The Question Behind the Seven Ecumenical Councils | Who Do You Say I Am?

30/10/2025 1h 36min

Listen "The Question Behind the Seven Ecumenical Councils | Who Do You Say I Am?"

Episode Synopsis

Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membershipThe book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkoutThis week we’re taking a look at the seven ecumenical councils of the early Christian church, from Nicaea (325 AD) to Nicaea II (787 AD). Dr. Jacobs traces how each council addressed Christological controversies while establishing foundational theological and philosophical positions. Topics include Trinitarian theology, the nature of Christ's divinity and humanity, the concept of eternal generation, and the distinction between essence and energies. The analysis demonstrates how seemingly disparate theological disputes form a unified narrative centered on the question "Who do you say that I am?"All the links: Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastWebsite: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs00:00:00 Intro 00:00:22 Christianity’s philosophical commitments 00:03:21 What are the Ecumenical Councils? 00:11:19 Keys for understanding the councils 00:20:59 The Council of Nicaea: is Christ fully God? 00:29:20 How is the Son begotten?00:35:18 Council of Constantinople: three persons, one nature 00:48:32 Are Christians monotheists? 00:55:50 Is Christ fully human? 01:04:50 Council of Ephesus: one person with two natures 01:12:14 Council of Chalcedon: unconfused & unmingled 01:24:31 The remaining councils01:26:39 The icon controversy