1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910820443303321

Autore

MacMullen Ramsay <1928->

Titolo

Voting about God in early church councils / / Ramsay MacMullen

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, : Yale University Press, c2006

ISBN

1-281-73505-1

9786611735050

9780300255416

0-300-13529-7

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (192 p.)

Disciplina

262/.514

Soggetti

Councils and synods

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

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

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

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

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- The democratic element -- The cognitive element -- The 'supernaturalist' element -- The violent element -- Preliminaries -- Councils in action -- The stage -- Dioscorus -- Management -- Exact words.

Sommario/riassunto

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.