Are all ecumenical councils universal?

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MartyrForJesus

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How do you respond to a protestant who says :
The Apocrypha was not officially accepted by the Church at a ‘universal council’ until 1546 at the Council of Trent. The Church accepted the Apocryphal books at the earlier councils of Rome in 382AD, Hippo in 393AD, Cathage in AD397 and Florence in 1442AD, but these councils were not universal Church councils.
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I thought all Ecumenical Councils were universally binding?
 
They don’t have to be universal for them to be binding. There is also the fact that the Council of Trent changed nothing concerning the number and order of the books which were approved at the earlier Councils. Tell him that the Council of Jerusalem wasn’t universally binding either.

Now, the decisions of Ecumenical Councils are universally binding, if they pertain to Faith and Morals, however some of the pastoral decisions are not.
 
LumenGent said:
They don’t have to be universal for them to be binding. There is also the fact that the Council of Trent changed nothing concerning the number and order of the books which were approved at the earlier Councils. Tell him that the Council of Jerusalem wasn’t universally binding either.

Now, the decisions of Ecumenical Councils are universally binding, if they pertain to Faith and Morals, however some of the pastoral decisions are not.
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Thank you!
 
Perhaps the confusion is over what constitutes an “ecumenical council” or a “universal council.” Neither Protestants nor the Orthodox consider the Council of Trent or the Council of Florence to be ecumenical or universal. Furthermore, the councils held at Rome in 382AD, Hippo in 393AD, and Carthage in AD397 are not deemed to be ecumenical by Protestants, Orthodox, or Catholics.
 
MartyrForJesus said:
How do you respond to a protestant who says :

The Apocrypha was not officially accepted by the Church at a ‘universal council’ until 1546 at the Council of Trent. The Church accepted the Apocryphal books at the earlier councils of Rome in 382AD, Hippo in 393AD, Cathage in AD397 and Florence in 1442AD, but these councils were not universal Church councils.

I thought all Ecumenical Councils were universally binding?
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The first two were not Ecumenical Councils, and I’m not aware that Florence made declarations on the canon of Scripture.

Nevertheless, when the Catholic Church defines a dogma, that is an indication that this particular belief has been held for a very long time. Perhaps research some hand-written Bibles from before the Protestant Revolution, and check their canon. If it matches with the current Catholic canon, then you have your answer.
 
RyanBlack said:
Perhaps the confusion is over what constitutes an “ecumenical council” or a “universal council.” Neither Protestants nor the Orthodox consider the Council of Trent or the Council of Florence to be ecumenical or universal. Furthermore, the councils held at Rome in 382AD, Hippo in 393AD, and Carthage in AD397 are not deemed to be ecumenical by Protestants, Orthodox, or Catholics.
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I notice that you are Eastern Orthodox, but I don’t think it matters when talking about the early Councils. Anyway, how would you respond to that claim if it was thrown at you?
 
MartyrForJesus said:
I notice that you are Eastern Orthodox, but I don’t think it matters when talking about the early Councils. Anyway, how would you respond to that claim if it was thrown at you?
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I’m not Eastern Orthodox, I’m Eastern Catholic. I’m not saying that the Councils held at Rome, Carthage, and Hippo are not authoritative, however, they are not ecumenical or general councils. So I would say that they lack the same force of authority as the ecumenical councils.
 
MartyrForJesus said:
I notice that you are Eastern Orthodox, but I don’t think it matters when talking about the early Councils. Anyway, how would you respond to that claim if it was thrown at you?
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He is Eastern Catholic, not Eastern Orthodox. Just sayin’.
 
RyanBlack said:
I’m not Eastern Orthodox, I’m Eastern Catholic. I’m not saying that the Councils held at Rome, Carthage, and Hippo are not authoritative, however, they are not ecumenical or general councils. So I would say that they lack the same force of authority as the ecumenical councils.
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My mistake. Read it incorrectly. Thanks for the info.
 
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