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51-603: Syntagma Canonum is a canon law collection made in 1335 by Matthew Blastares , a Greek monk about whose life nothing certain is known. The collector aimed at reducing canon law to a handier and more accessible form than it appeared in the Nomocanon of Photius , and to give a more comprehensive presentation than the epitomes and synopses of earlier writers such as Stephen (fifth century), Aristenus (1160), Arsenius (1255), et al. The author arranged his matter in alphabetical order. He made 24 general divisions, each marked off by

102-513: A canonical epistle is a commentary from a bishop on some issue which was given the status of canon law. There is a hierarchy among the sources of Eastern Orthodox canon law. Canons are considered as the "ecclesiastical enactment of the highest authorities in the Church" as well as "revealed truth of Christ and Scriptures, sometimes mediated by spiritual fathers' experience"; there is a hierarchy among them. Canons issued by ecumenical councils are

153-537: A letter of the Greek alphabet . These sections he subdivided into 303 titles, themselves distinguished by letters; for example, the third section contains such topics as: peri gamou (about marriage), peri gynaikon (about women), etc. The titles ordinarily treat of the civil law ( nomoi politikoi ), as well as ecclesiastical law . Some titles however are purely ecclesiastical, others purely civil. The church ordinances are quoted from previous collections, especially from

204-652: A moral and ethical character [...] whose meaning is absolute and eternal and whose violation can in no way be justified" like the canons forbidding simony . Some Eastern Orthodox theologians refer to the Eastern Orthodox canons as "holy canons". The canon 2 of the in Trullo council establishes that the official canonical sources are: the Apostles , ecumenical and local councils, and Patristic writings. However, along with those, at various points in time

255-437: A non-evident matter. The main principle of Pyrrhonism is expressed by the word acatalepsia , which connotes the ability to withhold assent from doctrines regarding the truth of things in their own nature ; against every statement its contradiction may be advanced with equal justification. Consequently, Pyrrhonists withhold assent with regard to non-evident propositions, i.e., dogmas. Pyrrhonists argue that dogmatists, such as

306-560: A requirement for attendance, though membership may be required for some church activities. In the narrower sense of the church's official interpretation of divine revelation, theologians distinguish between defined and non-defined dogmas, the former being those set out by authoritative bodies such as the Roman Curia for the Catholic Church, the latter being those which are universally held but have not been officially defined,

357-552: A result of interactions between the Church and the State. Canons which concern administrative or disciplinary matters – which are most canons – are not considered to be infallible, and can therefore be changed or reinterpreted by an ecumenical council. Some canons are considered as infallible and therefore unchangeable: those are "council definitions which speak about an article of the Christian faith ", as well as "[s]ome canons of

408-508: A small number of decrees promulgated by popes exercising papal infallibility (for examples, see Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary ) are considered as being a part of the Catholic Church's sacred body of doctrine. In the Jewish commentary tradition, dogma is a principle by which the Rabbanim can try the proofs of faith about the existence of God and truth; dogma is what

459-551: A source for Church discipline whereas the Holy Tradition is a source for dogma . In order for a custom to be part of E. O. canon law, it "must have been observed for a long time, it must have been freely subscribed to, and it must be in conformity with principles of faith and order." In the Eastern Orthodox Church, canons are " ecclesiastical norms issued by the Church through the collective voice of

510-452: Is a term in Islam that refers to conforming to the teachings of a particular person. Classical usage of the term differs between Sunni Islam and Shia Islam . In Sunni Islam, taqlid refers to the unjustified conformity to the teachings of a person without inquiring or thinking about said teachings, rather than the justified conformity of a layperson to the teaching of mujtahid (a person who

561-449: Is because dogmatic canons are considered as "unchangeable, immutable truths of faith". The subjects of Eastern Orthodox canon law are: the sources of [Eastern Orthodox] canon law, church order , the foundation of new [Eastern] Orthodox churches, the canonization of saints, the ecclesiastical calendar , control for the execution of justice, the ecclesiastical court , marriage regulations, reception of converts from other confessions,

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612-417: Is corrective, not prescriptive; this means E.O. canon law "responds to situations once they have occurred and have affected the value of the Church, rather than anticipating situations before they arrive." Eastern Orthodox canon law is reactive, not proactive. This means that canons were issued in response to "situations and behaviors that deviated from the norms, not for future or potential situations." Through

663-483: Is formulated in response to certain questions, challenges, or situations. Eastern Orthodox canon law is the formalised part of the divine law , and ultimately aims to promote the "spiritual perfection" of church members. The canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church is uncodified ; its corpus has never been organised or harmonised into a formal code of ecclesiastical law . Consequently, some canons of Eastern Orthodoxy contradict each other, such as those related to

