THE SECOND, THIRD, AND FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL By: Megan Musella, Meghan Preist, and Maggie McGovern

THE SECOND LATERAN COUNCIL (1139) Purpose  to deal with the effects of the schism and to restore unity.  The church wasn't unified because it was split between Innocent 2 and Anacletus.  Anacletus died so pope Innocent 2 held the council in the Lateran Basilica.

THE SECOND LATERAN COUNCIL (1139) Schism  After pope Honorius 2 died there was a double election because of tension in the college of cardinals.  Some cardinals elected pope Innocent 2.  The rest refused to recognize him as pope and elected Anacletus 2.

THE SECOND LATERAN COUNCIL (1139) Conclusions  If you were in a major order, lay, brother, a nun, or a monk you cannot get married.  The heresies of the 12th century concerning holy orders matrimony, infant baptism, and the Eucharist were invalid.

THE SECOND LATERAN COUNCIL (1139) The Four Marks of the Church  One: Tries to end the schism and unify the church  Holy: By making sure the beliefs about the sacraments were valid.

THE THIRD LATERAN COUNCIL (1179) Why was the council convened?  Pope Hadrian IV died in 1159, and two popes were elected together (Alexander III and Octavian of Rome).  Octavian of Rome had fewer votes than Alexander III, but he had support from the emperor, Frederick.  The emperor wanted more power in Italy, so he declared war on the Italian states, specifically the Roman Church.  A serious schism had arisen.  The council was convened to put an end to the schism in the church and the quarrel between the emperor and the papacy.

THE THIRD LATERAN COUNCIL (1179) What conclusions did the council come to?  The emperor agreed to withdraw support from his antipope (Octavian of Rome), so Alexander III won!  Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa also agreed to restore church property he had seized.  Established a 2/3 majority of the College of Cardinals as a requirement for papal election  Candidates for bishop must be 30 years old and of legitimate birth

THE THIRD LATERAN COUNCIL (1179) Four Marks of the Church  This council makes the church more ONE because its goal was to end the schism that split the church.  This council makes the church more HOLY because its goal was to stop the fighting between state and church.

THE FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL (1215) How did it start?  Innocent III wanted to bring together an “ecumenical council.”  The assembly was scheduled to meet in November of They met on November 11 th,  The council consisted of about 1,383 people. There were 71 patriarchEs and residents. Also included were the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem, 412 bishops, and 900 abbots as well.  The Fourth Lateran Council was mainly considered the “greatest council before Trent.”

THE FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL (1215) Purpose  The purpose of the council was mainly for two reasons  To reform of the church  The recovery of the Holy Land  They mostly focused on the reform of the church and organization remained in effect for centuries.  This council took control of such puzzling problems as who should use the church property, tithes (taxes), judicial procedures, and patriarchal precedence.

THE FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL (1215) Results  Theology stopped being the answers to everyone’s questions, but rather answers to questions of little relevance to everyday problems.  The result was that theology ceased to be the application of biblical truths to the lives of individuals but rather a sterile arrangement of topics that had little relevance to everyday problems.

 “The Church became a sacramental Church by which the grace of God was given through the administration of the sacraments.” (  As a result, it shortly after that the Church took on the role of mediator between God and men.  Scripture assigns this role to Jesus  1Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”

 Result of this teaching was that the grace of God was not told directly to one’s self through the Holy Spirit, but through the sacraments.  “The result of this teaching was that the grace of God was not communicated directly to the individual through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but conveyed via the sacraments” (  Pope Innocent III ordered a 4-year truce among Christian rulers to create a new crusade.

THE FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL (1215) The Four Marks of the Church  It is ONE because people now turn to the sacraments for the teaching of the grace of God.  The council is HOLY and CATHOLIC because this was the first time that a “doctrine of transubstantiation” was officially the document of the Church.  By saying this “The teaching of Radbertus had triumphed over the teaching of Ratramus. From this time onward, the Church declared that the elements of the Lord’s Supper did, indeed, become the body and blood of the Lord.” (  Radbertus was a Benedictine monk of Corbie who taught this.

WHO DID WHAT??  Megan Musella- All of Second Lateran Council + Two Pictures  Meghan Priest- All of Third Lateran Council + Two Pictures  Maggie McGovern- All of Fourth Lateran Council + Two Pictures

RESOURCES  Second Lateran Council  papalencyclicals.net  britannica.com  Third Lateran Council    Fourth Lateran Council    