriarcharum, excepto S. Germano, qui tamen non consensit, et ideo a sua sede Constantinopolitana dejec¬ tus est. Sextum est Concilium Constantinopolita- num sub Constantino Copronymo, et anno 755. Convenerunt autem Episcopi 338, sed nullus adfuit Patriarcharum, excepto Pseu- doepiscopo Constantinopolitano. Definitum est in Concilio, abolendas esse Christi et Sanctorum imagines. Reprobatum est hoc Concilium in VII Synodo act. 6. Yide de his duobus Conciliis Constanfcinopolitanis Pau¬ lum Diaconum lib. XXI et XXII rerum Ro¬ manarum, et Zonaram in annalibus. Illud etiam observabis, hanc Synodum falso a nonnullis vocari tertiam Ephesinam, ut ab auctore summae Conciliorum in prin¬ cipio YII Synodi, et a Sixto Senensi lib. V bibliothecae sanctae annotat. 247. Nam om¬ nes antiqui eam vocant Constantinopolita- nam, et id ipsum clarissime patet ex isto ipso Concilio, quod insertum legitur in YII Sy¬ nodo act. 6. Causa erroris videtur fuisse, quia isti profanae Synodo praesedit Theodo¬ sius Episcopus Ephesinus. • Septimum est Concilium Pisanum anno 1511, congregatum ab Imperatore et Rege Galliae, et aliquot Cardinalibus contra Ju¬ lium II, et reprobatum paulo post in Conci¬ lio Lateranensi sub Julio II, sess. 2 et 3. Octavum numerari potest Concilium Wit- tembergense, quod Lutherani generale vo¬ cant 300 pastorum, praeside Luthero anno 1536. Vide Cochlaeum in actis Lutheri, et Surium in commentario rerum in orbe ges¬ tarum anno 1536.