Voting about God in early church councils / Ramsay MacMullen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacMullen, Ramsay, 1928-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Councils and synods.

Church history--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.

Church history.

God (Christianity)--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

God (Christianity).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (192 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this study, Ramsay MacMullen steps aside from the well-worn path that previous scholars have trod to explore exactly how early Christian doctrines became official. Drawing on extensive verbatim stenographic records, he analyzes the ecumenical councils from A.D. 325 to 553, in which participants gave authority to doctrinal choices by majority vote.The author investigates the sometimes astonishing bloodshed and violence that marked the background to church council proceedings, and from there goes on to describe the planning and staging of councils, the emperors' role, the routines of debate, the participants' understanding of the issues, and their views on God's intervention in their activities. He concludes with a look at the significance of the councils and their doctrinal decisions within the history of Christendom.

Contents:

Introduction

The democratic element

The cognitive element

The 'supernaturalist' element

The violent element

Preliminaries

Councils in action

The stage

Dioscorus

Management

Exact words.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-166) and index.

ISBN:

9786611735050

9780300255416

9781281735058

1281735051

9780300135299

0300135297

OCLC:

952735802