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Council
An assembly of bishops — the Church's authoritative organ of teaching and legislation, whose authority depends on reception.
The council (synod) is the primary means by which the Church defines doctrine, addresses heresies, and legislates its common life. The seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 AD) have the highest authority, their definitions being irreformable. Orthodox ecclesiology holds that a council's authority depends on its reception by the faithful: the Church recognizes in a council's definitions the voice of the Holy Spirit. A council rejected by the Church is not ecumenical regardless of its attendance.