The end of Nestorius. Chalcedon (451). The victory of the 28th canon of the Council of Chalcedon in history. The Chalcedonian Problem in the Understanding of Russian Thinkers. Monophysitism of the East after Chalcedon. Unrest in Palestine. In Egypt. Changes on the throne and vacillations of emperors. Emperors Zeno (474-491) and Basiliscus (475-476). 1st Apostasy from the Council of Chalcedon. Enkiklion (475). The fall of Basiliscus and the return of Zeno (476). Turn to Chalcedon. Second Digression from Chalcedon. Henoticon. 35 years of separation of the churches (484-519) due to the Henoticon. Growth of Monophysitism in Constantinople. Severus. End of the 34-year schism with Rome (484-518). The end of the breakup. Movement of Scythian monks. The first arrival of the Pope in Constantinople.

Emperor Justinian I the Great (527-565) and the Fifth Ecumenical Council.

Justinian I the Great (527-565). Justinian's Unforeseen Theological Decree of 533 The Origin of the Idea of the Fifth Ecumenical Council. "Ο Three Chapters" (544). The Need for an Ecumenical Council. Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). Origenism and Origen. The question of the adoption of the Fifth Ecumenical Council in the West. Unrest and schisms in the West because of the Fifth Ecumenical Council. Justinian's Church-State System. Construction of Justinian. Internal movements in Monophysitism that divided it. Tritheistic disputes. The Political Framework of Church Events from Justinian I to Heraclius (610-641). The dispute over the title "ecumenical". Departure from Orthodoxy for nationalist reasons. The Fall of Armenia. Armenia from Justinian to Heraclius (565-610). Churches of the Syriac language in Persia. Persian (Chaldean) Christians (late Nestorians). Jacobites. Copts. Jacobites in Persia. Religious policy of Heraclius. (The so-called unions, the beginning of Monothelitism). Reunification of part of the Armenian Church (630-632). The reunion of the Syrian Jacobites (630). Reunion of the Alexandrian Monophysites (632). The heresy of Pope Honorius. "Ecthesis". Islam. Successors of Heraclius. The situation in Egypt. Rehabilitation of Rome. Pope John IV. Attitude to Monothelitism in the West. St. Maximus the Confessor. Typos (648). Πapa Martin I and the Lateran Council of 649. The end of Konsta (668). Diplomatic relations between Rome and Constantinople. Constantine Pogonatus (668-685).

VI Ecumenical Council (680-681).

End of the Council of 680-681. Monothelitism after the Sixth Ecumenical Council. The Last Heraclides. (Political situation). Church affairs, the "fifth-sixth" or Trullo Council of 691-692, the canons of the Trullo Council and the Roman Church. Relapse of Monothelitism. The Established Attitude of Rome to the Council of Trullo. Maronites. Relations with the Armenian Church during the Monothelite Troubles.

VII Ecumenical Council of 787

Iconoclasm. The beginning of iconoclasm under Leo the Isaurian (717-741). Aggravation of the conflict with the West. Constantine V (741-775).

Iconoclastic Council of 754 Constantine Persecution. Protection of icons outside the empire. In the West. Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780). Reign of Irene together with her son Constantine VI (780-790). Preparation for the Seventh Ecumenical Council. An attempt to open an Ecumenical Council in 786. VII Ecumenical Council (787). Iconoclasm after the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Period of Iconoclasm. Emperor Nicephorus (802-811). Michael I Rangawe (811-813), who was the minister of the court (Kurapalates). New iconoclasm. Leo V the Armenian (813-820). The Second Iconoclastic Council of 815 Michael II Travl (820-829). Theophilus (829-842). The Triumph of Orthodoxy. Reflection of the iconoclastic disputes after the Seventh Ecumenical Assembly in the West. The Council of Paris in 825 The end of iconoclasm in the Frankish Empire. The Reflection of Iconoclasm in the Armenian Church.

From the Editors.

The history of the ecumenical councils of the Christian Church, from the famous Nicaea Council (325), which adopted the common Christian Creed, to the Paris Creed (825), is one of the most interesting and at the same time the most difficult topics to investigate. Its implementation requires deep knowledge of the era, a scrupulous analysis of primary sources, and knowledge of ancient languages. This largely explains the paucity of fundamental works specifically devoted to the ecumenical councils. In our country over the past few decades, there have been practically no serious scientific publications that comprehensively cover the era of the Ecumenical Councils and the history of the Councils themselves.

The book by the famous Orthodox church historian and theologian A. A. Kartashev will help, at least partially, to fill this gap. The Russian reader gets the opportunity to get acquainted with the most important pages in the history of the Christian Church, full of exciting, sometimes dramatic and even tragic episodes. At the Ecumenical Councils, these gatherings of the higher clergy, a system of doctrine and worship was developed and approved, canonical norms and liturgical rules were formed, various theological concepts were evaluated, and methods of combating heresies were determined. "Councils for the East," writes A. V. Kartashev, "are lightning rods, palliatives and medicines for dogmatic fevers, which relieved the acuteness of the disease for a certain period and contributed to its healing in the course of time."