The Earliest Church Councils

Abstract

This chapter offers a historical survey of conciliar documentation in its varied forms, starting from the earliest gatherings in councils or synods in the second century, and leading up to the sixth century; some particularly illuminating later examples are also included. After a discussion of the mostly indirect and piecemeal transmission of relevant documents from the earlier centuries, the examination identifies the key sources for the present study: the sets of acts containing records that present the interactions of participants during the sessions in purported direct speech. Such records survive mainly from a period beginning in the early fifth century.