On This Day

4th Council of Constantinople (8th Ecumenical Council) opens

An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other...

An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote are convoked from the whole world (oikoumene) and which secures the approbation of the whole Church.

The word "ecumenical" derives from the Late Latin oecumenicus "general, universal", from Greek oikoumenikos "from the whole world", from he oikoumene ge "the inhabited world" (as known to the ancient Greeks); the Greeks and their neighbors, considered as developed human society (as opposed to barbarian lands); in later use "the Roman world" and in the Christian sense in ecclesiastical Greek, from oikoumenos, present passive participle of oikein...

Events Before

  1. Boudouin Iron Arm & Count of Flanders, elopes with Princess Judith, daughter King Charles of West Francia

    Boudouin Iron Arm & Count of Flanders, elopes with Princess Judith, daughter King Charles of West Francia

  2. The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings

    The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings

  3. Pope Nicholas I answers the envoys of Boris (Ad consulta vestra)

    Pope Nicholas I answers the envoys of Boris (Ad consulta vestra)

  4. Adrian II begins his reign as Catholic Pope

    Pope Nicholas I (Latin: Nicolaus I; c. 800 – 13 November 867), called Nicholas the Great, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 858 until his death on 13 November 867.

  5. "The Diamond Sutra", the world's oldest surviving and dated printed book is printed in Chinese and made into a scroll

    "The Diamond Sutra", the world's oldest surviving and dated printed book is printed in Chinese and made into a scroll

Events After

  1. 8th Ecumenical council ends in Constantinople

    An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other...

  2. Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats a section of the Viking Great Heathen Army, camped at Reading

    Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats a section of the Viking Great Heathen Army, camped at Reading

  3. Battle at Reading: Ethelred I of Wessex defeated by Danish invasion army

    Æthelred I (alt. Aethelred, Ethelred; Old English: Æthel-ræd, lit. 'noble counsel'; 845/848 – 871) was King of Wessex from 865 until his death in 871.

  4. Battle of Basing: Danish invasion army beats Saxon Ethelred of Wessex

    Battle of Basing: Danish invasion army beats Saxon Ethelred of Wessex

  5. Battle at Marton: Æthelred I of Wessex beats a Danish invasion army

    Battle at Marton: Æthelred I of Wessex beats a Danish invasion army

More from the 860s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 5, 869?
An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote are convoked from the whole world (oikoumene) and which secures the approbation of the whole Church. The word "ecumenical" derives from the Late Latin oecumenicus "general, universal", from Greek oikoumenikos "from the whole world", from he oikoumene ge "the inhabited world" (as known to the ancient Greeks); the Greeks and their neighbors, considered as developed human society (as opposed to barbarian lands); in later use "the Roman world" and in the Christian sense in ecclesiastical Greek, from oikoumenos, present passive participle of oikein...
Why is 4th Council of Constantinople (8th Ecumenical Council) opens historically important?
The word "ecumenical" derives from the Late Latin oecumenicus "general, universal", from Greek oikoumenikos "from the whole world", from he oikoumene ge "the inhabited world" (as known to the ancient Greeks); the Greeks and their neighbors, considered as developed human society (as opposed to barbarian lands); in later use "the Roman world" and in the Christian sense in ecclesiastical Greek, from oikoumenos, present passive participle of oikein...

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