Is the Council of Carthage accepted by the Oriental Orthodox Church?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Councils of Carthage are accepted, but with a clear distinction regarding their status as local (regional) councils rather than Ecumenical Councils.

1. Distinction Between Ecumenical and Local Councils

The Church strictly numbers only three Ecumenical Councils:

1. The First Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)
2. The First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.)
3. The Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.)

The Council of Carthage (whether referring to the synods under St. Cyprian in the 3rd century or the synods of 397 and 419 A.D. under Aurelius of Carthage and St. Augustine) was a regional council of the Western/North African Church. It does not carry the ecumenical designation of the first three councils, but its orthodoxy on dogmatic and canonical matters is embraced.

2. Dogmatic Acceptance: The Condemnation of Pelagianism

The most vital dogmatic work of the Council of Carthage (particularly between 411 and 418/419 A.D.) was the condemnation of the Pelagian heresy.

• The Heresy: Pelagius and Celestius taught that man is born without original sin, possesses complete free will to attain perfection without divine grace, and that Adam's fall affected only himself.
• The Orthodox Response: Carthage correctly anathematized these false teachings, establishing that humanity inherits a fallen, corrupted nature in need of the redemption and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (— Greek loanwords written in Coptic script).
• Ecumenical Ratification: The condemnation of Pelagianism and Celestius was subsequently brought to the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. under St. Cyril of Alexandria, where it was formally and ecumenically ratified. Therefore, the doctrinal stance of Carthage on grace and original sin is completely accepted and upheld.

3. Canonical Acceptance in Church Law

In canonical jurisprudence, local synods that defended the true faith and established sound order are received as authoritative guides for ecclesiastical discipline.

• The canons of the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.), often known as the African Code, are formally preserved in canonical collections (such as the Kitab al-Majmu' al-Safawi by the 13th-century Coptic scholar Ibn al-Assal).
• Carthage is grouped alongside other recognized local councils (such as Ancyra, Neocaesarea, Gangra, Antioch, and Laodicea) whose canons regulate clergy conduct, trial procedures, ecclesiastical boundaries, and moral discipline.

4. The Biblical Canon

The Councils of Carthage (397 and 419 A.D.) also promulgated a list of the canonical books of the Holy Scriptures. This included the Deuterocanonical books (such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and the Books of Maccabees). This confirms the traditional scriptural canon that the Coptic Orthodox Church has received and preserved from the Apostolic era, rejecting the later Protestant removal of these books.

Summary

The Council of Carthage is accepted in its dogmatic condemnations of heresy (specifically Pelagianism), its witness to the biblical canon, and its valid disciplinary canons. However, it is recognized specifically as a regional council, while supreme ecumenical authority belongs solely to Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), and Ephesus (431).