Ecclesiastical Canons
Ecclesiastical Canons (1)
Collections of Ecclesiastical Canons
The Collection of the Canons of the Apostolic Fathers.
The Collection of the Canons of the Ecumenical Councils.
The Collection of the Canons of the Local Councils.
The Collection of the Canons of the Great Fathers.
Canons of the Coptic Church in the Middle Ages.
Monastic Canons.
- The Collection of the Canons of the Apostolic Fathers: It includes the 127 canons, in two books: one includes 56 canons, and the other includes 71 canons. They were published in the series Sayings of the Eastern Fathers, namely Patrologia Orientalis, in Paris. As for the Greeks, they collect them into only 81 canons.
The Apostolic Canons are sometimes known as the Canons of Clement, on the basis that the Apostolic Fathers sent them through Clement in collections to the churches; thus he was their transmitter and not their author. These Apostolic Canons were abridged by Saint Hippolytus, one of the bishops of the Roman See, into a collection known by his name, and called in Arabic references the Canons of Apolydes.
There is no validity to the canons attributed to the Apostolic Fathers and cited by Ibn Kabar in his book Lamp of Darkness, which he called the Canons of the Upper Room of Zion, claiming that the Apostles composed them while they were in the Upper Room of Zion. We affirm that they cannot go back to the era of the Apostles. Among what the Apostolic Fathers also left to us is the book known as the Didascalia, which includes 38 chapters. The Didascalia is not merely texts of canons, but explanations and teachings; therefore, it became known as “The Teachings of the Apostles.”
- The Canons of the Ecumenical Councils: They include the canons of the three Ecumenical Councils recognized by our Church: the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D., and the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.
These holy Ecumenical Councils issued canons concerning the Christian faith, by which they condemned the teachings of the heretics, especially Arius, Macedonius, and Nestorius. They also issued general canons concerning the administration of the Church, its systems, and its teaching.
The most important collection among them is the Canons of the Council of Nicaea, the first Ecumenical Council in the entire Christian world. It includes only twenty canons, but there exists a Western collection that attributed to this great council another 81 canons. Our Church does not recognize these forged canons, nor do the majority of the Apostolic Churches recognize them. They contain errors that are not hidden from the discernment of the researcher.
As for the Greeks, they believe in seven Ecumenical Councils with their canons. Those who work on the subject of “Christian unity” find these canons standing before them as a point of dispute that needs a solution.
- The Canons of the Local Councils: They include the canons of two councils before the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and the canons of other councils after it. The two councils prior to Nicaea are:
The Council of Ancyra in 314 A.D.
The Council of Neocaesarea in 315 A.D.
Because these two councils were the first local councils after the issuance of the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., in which Emperor Constantine declared religious freedom, many of those who had weakened and apostasized during the persecution returned to the faith. Therefore, the canons of these councils included many texts that the holy Church set for the acceptance of the apostates on the condition of certain penalties imposed upon them. As for the rest of the local councils recognized by the universal Church, they are:
c. The Council of Gangra, “between Nicaea and Constantinople,” which issued 20 canons. d. The Council of Antioch in 341 A.D., which issued 25 canons. e. The Council of Laodicea in 343 A.D. or after, which issued canons concerning the acceptance of heretics and innovators, and canons concerning rites and others. f. The Council of Sardica around 343 A.D., which issued 12 canons. g. The Council of Carthage, called the Council of Africa, held in 419 A.D. under the presidency of Saint Aurelius, Bishop of Carthage, and attended by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
This council issued 138 canons. More than a century and a half before this council, another council was held in Carthage under the presidency of Saint Cyprian in 257 A.D., attended by 71 bishops. It discussed the subject of “the baptism of heretics” and the extent of its acceptance or rejection, and concluded with its rejection. Perhaps this council had three sessions from 256 A.D. to 258 A.D.
- The Canons of the Great Fathers: By them we mean the great pillars of the Church, whose canons were recognized by the councils and thus became part of the canons of the entire universal Church. This collection includes:
The canons of Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (the 14th Patriarch), which include 4 canons.
