Typologia soborów lokalnych Kościoła prawosławnego na ziemiach ruskich i Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego do końca XV wieku

From the very beginning of its existence the Orthodox Church on the Ruthenian lands and on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania created structures and organs indispensable for the normal functioning of the church institution, relating to the praxis of the Byzantine Church as well as to the canonical law. With the development of the church organism the role of councils grew progressively. The local councils of the Orthodox Church, based on the ancient principle of conciliarity of the Eastern Church, formed collegial organs deciding not only on the issues of theological and disciplinary nature, but equally in administrative and juridical matters. The councils of the Orthodox Church gathered primarily in case of important issues, demanding collegial examination. Usually the councils participated bishops, monks (above all archimandrites and hieromonks), married priests (basically namiestniks /i.e.bishop’s deputy/, protopops and krylosy /i.e. diocesan councils/) as well as princes and lay nobility. In the XVI century also representatives of middle class and church brotherhoods participated in the councils. Councils can be divided into the following categories according to the issues debated on them: 1) councils concerning internal church organization, 2) theological and disciplinary (juridical) councils, 3) councils concerning the canonical law, 4) councils dealing with canonisation of the saints. We have very few data about the local councils of the Orthodox Church on the Ruthenian lands before the Tatar invasion. We have more information about the ones that took place after the liberation from the Tatar yoke. The exact number and the time of duration as well as the subject of the debate of the councils are not known exactly. The Old Russian chronicles first of all mention elective councils. The least information was preserved about the councils concerning canonisation. Until the beginning of the XIV century the councils were assembled very rarely and they did not play an important role. Metropolitans equally did not have much power whereas the princes had a huge influence on the Church matters, including the strictly religious issues. The conciliar activity of the Orthodox Church on the Ruthenian lands as well as the territory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, though developed until the end of the XV century, only in the next century became much more dynamic