714-557: Is harshness, "is the strict application (sometimes even extension) of the penance given to an unrepentant and habitual offender." Economia , which is sweetness, "is a judicious relaxation of the penance when the sinner shows remorse and repentance ." Disciplinary canons are subject to interpretation and to the use of akriveia or economia , because they were given in "for specific situations and in specific contexts that could change over time". In contrast, dogmatic canons are not subject to interpretation or to akriveia or economia . This

765-428: Is named as a dogmatic one, or dogmatism, and is often used to refer to matters related to religion, though this pejorative sense strays far from the formal sense in which it is applied to religious belief. The pejorative sense is not limited to theistic attitudes alone and is often used with respect to political or philosophical dogmas. The word dogma was adopted in the 17th century from Latin : dogma , derived from

816-529: Is necessarily true for rational thinking. In Jewish Kabbalah , a dogma is an archetype of the Pardes or Torah Nistar , the secrets of Bible. In the relation between "logical thinking" and "rational Kabbalah" the " Partzuf " is the means to identify "dogma". View or position ( Sanskrit : दृष्टि , romanized :  dṛṣṭi ; Pali : diṭṭhi ) is a central idea in Buddhism that corresponds with

867-537: Is the expression of "God's truth given the time and circumstances"; ecclesiologically , it is the expression of the Eastern Orthodox Church's " pastoral life" and the Eastern Orthodox Church's history . He says Eastern Orthodox canon law "is incarnational ; the truth is being applied to or incarnated in specific circumstances of history." Eastern Orthodox canon law has three sources: The Bible contains no "detailed system of Church organization";

918-609: The African Church as if these realities of the Early Church continued to exist later in the Middle Ages ." In the late Byzantine period , i.e. from twelfth to fifteenth century, "there were systematic approach to translate the canons into a contemporary application." In contrast, in the modern age the Eastern Orthodox Church "has no appropriated its receive formal corpus of canon law , generally understood as

969-579: The Ancient Greek : δόγμα , romanized :  dogma , lit.   'opinion, belief, judgement' from the Ancient Greek : δοκεῖ , romanized :  dokeî , lit.   'it seems that...'. The plural is based on the Latin : dogmata , though dogmas may be more commonly used in English. In Pyrrhonism , "dogma" refers to assent to a proposition about

1020-448: The Eastern Orthodox Church , together with the discipline, study, and practice of Eastern Orthodox jurisprudence . In the Eastern Orthodox Church, canon law is a behavioural standard that aims to apply dogma to practical situations in the daily life of Eastern Orthodox Christians. According to Mihai Vasile, unlike the canon law of the Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox canon law is corrective rather than prescriptive, which means it

1071-548: The Fathers of the Church ." Those canons were collected and interpreted in The Rudder (19th century) as well as in other collections of canons. The Rudder was written by St. Nicodemus and St. Agepius, and was first published in 1800. It was later adopted by Patriarch Neophytos VII of Constantinople and his Endemic synod as an official canon law collection. It is currently the most widely used canon law collection in

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1122-750: The Greek-speaking Orthodox Churches . The general consensus accepts that the core corpus of Eastern Orthodox canon law is a corpus formed in 883: a nomocanon by Photios . This nomocanon of 883 is composed of: the Nomocanon in 14 articles , material taken from the Quinisext Council, edicts from the Nicea II council and of the 861 and 879 synods of Constantinople, and the Epistle of St. Tarasios . Sources for

1173-544: The Nomocanon (883), while the extracts from the civil law are for the most part transcribed without any reference to their origin. The compilation soon came into general use among the clergy , and preserved its authority even under Ottoman rule. A translation into Serbian followed close upon its first publication. It even worked its way into the political life of the Serbian people through an abridgment which Serbian Emperor Dušan appended to his code of laws (1349). From this

1224-498: The Stoics , Epicureans , and Peripatetics , have failed to demonstrate that their doctrines regarding non-evident matters are true. In Christianity, a dogma is a belief communicated by divine revelation and defined by the Church, The organization's formal religious positions may be taught to new members or simply communicated to those who choose to become members. It is rare for agreement with an organization's formal positions to be

1275-477: The Synod of Serdica , and the 68 canons from St. Basil which were derived from his second and third canonical epistles . Canon 1 of the Nicea II council "provides recognition of canonical sources." This canon states that fidelity is to be observed toward all previous canons. In the second canon of the same council, it is stated it is required for any bishop at his consecration to solemnly vow his allegiance to

