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While the first eight general councils had been summoned by the authority of emperors, later ones from the First General Council of Lateran, 1139 had been summoned by popes who even took the initiatives of most procedures in councils. Even if the motivations of summon to councils were different from time to time, it was apparent that most of councils were summoned for the purpose of resolving the acute issues on each occasion. Especially in the aspect that the first six councils till the third General council of Constantinople, 680-681 resulted in the definition of orthodox and heresy since the toleration of christianity, they have a great signification in the history of church.
General Councils had not only superlative authority to decide orthodox theology, but also established fundamental principles for church discipline and for dealing with various critical affairs. Since they were in a position of coping with those matters and making the last decisions for them, they prosecuted them as long as the matters were confirmed as transgressors, and made a lot of discipline canons in the sessions. Most austere discipline was anathema and excommunication in the ecclesiastical canons. Anathema and excommunication were sentenced to those who were involved in heresy, negligence of prelate, private combats intimidating the peace, default of the crusade, etc.
A main concem of the first six councils were concentrated on the matter of heresy. Although the Second General Council of Lateran, 1179 and the Fourth General Council of Lateran, 1215 were not summoned mainly for the affair of heresy, heresy which had been permeated through the southem France was one of significant subjects of the councils. From the review of canons regulated in the general councils it can be said that anathema was sentenced to heresy in the most cases. Excommunication also belonged to the extreme discipline, but it was distinguished from anathema which was pronounced mostly to those who committed a crime of felony and were potentials to devastate the order of christian society such as heresy
On the other hand, excommunication was sentenced not to theological issues like heresy, but to the transgressors of canon law. It would be a moral and ethical misdeed, or simple violation of church law. Sins caused by such behaviors was not considered to incur critical disruptions as much as to undermine christianity. From this point of view, it can be concluded that there was a distinct difference between anathema and excommunication in canons of ancient and medieval universal councils.
The fact that the penalty for a same crime was regulated differently according to hierarchical status in canons of councils is also attracting our concern. Such a form of regulation began from the Ephesus Council of 431 and was generalized in canons afterward. In the case of felony which could result in excommunication, canons regulated the deposition of priesthood and the deprivation of sacramental right for priest and excommunication for laity.