Section 07: The Council of 879–880
The council of reconciliation and the high point of Photius’s vindication. These files cover the great council held in Hagia Sophia in 879–880, which restored Photius, annulled the anti-Photian council of 869–870, and was attended by the legates of Pope John VIII — a council many Orthodox reckon the true Eighth Ecumenical Council — and the canon it issued forbidding any alteration of the Creed, understood by the Orthodox as a repudiation of the Filioque addition.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox / Byzantine
Contents
| File | Topic |
|---|---|
| The Council of Union | Photius restored after Ignatius’s death; the 879–880 council in Hagia Sophia with John VIII’s legates present; the annulment of 869–870; the disputed question of whether John VIII ratified it and whether it is the Eighth Ecumenical Council |
| The Repudiation of the Filioque Addition | The council’s horos forbidding additions to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed; how the Orthodox read it as condemning the Filioque, and the Western qualification |
How to Use
- Read The Council of Union for the event and its contested status; read The Repudiation of the Filioque Addition for the dogmatic-canonical content on the Creed.
- The council reverses the condemnation narrated in Section 02; its larger meaning for the “schism” narrative is drawn out in Section 08.
Cross-References
- For the “Eighth Council” question within the conciliar framework, see The Ecumenical Councils
- For the Filioque doctrine the canon bears on, see Pneumatology
References
- See the collection README for the principal sources; each content file carries its own full reference list.