A synod is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine.
The word comes from the Greek "synodos" meaning assembly, and it is synonymous with the Latin word "concilium" - council.
Sometimes the phrase general synod or general council refers to an ecumenical council. The word synod also refers to the standing council of high-ranking bishops governing some of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches.
Some synods of note
- Synod of Ancyra
- Synod of Tyre and Jerusalem 335 AD
- Synod of Whitby 664 AD
- Synod of Charroux, 989 AD
- Synod of Verona, 1184
- Synod of Toulouse, 1229
- Synod of Dort (Dordrecht) 1618/1619
- General Synod