The Formation of the Conciliar Institution in Protopresbyter Nicholas Afanasiev’s “Church Councils and Their Origin”

This article examines Protopresbyter Nicholas Afanasiev’s concept of the emergence and development of church councils as presented in his early work, “Church Councils and Their Origin”. The study argues that Afanasiev rejects the influence of external factors in the development of the conciliar institution, attributing its formation exclusively to internal ecclesiastical processes. According to him, councils are intrinsic to the life of the Church, evolving from local assemblies into episcopal gatherings independent of any particular community — a transformation in which St. Cyprian of Carthage played a pivotal role at its final stage. Tracing continuity between the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (51 AD) and the third-century councils, Afanasiev reconstructs several second-century councils. This reconstruction, however, is based largely on general considerations, given the paucity of direct historical evidence. The article highlights certain limitations in Afanasiev’s approach, particularly the lack of precise initial definitions and the reliance on speculative assertions that require further substantiation through rigorous engagement with extant historical sources.