Others, including 20th century theologians Fr. [[John S. Romanides]] and Fr. [[George Metallinos]] (both of whom refer repeatedly to the "Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils"), Fr. [[George Dragas]], and the [[1848]] [[Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs]] (which refers explicitly to the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" and was signed by the [[patriarch]]s of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]] as well as the [[Holy Synod]]s of the first three), regard other synods beyond the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] as being ecumenical. Those who regard these councils as ecumenical often characterize the limitation of Ecumenical Councils to only seven to be the result of influence in Russia, part of the so-called "[[Western Captivity of Orthodoxy]]."

== List of Ecumenical Councils ==

* I. [[First Ecumenical Council|First Council of Nicea]], ([[325]]); repudiated [[Arianism]], adopted the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|Nicene Creed]].

* IX. [[Ninth Ecumenical Council|Fifth Council of Constantinople]], ([[1341]]-[[1351]]); affirmed [[hesychasm|hesychastic]] theology according to St. [[Gregory Palamas]] and condemned the Westernized philosopher [[Barlaam of Calabria]].

== See also ==