ANSWER:
It is true that most Orthodox bishops and faithful only recognize seven councils, although some have mentioned that the possible recognition of a possible eighth and ninth council. The actual reason for this situation is that (1) the essential dogmas of the faith have been defined during the first 1000 years (2) the word ecumenical also means "of the empire" and the facilitating framework that allowed all the bishops to travel and meet was suspended during the second millennium (3) the role of the bishop of Rome has an essential aspect of a universal representation of the churches/dioceses is and was acknowledged. What is surprising then, is that the Latin churches continued to hold councils which they felt could be called ecumenical with any representation from the East...
As far as documents believed that all the Orthodox churches, the two sources are (1) the dogmatic statements of the seven ecumenical councils (2) the common liturgical texts, notably the divine liturgies. The desire to have absolutely precise and dogmatic statements on every point of doctrine is - sadly - a preoccupation of the Western mindset... |
