Church Councils Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arianism

The First Council of Nicaea, convened in 325, condemned the heresy of Arianism. Arianism was first proposed by the Catholic priest Arius, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. Arius promoted the claim that Jesus Christ was not divine.
Although this contradicted the Church's teachings, as expressed through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, the idea became so popular that a majority of Catholic bishops accepted Arius' claims by the time the First Council of Nicaea was convened.
Under the guidance of Saint Nicholas, the council developed the Nicene Creed and condemned Arianism as a heresy. The divinity of Christ was reasserted and Arius was pronounced a heretic.

Answer: Frederick II was excommunicated and deposed.

In 1244, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had laid siege to Rome. Under the direction of Pope Innocent IV, Frederick II was both excommunicated and deposed. The deposition of Frederick II was signed by 150 bishops, but Pope Innocent IV lacked the temporal power to enforce his decree.
The First Council of Lyon also directed the Seventh Crusade, which was led by King Louis IX of France.

Answer: The Protestant Reformation

The Council of Trent was convened in 1545 to respond to the Protestant Reformation, which had, by the time the council was convened, fractured the unity of Christendom. Violent holy wars had taken place in various nations throughout Europe, and the traditional teachings of the Church were challenged both within the Church and outside of it.

Answer: Arius

The condemnation of Arianism by the Council of Nicaea did not instantly eliminate the influence of Arianism in the Church. Controversy over Arianism arose once again when Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, reasserted the position of the council. Alexandria was the city in which Arius had been a priest; consequently, Athanasius was attacked for his beliefs. After failing to have him punished for his theological position, the city accused him of immoral conduct, illegal taxation, support of rebellion, and murder.
The First Synod of Tyre was called by Emperor Constantine I to evaluate the charges against Athanasius. The bishops condemned him of all charges against him, but Athanasius fled to Constantinople to appear to the Emperor himself.
The Emperor exonerated him of all charges except one, which was enough to have him exiled to Trier.
The bishops, in addition to condemning Athanasius, reasserted Arianism and exonerated Arius of the charge of heresy.
The First Council of Constantinople, convened in 381, overturned the rulings of the First Synod of Tyre and condemned yet again the heresy of Arianism.

Answer: Once saved, always saved.

The Protestant doctrine of "once saved, always saved" did not appear until well into the development of Protestantism. "Once saved, always saved" should not be confused with the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, which asserts that a person's actions have no effect on their ability to be saved, since their salvation was predetermined before they were created. "Once saved, always saved" asserts that a person, once having accepted Jesus as their Savior, cannot be damned, regardless of what they should do after having accepting him.

Answer: Papal infallibility.

Although the doctrine of papal infallibility was not new prior to the First Vatican Council, which was convened in 1868, it had not yet been firmly established as a dogma because bishops had historically been reluctant to assert papal infallibility so as to prevent political and theological upheaval. The majority of bishops at the council supported the dogma, but roughly ten percent were opposed to it due to fears regarding several issues such as government interference in Church affairs, new difficulties in the field of ecumenism, and deviation from the ecclesiastical structure of the early Church.

Answer: Council of Chalcedon

The Council of Chalcedon established, once and for all, the two separate natures of Jesus Christ. It was firmly established at the Council of Chalcedon, which was convened in 451, that Jesus Christ was both human and divine.
This dogma is widely accepted by most Protestant groups today, but most Protestant groups reject the assertions of later councils. Most Protestants, therefore, assert that the Church deviated from its Christian mission shortly after the Council of Chalcedon.

*Answer based upon "An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church" by Donald S. Armentrout.

Answer: Free the election of bishops and abbots from secular influence.

Prior to the First Council of Lateran, which was convened in 1123, many emperors and kings had claimed that it was their right to influence the election of abbots, bishops, and popes by speaking with cardinals and bishops prior to the election. The First Council of Lateran rejected this claim. Secular authorities never ceased their efforts to influence elections, however.
The First Council of Lateran is partially responsible for the rules surrounding the modern conclave, in which the cardinals lock themselves in a cathedral and take an oath of silence.

Answer: Gregorian chant should be the primary means of musical worship in Mass.

The Second Vatican council asserted that "The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specifically suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services." (Sacrosanctum Concilium) It is a common misconception that the Second Vatican Council asserted that priests should face the congregation instead of the crucifix, the Eucharist should not be received on the tongue, and the congregation should hold hands during the Our Father. These things came about in the "Spirit of Vatican II," but were not actually established in the documents of the council themselves.

Answer: The Three Popes Controversy

The Council of Constance ended the Three Popes Controversy by deposing the two antipopes and accepting the resignation of the reigning pope. Although the Council of Constance solved the Three Popes Controversy, the controversy's effects were not forgotten by the people.