Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman

Catholic)
For the Eastern Orthodox synod (879880), see
Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)

Photios I of Constantinople. Photios, in turn, attacked

the pope as a heretic, because he kept the lioque in the
creed, which referred to the Holy Spirit emanating from
God the Father and the Son. The Council condemned
The Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Photius, who questioned the legality of the papal deleCatholic) was the eighth Catholic Ecumenical Council gates presiding over the Council and ended the schism..
held in Constantinople from October 5, 869, to February
28, 870. It included 102 bishops, three papal legates, and
four patriarchs.[1] The Council met in ten sessions from 2 Photian schism
October 869 to February 870 and issued 27 canons.
In 858, Photius, a noble layman from a local family,
was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, the most senior episcopal position save only that of Rome. Emperor
Michael III had deposed the previous patriarch, Ignatius.
Ignatius refused to abdicate, setting up a power strugThe Council also rearmed the decisions of the Second
gle between the Emperor and Pope Nicholas I. In 867,
Council of Nicaea in support of icons and holy images
a council in Constantinople excommunicated Nicholas.
and required the image of Christ to have veneration equal
In addition, his claims of primacy, his contacts with Bul[3]
with that of the gospel book.
garia, and the Filioque clause were condemned.[6]
A later council, the Greek Fourth Council of ConThe 869870 Council condemned Photius and destantinople, was held after Photios had been reinstated
posed him as patriarch and reinstated his predecessor
on the order of the emperor. Today, the Roman Catholic
Ignatius.[7] It also ranked Constantinople before the other
Church recognizes the council in 869870 as Conthree Eastern patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and
stantinople IV, while the Eastern Orthodox Churches
Jerusalem and anathematized the teaching, supposedly
recognize the councils in 879880 as Constantinople
held by Photius, that there are two human souls, one spirIV and revere Photios as a saint. At the time that these
[4] itual and immortal, one earthly and mortal.
councils were being held, this division was not yet clear.
These two councils represent a growing divide between
East and West. The previous seven ecumenical councils
are recognized as ecumenical and authoritative by both 3 Support for icons and holy imEastern Orthodox and Catholic Christians. These kinds
ages
of dierences led eventually to the East-West Schism of
1054.
One of the key elements of the Council was the rearmation of the decisions of the Second Council of Nicaea
in support of icons and holy images. The council thus
1 Background
helped stamp out any remaining embers of Byzantine
iconoclasm. Specically, its third Canon required the imWith the coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III in age of Christ to have veneration equal with that of the
800, the papacy had acquired a new protector in the West. gospel book:[8]
This freed the pontis to some degree from the power of
the emperor in Constantinople but it also led to a schism,
We decree that the sacred image of our
because the emperors and patriarchs of Constantinople
Lord Jesus Christ, the liberator and Savior of
interpreted themselves as the true descendants of the Roall people, must be venerated with the same
man Empire.[5]
honor as is given the book of the holy Gospels.
The council was called by Emperor Basil I the Macedonian and Pope Adrian II.[2] It deposed Photios, a layman
who had been appointed as Patriarch of Constantinople,
and reinstated his predecessor Ignatius.

After the Byzantine emperor summarily dismissed St

Ignatius of Constantinople as patriarch of that city, Pope
Nicholas I refused to recognize his successor Patriarch

For as through the language of the words contained in this book all can reach salvation, so,
due to the action which these images exercise
1

5
by their colors, all wise and simple alike, can
derive prot from them. For what speech conveys in words, pictures announce and bring out
in colors.

The council also encouraged the veneration of the images

of the Virgin Mary, angels and saints:[3]
If anyone does not venerate the image of
Christ our Lord, let him be deprived of seeing
him in glory at his second coming. The image of his all pure Mother and the images of
the holy angels as well as the images of all the
saints are equally the object of our homage and
veneration.

Notes

[1] Catholic encyclopedia

[2] Photius. Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the
Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press.
2005
[3] Steven Bigham, 1995 Image of God the Father in Orthodox
Theology and Iconography ISBN 1-879038-15-3 page 41
[4] Karl Rahner, 2004 Encyclopedia of theology ISBN 086012-006-6 pages 300
[5] Jedin, p. 36f.
[6] Cross, F. L. (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of the Christian
church. New York: Oxford University Press (2005)
[7] Karl Rahner, 2004 Encyclopedia of theology ISBN 086012-006-6 pages 389
[8] Gesa Elsbeth Thiessen, 2005 Theological aesthetics ISBN
0-8028-2888-4 page 65

References
Cross, F. L. (ed.). The Oxford dictionary of the
Christian church. New York: Oxford University
Press (2005).

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