INTRODUCTION. 1. Origin and Authority of Councils,2. Different Kinds of Synods, 3. By whom are Synods convoked, 4. Members of Councils,5. The Presidency of Councils,6. Confirmation of the Decrees of the Councils,7. Relation of the Pope to the Oecumenical Council 8. Infallibility of Oecumenical Councils,9. Appeal from the Pope to an Oecumenical Council,10. Number of the Oecumenical Councils,11. Customs observed in Oecumenical Councils with respect to Signatures, Precedence, Manner of Voting, etc 12. Histories of the Councils, BOOK 1.

ANTE-NICENE COUNCILS.

CHAPTER 1.

COUNCILS OF THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES. 1. Synods relative to Montanism, 2. Synods concerning the Feast of Easter, 3. Doubtful Synods of the Second Century, CHAPTER 2.

SYNODS OF THE THIRD CENTURY. 4. First Half of the Third Century, 5. First Synods at Carthage and Rome, on account of Novatianism and the Lapsi (251), 6. Synods relative to the Baptism of Heretics (255-256), 7. Synod of Narbonne (255-260), 8. Synods at Arsinoe and Rome (255-260) 9. Three Synods at Antioch on account of Paul of Samosata (264-269), CHAPTER 3.

THE SYNODS OF THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS OF THE FOURTH CENTURY. 10. Pretended Synod of Sinuessa (303), 11. Synod of Cirta (305), 12. Synod of Alexandria (306), 13. Synod of Elvira (305 or 306) 14. Origin of the Schism of the Donatists, and the first Synods held on this account in 312 and 313, 15. Synod of Aries in Gaul (314), 16. Synod of Ancyra in 314, 17. Synod of Neocaesarea (314-325), BOOK THE FIRST OECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF NICAEA, A.D. 325.

CHAPTER 1.