The canons of Saint Peter the Seal of the Martyrs (the 17th Patriarch), which include 15 canons. c. The canons of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic (the 20th Patriarch), which include in our manuscripts 106 canons. d. The canons of Saint Timothy of Alexandria (the 22nd Patriarch), which are answers to questions addressed to this saint when he attended the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D.; his answers were considered general canons in the universal Apostolic Church. e. The canons of Saint Theophilus of Alexandria (the 23rd Patriarch), which include 14 canons. f. The canons of Saint Cyril the Great (“the Pillar of the Faith,” the 24th Patriarch), which include 12 anathemas against Nestorius and the Nestorians, all of which are theological. g. The canons of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, which include 12 canons. h. The canons of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia, which include in our manuscripts 107 canons published by the Monastery of the Syrians; in the Greek collection they are 93 canons. i. The canons of Saint Gregory of Nyssa (Bishop of Nyssa and brother of Saint Basil the Great), which include 8 canons. j. The canons of Saint John Chrysostom, which are found in our manuscripts.
All these canons are recognized by the universal Church, and all are prior to the Chalcedonian schism of 451 A.D. They were published in volume fourteen of the collection Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. xiv. They were also published in the book The Ecclesiastical Law issued by our Greek Orthodox brethren, with a foreword by His Beatitude Patriarch Elias IV in 1975.
- Coptic Council Canons: Perhaps the most famous of them are canons issued in the twelfth century during the time of Pope Gabriel ibn Turayk, and other canons issued in the thirteenth century during the time of Pope Cyril ibn Laqlaq.
The Canons of Pope Gabriel ibn Turayk: These are the canons set during the time of Pope Gabriel II (the 70th Patriarch), known as Ibn Turayk (1131–1145 A.D.), and they are in three books:
The first book includes 32 canons concerning the regulation of church affairs.
The second book includes several chapters concerning the clergy and the rites.
The third book is a summary concerning inheritance rulings.
The Canons of Pope Cyril ibn Laqlaq: These are the canons issued by the Holy Synod during the days of Pope Cyril III, known as Ibn Laqlaq, the 75th Patriarch (1235–1242 A.D.). This synod issued five books: the first and second books in September 1238 A.D., concerning ecclesiastical order and church administration and organization; the third and fourth books in April 1239 A.D., concerning endowments and almsgiving, then the rites; and these canons were completed by the fifth book in September 1240 A.D.
Collections of Canons: The two most famous collections of canons are The Safawi Collection by Ibn al-‘Assal, and the book Lamp of Darkness in the Clarification of the Service by Ibn Kabar.
Ibn al-‘Assal lived in the thirteenth century and was contemporary with Pope Cyril ibn Laqlaq. As for Ibn Kabar, he was among the well-known writers of the fourteenth century. Both were shining lights in their time, and they exerted great effort in collection, arrangement, and classification.
Nevertheless, both The Safawi Collection and Lamp of Darkness have shortcomings and fell into many errors. They combined approved canons, forged canons, and royal laws. They added some things and omitted others. The contents of these two books cannot be taken without examination. We shall return to their place later, God willing.
- Monastic Canons: Monasticism began as a life of solitude without collected canons, having spiritual principles handed down by a father to his sons, or by a guide to a novice brother. Then, when monastic communities and the cenobitic life were established, it became necessary to set systems or canons to regulate this life so that it would not deviate.
Saint Abba Pachomius the Great was the first to set canons for monasticism. The canons of Saint Pachomius spread and went out from Egypt to the Middle East, then to Europe, transmitted by John Cassian. They became the basis for Benedictine monasticism among the Catholics, and were included in four chapters of his book Institutes, as well as the book Conferences.
Among those who set monastic canons in the fourth century was Saint Basil the Great. At the same time that Saint Basil was Archbishop of Cappadocia, he was also a father of monasticism. The Monastery of the Syrians published the monastic canons of Saint Basil from one of its manuscripts in a printed book under the name The Ascetic Works of Basil.
Among the most famous who set monastic canons is Saint Abba Shenouda, the Archimandrite of the Anchorites. His canons were published in the books that spoke about his life, and they were the basis for the life of the monks who lived in the White Monastery under the leadership of Abba Shenouda.
Monastic principles are found in The Paradise of the Fathers and the books of the lives of the monks. They are also found in ascetic books, and in what was written by Abba Macarius the Great, Abba Isaiah the Solitary, Saint Barsanuphius, Saint John of Assiut, and some of the Syriac Fathers such as Saint Philoxenus.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III published in Al-Keraza Magazine, Year Thirty-Seven, Issues 7–8, dated March 20, 2009.
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