Council of Hieria

Council of Hieria
Date754
Accepted by
Previous council
Convoked byConstantine V
PresidentArchbishop Theodosius of Ephesus
Attendance338 bishops
TopicsIconoclasm
Documents and statements
veneration of icons condemned
Chronological list of ecumenical councils

The Council of Hieria was a Christian council of 754 which viewed itself as ecumenical, but was later rejected by the Second Council of Nicaea (787) and by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, since four of the five major patriarchs refused to participate. However it is preferred over Second Nicaea by some Protestants.[1] The council was significant in the controversy of Byzantine iconoclasm, condemning the veneration and production of religious icons as idolatrous and pagan, reflecting Byzantine Emperor Constantine V's iconoclasm.[2] This council declared itself the 'Seventh Ecumenical Council'.[3]

  1. ^ a b Hindson, Ed; Mitchell, Dan (2013). The Popular Encyclopedia of Church History: The People, Places, and Events That Shaped Christianity. Harvest House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7369-4806-7.
  2. ^ Kazhdan, Alexander P.; Talbot, Alice-Mary; Cutler, Anthony; Gregory, Timothy E.; Ševčenko, Nancy I., eds. (1991). The Oxford dictionary of Byzantium. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 929. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
  3. ^ Medieval Sourcebook: Iconoclastic Council, 754 Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine, Fordham University