Synods and Ecumenical councils

[billcu1]

What’s the difference in an ecumenical council, like Vatican II. And a synod like the Synod of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the one coming up next year on young people? Are there different levels of teachings that are being instituted? What are we as the laity going to get out of this?

 

[Genesis315]

“Synod” and “Council” are synonyms really and just mean a gathering of bishops–they may gather for all sorts of purposes. An Ecumenical Council (also called a General Council) is a gathering of all the bishops of the world (or at least a sufficiently representative number if they all can’t make it) that exercises the supreme teaching and governing authority of the Church. The Council of Jerusalem was a special version of one of these since it was a synod of the Apostles.

Other synods or councils may be local and make local decisions. For example, the famous Baltimore Catechism was promulgated for use in the USA by the Third Council of Baltimore, a synod of just US bishops. The canon of Scripture was actually first approved by a series of local Councils in Carthage, Hippo, and Rome.

The synod planned for the upcoming year is a synod convened to advise the Pope made up of bishops from various places, but not all bishops. Vatican II, an Ecumenical Council, decided that these advisory meetings should take place periodically (since the Pope is not omniscient and travel is now easy, it makes sense for him to get feedback from bishops elsewhere in the world from time to time).

 

[commenter]

An ecumenical council has more authority than a synod. Synods have long been around, but in the RCC have been as delegated to handle a local issue specific to one area, such as the US meeting at Baltimore. Since Vatican II, synods of bishops from around the world have gathered at the Vatican, to handle a special assigned topic.

I believe the reason these modern synods take place is that it was felt there was too long a time between Trent, and incomplete Vatican I, and Vatican II. The world was changing, so a special office was established at the Vatican for future synods. But they are advisory only.

The “Council” or “synod” at Jerusalem is in a somewhat separate category since it is in the Bible. Many Protestants who reject any “Council” authority do accept this council, not because it is a council but because it is in the Bible. Other Protestants accept the authority of certain, always the earliest, councils. Eastern Orthodox accept the authority of certain councils and synods, not necessarily the same as Rome.

The canon of Scripture was actually first approved by a series of local Councils in Carthage, Hippo, and Rome.

The decision to “authorize” these councils, and approve their recommendations for the NT canon, was made by the Magisterium. I suppose the Gnostic Christians had councils that “approved” other books for the New Testament, but you won’t find those books in your Catholic bible.

 

[Genesis315]

The decision to “authorize” these councils, and approve their recommendations for the NT canon, was made by the Magisterium. I suppose the Gnostic Christians had councils that “approved” other books for the New Testament, but you won’t find those books in your Catholic bible.

Not to be too pedantic, but those councils are part of the Magisterium–the Magisterium is just a Latin word to signify “teaching authority” and that is exercised by bishops. The Magisterium isn’t above the bishops–it is the bishops. Each bishop alone or in council exercises this authority. The teaching of bishops is part of the normal, always functioning, ordinary Magisterium of the Church. Of course, a bishop must be in communion with the Bishop of Rome to exercise this authority (obviously non-Catholic bishops have no teaching authority). Of course, an individual bishop or local synod is not infallible and is therefore subject to correction by the supreme teaching authority. This supreme authority is exercised by the entire college of bishops together or by its head alone. In the case of the canon, there was no correction needed and it was received peacefully by the rest of the Church (and later confirmed at multiple ecumenical Councils).