My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE/
THE SACRED AND INDISPENSABLE CANONS OF THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH
WHAT IS A CANON?
A CANON, according to Zonaras (in his interpretation of the 39th letter of Saint Athanasius the Great), properly speaking and in the main sense of the word, IS A PIECE OF WOOD, COMMONLY CALLED A RULE, WHICH ARTISANS USE TO GET THE WOOD AND STONE THEY ARE WORKING ON STRAIGHT. For, when they place the rule (or straightedge) against their work, if this be crooked, inwards or outwards, they make it straight and right. For this, by metaphorical extension, votes and decisions are ALSO CALLED CANONS, WHETHER THEY BE OF THE APOSTLES OF THE ECUMENICAL AND REGIONAL COUNCILS, OR THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL HOLY FATHERS, which are contained in the present Handbook: for the too, like so many straight and right rules, rid men in Holy Orders, clergymen and laymen, of every disorder and obliquity of manners, and cause them to have normality and equality of ecclesiastical and Christian condition and virtue.
According to Dr. Lewis J. Patsavos, Ph.D. "When our Lord entrusted the work of salvation to the Church, which is a society of mortal men and women, He obliged her to provide herself with the necessary means of survival. This was to assist her in organizing herself, in overseeing the orthodoxy of her members, and in guarding against factions. In short, He obliged her to provide herself with A SET OF RULES TO LIVE BY. IN SO DOING, THE CHURCH AS A COMMUNITY OF FAITH CAME TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A JURIDICAL ORGANIZATION. THIS DOES NOT MEAN, HOWEVER, THAT THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH WAS THEREBY REDUCED TO A LEGAL INSTITUTION. THE DISTINCTION IS AN IMPORTANT ONE.
OF
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
OUR LORD HIMSELF instituted some elements of such order. He preached the gospel of salvation to His contemporaries but did not leave to their arbitrary will the task of spreading His message for the benefit of future generations. He assigned that task to a group of men chosen with divine care and wisdom, the Apostles, who were clearly aware of the sacred mission with which they were entrusted by the Master. Following His Ascension, He endowed them WITH THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS NECESSARY TO ASSURE THE CONTINUATION OF THE WORK HE HAD ALREADY BEGUN. DECISIONS SUCH AS THE ELECTION OF MATTHIAS TO TAKE THE PLACE OF JUDAS AMONG THE APOSTLES AND SETTING THE CONDITIONS FOR ENTRY INTO THE CHURCH WERE MADE AT THE OUTSET. IN FACT, THEY CONSTITUTE THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CHURCH’S LAW, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WHICH SAINT PAUL PLAYED A PREDOMINANT ROLE.
With the spread of the Chrisstian community throughout the entire area of the Mediterranean, the initial organization of the Church soon had to be extended. During this stage of growth, A HIERARCHY WAS DEVELOPED and new conditions of life modeled after the teachings of Christ came into existence. It thus became NECESSARY TO DEFINE THE STATUS OF THE BELIEVER WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY AT LARGE.
This organization was only rudimentary, but it clearly was thee. It is quite evident that the Church in her primitive period had to prcisely defined juridical organization, much less a technique or science of law. However, all the elements of a true juridical organization were there. Those persons invested with authority made rules and demanded strict adherence to them. Synods came out unsparingly against those who THREATENED THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH AND THE PURITY OF HER DOCTRINE. THEY DID NOT HESITATE , FURTHERMORE, TO IMPOSE SEVERE SANCTIONS ON THOSE WHO OPPOSED HER DISCIPLINE. IT WAS THE FIRST ECUMENICAL SYNOD OF NICAEA (325 A.D) WHICH REFERRED TO CANONS AS THE DISCIPLINARY MEASURES OF THE CHURCH. The distinction, therefore, between KANONES, the disciplinary measures and rules adopted by the Church and NOMOI (LAWS), the legislative actions taken by the state, came about quite early." (Resources: The Canonical Tradition of the Orthodox Church)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in Christ’s Glorious and Divine Diakonia (Ministry).
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George.
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 