Over the centuries, the Christian church has often held gatherings to address important matters and to solve problems that arose. These meetings, called synods, have ranged in size and scope throughout Christian history. Some, like the Council of Nicaea, affected almost all of Christendom, while others may have only affected regional matters.
The First Synod
The first synod is generally considered to be what has become known as the Council of Jerusalem. Held in about 50 CE, it is recorded in the book of Acts in the New Testament. At this council, the church leaders (which included Apostles who were the direct disciples of Jesus, such as Peter and James) dealt with the issue as to how “Jewish” the religion should be, deciding that many of the Jewish customs were not necessary for Christians to follow. James himself was the head of the council, and made one of the deciding speeches:
“19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” – Acts 15:19-21 ESV
The Earliest Synods After the New Testament
Up until the mid-200s CE, we know that there were general local church synods, but scant records exist, most from the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea. Some councils were held in the mid-150s to deal with the Montanist heresy, particularly at Hierapolis and Anchialus.
The Councils of Rome in 155 and 193 CE, and the Council of Ephesus in 193 CE apparently were over the issues of when Easter should be celebrated, a common controversy of the church in its early years known as the Quartodeciman Controversy.
Two other Councils with minimal records are the Councils of Arabia held in 246 and 247 CE, dealing with issues of the death of the soul. The theologian Origen of Alexandria apparently attended both of the Councils of Arabia.
The Oldest Synod on Record
The Council of Carthage, held in 251 CE (and a related one in 256 CE) is the oldest council of which we have records. St Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, called a council to deal with Christians who left the faith (generally known as apostates, specifically called lapsi). Many Christians had left the faith over fear of persecution from the Roman Emperor Decius, and wanted to return after the emperor died, causing some controversy within the church as to how they should be accepted back, if at all. The controversy went so far as to have both sides of the issue electing their own Pope.
The synods would eventually conclude that the lapsi would need to be re-baptized to be rea-admitted back into the church. Some fragments dating back to the late 300s of St Cyprian’s account are still in existence.
Antioch: The Site for the Most Councils
The city which appears to have had the earliest councils was the same city in which the term “Christian” was coined during the New Testament era – Antioch. The councils held at Antioch also anticipate what became the most important council of the early church, the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. The councils of Antioch dealt with several controversies regarding the nature of Jesus Christ and the Trinity, as well as matters regarding clergy authority and succession.
