Feast of the Holy Council of Ephesus

On Saturday, August 10, the Armenian Church will observe the Feast of the 200 Fathers of the Holy Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.)—the last of three ecumenical councils accepted by the Armenian Church. During the meeting in Ephesus (a city in Asia Minor), bishops addressed theological questions regarding Christ’s nature and declared Mary as the Mother of God (Theotokos).

Photo: The altar icon at St. Hripsime Church in Armenia depicts St. Mary and the infant Jesus.

Councils of the Universal Church were convened as early as 49 A.D. They were comprised of bishops of the Church, who shared a common faith and worked together to reach a general consensus on questions of doctrine and church order. The other two ecumenical councils accepted by the Armenian Church are the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.) and the Council of Constantinope (381 A.D.).  

Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America [publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org]