His Holiness Pope Shenouda III presents in this lecture the classification of collections of ecclesiastical laws and their sources, and he shows the importance of each collection and the problems related to some forged references.

Canons of the Apostles
He states that there are 127 canons attributed to the Fathers of the Apostles compiled in two books (canons 56 and 71) and published by the collection Orientals; and he refers to an abbreviation of these canons in collections called the Canons of Apolydus (Hippolytus). He also warns of forged canons ascribed to the apostles found in collections such as the Ibn al-Assal collection and Ibn Qirb references.

The Didascalia (Teachings of the Apostles)
He clarifies that the Didascalia consists of 38 chapters containing instructions specifically about the work of the clergy and the deacons, and it is a practical reference for managing the ministry.

Canons of ecumenical and regional councils
He reviews the canons of the councils of Nicaea (325 AD), Constantinople (381 AD) and Ephesus (431 AD), and states that the Council of Nicaea issued 20 canons for church organization and that it has been surrounded by many forged attributions exceeding the true number. He also mentions important regional councils such as Ancyra (314 AD) and Carthage (419 AD) and the work of fathers like Augustine and Cyprian in issuing local laws.

Laws of the great Fathers
He speaks about collections of laws from great Fathers: Athanasius, Dionysius, Peter, Timothy, Basil the Great, Gregory and others, and notes that the Fathers’ letters and their answers to questions were used as legal sources included in large collections (such as a volume of Nisene).

Medieval and monastic laws
He mentions laws from the medieval era such as the laws of Pope Cyril ibn Laqluq and the learned Fathers of that time, then refers to specific monastic rules (like the laws of Anba Shenouda the Hesychast and Basil the Great and laws of fathers from Upper Egypt and Asyut).

Educational conclusion
The purpose of this presentation is to clarify the multiplicity of legal sources in the Church, warn against forged references, and show that the laws are formed from apostolic texts, councils, great Fathers, and local councils, in addition to specialized monastic laws.

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