The lecture explains the sources and development of Church canons throughout Christian history.

The first and main source of canons is the Holy Bible.
The second is the Canons of the Apostles, which include 127 canons, preserved in a collection called Patrologia Orientalis, published in Paris in several languages such as French, Arabic, and English. Alongside these, there is the Didascalia, consisting of 38 chapters explaining the teachings of the Apostles.

Then come the Ecumenical Councils:

• Council of Nicaea (325 AD) – issued 20 canons only.

• Council of Constantinople (381 AD).

• Council of Ephesus (431 AD).

Pope Shenouda warns against forged canons falsely attributed to Nicaea, noting that any canon numbered beyond 20 is fake. He also critiques Ibn al-‘Assal, compiler of the Majmū‘ al-Ṣafawi, for including both authentic and forged canons without distinction.

Before Nicaea, there were local or regional councils, such as:

• Council of Ancyra (314 AD)

• Council of Neocaesarea (315 AD)

These councils arose after the Edict of Milan (313 AD), issued by Emperor Constantine, granting freedom of worship and ending persecution. Afterward, new issues emerged — particularly about those who had denied the faith under persecution — leading to canons that regulated their repentance and readmission to the Church.

These canons imposed strict ecclesiastical penalties, sometimes excluding individuals from Communion for 7, 15, or even 20 years. Such disciplinary measures were applied not only to apostasy but also to other sins.

Other local councils included Council of Gangra, Council of Laodicea, Council of Carthage, Council of Sardica and others, noting that the Council of Carthage in the year (276 AD) under St. Cyprian dealt with whether to accept heretical baptism, which the Church rejected.

In the Coptic Church, two important medieval councils were held:

• During the papacy of Pope Cyril Ibn Laqlaq,

• During Pope Gabriel Ibn Turayk,
  issuing canons concerning church administration and personal status laws.

There are also canons by great Church Fathers, such as:

• St. Basil the Great

• St. Athanasius the Apostolic

• St. John Chrysostom

These, along with the canons of the councils, are found in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, volume 14, translated into Arabic in Syria under the title The Ecclesiastical Law.

Most of these canonical Fathers were Alexandrian Patriarchs, including:

• St. Dionysius of Alexandria

• St. Peter the Seal of Martyrs

• St. Timothy of Alexandria

• St. Theophilus of Alexandria

• St. Cyril of Alexandria

When Pope Timothy of Alexandria attended the Council of Constantinople (381 AD), he was asked theological and canonical questions, and his answers became official Church canons.

From St. Cyril the Great, the Church inherited the famous Twelve Anathemas (Syr Anathema), written against Nestorius and his heresy. Each anathema declares: “If anyone says … let him be anathema.”
The word Anathema (Greek: ἀνάθεμα) means “accursed” or “excommunicated.” It appears in the Bible, especially in Galatians 1:8–9, where St. Paul says:

“If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel … let him be anathema.”

Thus, the lecture concludes with a clear explanation of how Church canons were formed — from Scripture, Apostolic tradition, ecumenical and local councils, and the teachings of the Alexandrian Fathers — shaping the spiritual and disciplinary structure of the Church through the ages.

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