Overview

The Canons of the Apostles is a foundational text of ancient church law, presenting a series of 85 ecclesiastical rules (or 50 in the Western tradition) attributed to the direct authority of the apostles. This collection is not a biblical book but a work of canon law, designed to regulate the life and governance of the Christian community. It addresses a wide range of practical issues, including the qualifications and conduct of clergy, the administration of sacraments like baptism and the Eucharist, liturgical practices such as fasting, and the process for ecclesiastical discipline. The final canon famously provides a list of canonical Old and New Testament books. As the concluding section of the larger Apostolic Constitutions, the Canons represent a key moment in the transition from the early church's charismatic leadership to a more structured, hierarchical, and rule-based institution.

Summary

The Canons of the Apostles is a systematic list of ecclesiastical regulations. The text is not a narrative but a legal code. The content covers three main areas of church life. First, it establishes rules for the clergy, detailing the proper ordination of bishops (by two or three other bishops), presbyters, and deacons. It sets forth strict moral and ethical standards for them, forbidding simony (buying church office), usury, gambling, striking others, and holding secular public office. Second, the Canons regulate liturgical and sacramental life. They specify rules for the Eucharistic elements, prohibit rebaptism for those validly baptized, and set guidelines for observing fasts and feasts like Easter. Third, the work outlines procedures for church discipline. It specifies offenses for which clergy may be deposed or laity excommunicated, such as heresy, schism, or serious moral failings. The collection concludes with the highly significant Canon 85, which lists the books considered sacred scripture, providing a vital snapshot of one canon list from the 4th century. The Eastern tradition accepts all 85 canons, while the Western tradition historically accepted only the first 50.

Historical Context

The Canons of the Apostles were compiled in the late 4th century, a transformative period for Christianity. Following Constantine's conversion and the Edict of Milan (313 CE), the church was rapidly growing in size, wealth, and influence within the Roman Empire. This expansion created an urgent need for standardized governance, doctrine, and discipline to ensure unity and order across diverse regions. The Canons, as part of the Apostolic Constitutions, were a response to this need. Attributing the laws to the apostles was a common strategy to claim ultimate authority and create a sense of continuity with the primitive church. The text reflects the fully developed three-tiered hierarchy of bishop, presbyter, and deacon. The specific rules address concrete problems of the era: clergy engaging in business, disputes over the date of Easter, and the lingering effects of various heresies. The work likely originated in Syria, a vibrant center of Christian intellectual and ecclesiastical life, and it stands alongside other church orders like the Didache and the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus as a primary source for understanding the practical organization of the ancient church.

Why It Was Excluded from the Canon

The Canons of the Apostles were never a candidate for inclusion in the biblical canon; they belong to the genre of canon law, not scripture. However, their reception and authority were debated. In the East, the Quinisext Council (Council in Trullo, 692 CE) formally affirmed the authority of all 85 canons, making them a cornerstone of Orthodox canon law to this day. In the West, the reception was more complex. Around 500 CE, the scholar Dionysius Exiguus translated the first 50 canons into Latin and included them in his influential collection of canon law, which became foundational for the Western church. He omitted the final 35 canons, partly because their parent document, the Apostolic Constitutions, was viewed with suspicion in the West and had been declared apocryphal by the Gelasian Decree. Canon 85 was particularly problematic as it included the Apostolic Constitutions itself in its list of sacred writings. Therefore, while the Canons were never considered for the Bible, their legal authority was fully accepted in the East but only partially and cautiously in the West.

Key Themes

Key Passages

Reading Tips

Approach the Canons of the Apostles not as a theological treatise or a story, but as a legal document. It is best understood as a window into the practical challenges facing the 4th-century church. Read it thematically, grouping canons by topic, such as rules for bishops, regulations for baptism, or financial prohibitions. Ask what specific problem each canon was trying to solve. For example, repeated prohibitions against clergy engaging in business suggest this was a common issue. Comparing this text to earlier church orders like the Didache or later medieval canon law can reveal the evolution of church governance. Pay special attention to Canon 85 and compare its list of scriptures to the eventual canonical lists of the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches.

Influence & Legacy

The Canons of the Apostles had a profound and lasting impact on the legal structure of Christianity. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, they were formally adopted at the Quinisext Council in 692 and remain a foundational part of its canon law. In the West, the first 50 canons, as translated by Dionysius Exiguus around 500 CE, were incorporated into the most important collections of canon law, heavily influencing the development of the Roman Catholic legal system through the Middle Ages and beyond. The text marks a critical step in the institutionalization of the church, providing a blueprint for a stable, rule-based organization that could manage a global faith. Its list of scriptures in Canon 85, while not universally accepted, remains a vital witness for historians studying the complex process by which the biblical canon was formed. The Canons are an indispensable source for understanding the practical, day-to-day reality of the ancient church.

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