Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A historical ecclesiastical council: The First Lateran Council refers specifically to the ninth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convened in 1123 in the Lateran Palace in Rome. It was the first such council held in the West and primarily addressed matters of church reform, discipline, and the confirmation of the Concordat of Worms, which ended the Investiture Controversy. It also endorsed plans for a crusade.

Usage and Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The decrees of the First Lateran Council aimed to enforce clerical celibacy and curb simony.
  • Historians study the First Lateran Council to understand the Church's political power in the 12th century.
  • The council is formally known as the First Lateran Council.

Advanced Usage

• "The canons of the First Lateran Council": Refers to the specific ecclesiastical laws or decrees issued by this council.
  • The canons of the First Lateran Council were crucial for medieval church law.

Variants and Related Words

• Lateran Council: The general term for any of the five ecumenical councils held in the Lateran Palace. The First Lateran Council is the initial one in this series.
• Ecumenical council: A worldwide assembly of bishops, of which the First Lateran Council is one recognized by the Catholic Church.

Synonyms

• Council of 1123: A less common, date-specific reference to the same event.
• Lateran I: An abbreviated form used in theological and historical texts.

Notes on Meaning

• This term refers to a singular, specific historical event. It does not have multiple meanings but is a key reference point in church history, marking the first council held after the Great Schism of 1054 and the beginning of a series of important medieval councils. Its focus was internal church governance and the promotion of the Crusader movement.

Noun

1. the first council of the Western Church held in the Lateran Palace in 1123; focused on church discipline and made plans to recover the Holy Lands from the Muslim `infidels'