Canon law

Canon law is the tradition of canonical legislation, which governs Orthodox Church life. It touches on every area of Church life, including Ecclesiology, Liturgy, and Ethics. Although generally referred to as canon law, it is more correctly referred to in the Orthodox community as the tradition of the holy canons. This law, the canonical tradition, involves persons who are invested with authority (such as bishops) enabled with the means of creating, formulating, interpreting, executing, validating, amending and revoking these laws through synodical or conciliar action.

See also

1. The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.
2. The Ecumenical Councils
3. The Rudder, the 85 Canons of the Holy and Altogether August Apostles, plus the Canons of the First through Fourth Ecumenical Councils constitute what is known as The Rudder.

• Nomocanon

People

• John Zonaras (11th c.)
• Theodore Balsamon (12th c.)
• Matthew Blastares (14th c.)
• Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (18th c.)
• Nikodim (Milas) of Dalmatia (19th c.)

Articles and Books on Orthodox Canon Law

• N. Athanasiev. "The Canons of the Church: Changeable or Unchangeable?" St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 11 (1967), pp. 54-68.
• John H. Erickson, The Challenge of Our Past: Studies in Orthodox Canon Law and Church History.Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0881410860.
• Archbishop Peter L'Huillier, The Church of the Ancient Councils: The Disciplinary Work of the First Four Ecumenical Councils. Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0881410075.
• Lewis J. Patsavos. The Canon Law of the Orthodox Catholic Church (Mimeographed Notes). Brookline, MA.: Holy Cross Bookstore, 1975.
• Lewis J. Patsavos, Spiritual Dimensions of the Holy Canons. Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1885652683.
• Henry R. Percival, Ed. The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church: Their Canons and Dogmatic Decrees, Together with the Canons of All the Local Synods Which Have Received Ecumenical Acceptance. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1956.
• Panteleimon Rodopoulos and George Dion Dragas, Ed. An Overview of Orthodox Canon Law. Orthodox Research Institute, 2007. ISBN 978-1933275154.
• Patrick Viscuso, Orthodox Canon Law: A Casebook for Study. InterOrthodox Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1932401103.
• The Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issues by Stanley Harakas
• B. Archondonis. "A Common Code for the Orthodox Churches," Kanon I (1973), pp. 45-53.
• The Theology of Oikonomia and Its Implications for Sacramental and Ecumenical Perspectives by Sabu John
• The Canonical Tradition of the Orthodox Church by Lewis Patsavos
• The Russian Canonical Territory - some comments from an Orthodox historico-canonical perspective
• Studies in Roman and Byzantine Law - an index of articles in this journal is available online

Parallels in other religious groups

• Byzantine Catholic canon law - Code of Canons for the Oriental Churches
• Roman Catholic - Catholic Encyclopedia article on Canon Law (outdated, but informative)
• In Judaism, see w:Halakha
• In Islam, see w:Sharia, w:Fatwa, and w:Fiqh

External links

Source Texts

• Byzantine Legal Documents - An index by Paul Halsall
• Post-Byzantine Law on the Web - This site is devoted to the promotion of the study of law in Venetian and Ottoman Greece to the 19th century
• The Rudder
• Complete scan of the Pedalion in Greek (1886 edition published in Athens. This is the book The Rudder translates. Link to pdf file at that site.)
• Canons and Definitions of the Ecumenical Councils
• Canons of the Orthodox Church
• Canons of the Orthodox Church in Greek (Link to pdf scans of all 6 volumes of the definitive 19th century collection of Rhalle and Potle)
• Canons of the Orthodox Church in Slavonic with Greek parallel (Link to pdf scan of volume 1 of Beneshevich's 1906 Drevne-Slavonskaia Kormchaia [Old Slavonic Kormchaia{Kniga}, 14 Chapters without commentary])