The Councils and the Symbols
Tradition finds its most authoritative and public voice in the Ecumenical Councils and in the Creed. This section treats the councils as Tradition’s conciliar and dogmatic expression — the Church solemnly declaring her faith “following the holy Fathers” — and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, together with the ancient “rule of faith,” as the compact symbol in which the whole of Tradition is confessed.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox
Overview
If the Fathers are the voice of Tradition, the Ecumenical Councils are its solemn and binding utterance — the moments when the Church, gathered in the Spirit, defined the faith against heresy and set down the horoi (definitions) that bind all the faithful. And the Creed is Tradition’s shortest form: the baptismal symbol in which the whole faith is professed. Councils and Creed together are the classic dogmatic deposits of the Tradition — not a second revelation, but the Church’s own confession of the one apostolic faith, ever the same yet ever more precisely articulated against error.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| the-councils-as-tradition.md | The Ecumenical Councils as Tradition’s conciliar and dogmatic expression; the Spirit and the council (Acts 15:28); definitions, anathemas, and reception |
| the-creed-and-the-rule-of-faith.md | The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed and the regula fidei as the compact symbol of Tradition; the baptismal confession; the filioque controversy |
See Also
- The Consensus of the Fathers — “following the holy Fathers,” the councils’ own claim
- Scripture and Tradition — the councils as the Church’s reading of Scripture
- The Seven Ecumenical Councils — the full compendium on the councils
- The Ecumenical Councils — the topical article
- The Nicene Creed — the topical article on the Creed