1326-410: The "mind (intention)" of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and not according to the interpreter's opinion. The dispenser of the canon(s) can be a bishop , a priest, or a spiritual father . There are no precedents in Eastern Orthodox canon law. Moreover, each decision in Eastern Orthodox canon law is unique and often private, because of the application of akriveia or economia . The success of

1377-695: The Christian church was by Saint Irenaeus in his Demonstration of Apostolic Teaching , which provides a 'manual of essentials' constituting the 'body of truth'. For Catholicism and Eastern Christianity , the dogmata are contained in the Nicene Creed and the canon laws of two, three, seven, or twenty ecumenical councils (depending on whether one is Church of the East , Oriental Orthodox , Eastern Orthodox , or Roman Catholic ). These tenets are summarized by John of Damascus in his Exact Exposition of

1428-499: The Eastern Orthodox Church Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church consists of the ecclesiastical regulations recognised by the authorities of

1479-437: The Eastern Orthodox Church has given canonical authority to numerous other sources: " civil legislations , rulings of patriarchs , acts of synods , canonical commentaries, canonical works in various forms including nomokanons , canonical responses, and others." Along with the canons, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, "as well as other branches of the Church, issued their own canonical decrees , which mainly deal with

1530-516: The Eastern Orthodox Church is not codified; the corpus of Eastern Orthodox canon law "was never streamlined or organized into a formal code of ecclesiastical law (as in the Roman Catholic Church)." Some hierarchs , priests and theologians have encouraged a codification in the past, but their will "did not go beyond the level of desire". Some canons of the Eastern Orthodox canon law contradict each others, such as those related to

1581-559: The Holy Apostles , attributed to the Apostles and collected in different works." All Eastern Orthodox Christians must mandatorily obey the canons. Most Eastern Orthodox canons are the disciplinary, or penitential, canons; those canons primarily concern wrongdoings and sins . Other types of canons are those which deal with administrative and dogmatic matters. Many of the administrative canons are not very different from secular laws and regulations, because those canons were issued as

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1632-638: The Orthodox Faith , which is the third book of his main work, titled The Fount of Knowledge . In this book he takes a dual approach in explaining each article of the faith: one, directed at Christians, where he uses quotes from the Bible and, occasionally, from works of other Church Fathers , and the second, directed both at members of non-Christian religions and at atheists , for whom he employs Aristotelian logic and dialectics . The decisions of fourteen later councils that Catholics hold as dogmatic and

1683-668: The Western notion of dogma. In Buddhist thought, a view is not a simple, abstract collection of propositions, but a charged interpretation of experience which intensely shapes and affects thought, sensation, and action. Having the proper mental attitude toward views is therefore considered an integral part of the Buddhist path, as sometimes correct views need to be put into practice and incorrect views abandoned, while at other times all views are seen as obstacles to enlightenment. Taqlid ( Arabic : تَقْليد , romanized :  taqlīd )

1734-488: The application of Eastern Orthodox canon law depends on how much the sinner accepts the canon law's corrective measures; the more the sinner accepts, the more successful the application is. "Knowing that love rather than fear is the basis of human behavior," E.O. canon law seeks "to personalize penances to suit both the gravity of the sin and the attitude of the penitent ." In Eastern Orthodox canon law, there exists two notions: akriveia and economia . Akriveia , which

1785-480: The bishops gathered in ecumenical or local synods , speaking through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in agreement with Christ 's teaching and the dogmas of the Church. In addition, the Fathers of the Church issued canons or wrote letters that eventually came to be considered entirely or partially canonical. [...] A special place in [Eastern Orthodox] Canon Law is given to the [eighty-five] Canons of

1836-486: The canons of ecumenical concils , local councils , and those drawn from patristic writings." Mihai claims the canons and rules which compose Eastern Orthodox canon law were passed on and preserved without being changed through generations. The canons of the Eastern Orthodox canon law "were issued by the Ecumenical Councils , by regional councils (subsequently ratified by Ecumenical Councils), and by

1887-412: The canons of the Eastern Orthodox canon law are, according to Mihai: In Eastern Orthodox canon law, the canons are considered as "of the Church", therefore they cannot be considered as " positive laws " in a juridical sense. The canons in use in the Eastern Orthodox Church are not exhaustive, as they do not cover every possible aspect of the faith and life of the Church. The nature of E.O. canon law

1938-467: The canons. The presence of a canon in an Eastern Orthodox canon collection does not mean that said canon was in force at the time it was put in the collection. This is because some canonical collections are made to record institutions and practice which had ceased to exist a long time ago. "For example, certain later Byzantine canonical collections speak of the order of penitents (mourners, listeners, prostraters, and those that stand together with) or of

1989-448: The church as not being self-explanatory; the canons cannot be interpreted without taking into account their doctrinal context and praxis , as well as the tradition of piety . Dogma In the pejorative sense, dogma refers to enforced decisions, such as those of aggressive political interests or authorities. More generally, it is applied to some strong belief that its adherents are not willing to discuss rationally. This attitude

2040-443: The church’s relations with civil authorities, the correlation of church law with civil law , finances, and ownership relations. [Eastern Orthodox canon law] includes the subjects and methods of other theological disciplines: critical analysis ( church history ), doctrinal teaching ( dogmatics ), canons of the holy fathers ( patristics ), baptism, and reception into the church ( liturgics ). Eastern Orthodox canons are accepted within

2091-451: The most important ones; they are followed in importance by those issued by local councils ; the last canons in importance are those issued by Church Fathers . As for the rules and decrees issued by individual Eastern Orthodox churches, they have a local, not universal application; therefore, they are considered as "advisory rules." The 85 Canons of the Holy Apostles hold a "special place" in Eastern Orthodox canon law. The canon law of

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2142-434: The nature of Christ as universal redeemer being an example. The term originated in late Greek philosophy legal usage, in which it meant a decree or command, and came to be used in the same sense in early Christian theology. Protestants to differing degrees are less formal about doctrine, and often rely on denomination-specific beliefs, but seldom refer to these beliefs as dogmata. The first unofficial institution of dogma in

2193-562: The organization, the relationships and customs of the local churches." Those autocephalous Churches also issued decrees on the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as on those autocephalous churches' particular aspects of their order and discipline. Those legislations also part of Eastern Orthodox canon law. The Tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church also contributed to the corpus of ecclesiastical norms of Eastern Orthodox canon law, by providing truths of faith that eventually became universally accepted. In Eastern Orthodox canon law,

2244-406: The passage of time, some new sins have come to exist for which there is no canon. It is possible a canonist , "through careful interpretation and association", could recommend an existing canon for a sin of this type; for example, an already existing canon condemning the self-mutilation of one's body may be applied to tattoos or piercings . The interpretation of the canons must be made according to

2295-667: The purely ecclesiastical enactments were excluded, but the civil law contained in the Syntagma was reproduced whenever adaptable to the social condition of the people. In the sixteenth century the Syntagma Canonum was translated into Bulgarian ; in the seventeenth century into Russian . [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). " Syntagma Canonum ". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Canon law of

2346-420: The reception of heretics in the Church and the validity of their sacraments . Eastern Orthodox canon law is "a standard for behavior" and "the attempt to apply dogma to practical situation in the daily life of each [Eastern Orthodox] Christian". Eastern Orthodox canon law "the formalized part of divine law ." Viscuso writes that the Eastern Orthodox canon law expresses two realities. Theologically , it

2397-495: The reception of heretics in the Church and the validity of their sacraments . Since there is no universal codification of Eastern Orthodox canon law, a great importance is given to the local legislation of each Eastern Orthodox Church. Eastern Orthodox Christians consider the canon 39 of the Quinisext council of 691 ("For our God-bearing fathers also declared that the customs of each church should be preserved") has recognised

2448-417: The right of each local Church to have its own special laws or regulations. However, those laws or regulations must always reflect the spirit of the Eastern Orthodox Church's universal law as found in the canons. Most canons of the Eastern Orthodox canon law were issued as a response to some specific dogmatic or moral question, or to deviation, which happened in the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church ;

2499-634: The role of the Bible in Eastern Orthodox canon law is that it "embodies principles of Christian doctrine from which rules may be extrapolated for solving disciplinary problems within the Church–but only the Church itself may do that." Church legislations are composed of the local councils and the Ecumenical councils. Ecclesiastical customs are not the Holy Tradition , because ecclesiastical customs are

2550-514: The very existence of those canons as well as their particular formulation is due to some specific controversies in History. The first canon of the Council of Chalcedon states it is imperative for the whole Eastern Orthodox Church to obey all previously formulated canons. Legislations taken from patristic writings were first introduced into the legislation of the Eastern Orthodox Church through

2601-534: The work of the 6th-century Patriarch John Scholasticus of Constantinople , in his influential collection of ecclesiastical canons called the Synagoge of Ecclesiastical Canons Divided into 50 Titles . In this collection divided into 50 titles according to ecclesiastical hierarchy, Scholasticus included: all the canons of the Eastern Ecumenical and local councils, the 85 Apostolic canons , the canons of

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