Canon rules. Canons of the Church

Canons Archimandrite Justin (Popovich) wrote: “Holy canons are holy dogmas of faith applied in the active life of a Christian, they encourage members of the Church to incarnate in everyday life the holy dogmas - sunlit heavenly truths that are present in the earthly world.

Holy Scripture and Canons The commandments of the Savior and His apostles do not constitute a code of laws. Deriving legal norms from them, the Church is guided by certain rules. In order to perceive Scripture in spirit and truth, the human mind must be enlightened by grace.

Canons of Western origin In the era of the Ecumenical Councils, the Western Latin-speaking Churches kept the unity of faith with the Eastern Church, and therefore most of the canons that were adopted in the East were recognized in the West. In turn, some of the rules of the Western

Canon is a very multifaceted concept in Orthodoxy. It can be translated from Greek as "rule" or "law". First of all, it refers, of course, to the field of church law, denoting the decisions of the Ecumenical or Local Councils, as well as a number of other normative definitions. But that is not all.

Canons in Orthodoxy

Also, this term is often used to refer to certain traditions of the Orthodox faith and culture that have been established and consecrated by time. For example, there is an icon-painting canon. This is a set of rules, although not written anywhere and not approved by anyone's authority, on how an Orthodox icon should be painted. In the same way, one can speak of canons in relation to architectural, biblical or, for example, song traditions.

But there is a more important, due to its frequent use, definition of this term. According to him, the canon is a special form of liturgical text.

Canon as a format of prayer

The liturgical canon is a prayer, quite lengthy and extensive, built according to a strictly defined pattern. This plan consists in a peculiar division of the canon. According to him, the entire text is divided into nine so-called songs. This is due to the fact that the canons, according to the original Greek tradition, were certainly sung in temples. In principle, the liturgical charter of the Orthodox Church even now prescribes singing these prayers, but the long-established practice of reading has supplanted this early tradition. The only exception is the canon dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, which is sung during the Easter service. But this is rather because this service does not involve readings at all - for the sake of solemnity and festivity, it is prescribed to sing all its parts.

So, the canon is nine songs. At the same time, each song is divided into several so-called troparia - short prayer addresses. According to the charter, each song should have sixteen troparia. But in fact there may be much fewer of them, most often four or six. Therefore, in order to fulfill the letter of the charter, they have to be repeated. It is important that no matter who the canon is addressed to, the final troparion of each song is always dedicated to the Theotokos.

The first ode is preceded by a short chant called "irmos". The latter is usually sung. In total, there are several types of irmos - these are standard texts that are duplicated in different canons according to a special system.

Further, each troparion, according to the charter, is preceded by a certain verse from the Holy Scriptures. They are also standard and are called Bible Songs. But today they are used only during Lent. The rest of the time, biblical songs are replaced by shorter appeals to the one to whom the prayer is addressed. For example, the penitential canon contains the following invocation: "Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me."

The last two troparia are not preceded by invocations, but by "Glory" and "And now." This is the standard designation of the formulas: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and “Now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".

It should also be taken into account that, although formally there are nine songs in the canon, the second does not exist for most of them, and the third immediately follows the first. So in fact there are usually eight songs.

There is also a Lenten version of the canons, consisting of three songs. But they are not read on their own, since the canons are combined with each other at divine services. As a result, the song always turns out eight or nine.

The history of the canon as a hymnographic genre

Canons of this kind appeared in Byzantium around the 7th century and quickly spread, displacing the even more extensive kontakion genre. Initially, the canons consisted of an interweaving of nine hymns, borrowed from the Holy Scriptures, with Christian prayers. Gradually, however, the latter began to predominate, and biblical songs began to decline, until they were completely supplanted in liturgical practice by short verses-proclamations.

Eucharistic canon

The Eucharistic Canon is the most important liturgical sequence of prayers. In fact, it has nothing to do with the hymnographic genre discussed above, but is nevertheless called by the same term.

In essence, the Eucharistic canon is a series of the most important prayers of the liturgy, connected by a common structure, theme and purpose. This sequence verbally formalizes the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist - the transformation of bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Christ.

The Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete

If we return to the main liturgical format of the canon, then we cannot fail to recall one more masterpiece. We are talking about a work written by St. Andrew of Crete, which has the title "Great Canon". In its structure, it obeys the standard order, but at the same time contains many more troparia for each song - about thirty.

In Divine Services, the Great Canon is used only twice a year. Once it is read in full and once divided into four parts, which are read sequentially over four days. Both of these times fall during Lent.

The Council of Bishops adopts documents on juvenile justice, electronic identity cards and other issues about which nothing is written in the canons that were created fifteen hundred years ago, in Ancient Rome and Byzantium. Nevertheless, the bishops are guided by them. So why don't canons become obsolete?

Ecumenical councils are most often associated with the dogmas that were adopted at them, for example, with the Nicene-Tsaregrad Creed (First and Second Ecumenical Councils), or with the defense of icon veneration (Seventh Ecumenical Council). But at the Councils they adopted not only doctrinal truths, but also canons - the rules of the Church. Not all of them are active today, but none have been cancelled.

History of sin

The word "canon" in Greek means "straight line" or "rule". Unlike dogmas, canons deal with the practical side of church life: issues of church administration, church discipline, or Christian morality. The Canon is a guideline for the correct, normal Christian life of a person and the Church as a whole. For example, the “moral” canons formulate the lower limit of Christian behavior and, as a rule, express some kind of prohibition: “no clergyman is allowed to maintain a tavern (i.e., a tavern or a hotel)” (9th canon of the Sixth Ecumenical (Trullo) Council ).

In a sense, the canons tell us about the history of sin in the Church, because they were all created to limit sin. Canons were approved in a specific historical period to solve problems that were relevant at that time. And, judging by the number of canons, there were quite a few problems: we have 189 Ecumenical Rules and about 320 Local Councils. Many of them are repeated from council to council, this indicates that the problem they were called to solve was not solved, and the Church had to repeat and confirm its decision. So, against the sin of simony (acquisition of holy orders for money) they fought at the Fourth Ecumenical Council, and at the Sixth (Trulla), and at the Seventh. And with usury among the clergy - at Laodicea, Carthage and at the First, Sixth, Seventh Ecumenical Councils.

Canons banning TV?

Despite the legalization of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, and then its elevation to the rank of a privileged religion, the customs in Byzantium remained pagan for a long time. For example, theatrical tragedies ("disgraceful games") were passionate scenes of murder, revenge, jealousy, fornication, and the performances of buffoons would strongly remind us of frivolous modern films and American comedies. The races (“horse races”) were a cruel spectacle with many accidents (the chariots often turned over), and, as Bishop Nikodim (Milash), a Serbian canonist and historian (1845-1915), writes, “excited brutal and bloodthirsty instincts in the spectators ". Refusal to visit these places should have become the norm of Christian life, but not all Christians understood this.

Theatre, horse races, circus were the subject of many angry sermons of bishops of the 4th-5th centuries, for example, St. John Chrysostom. In the 4th century, attendance at these events was forbidden by the fathers participating in the local Laodicean and Carthaginian cathedrals, and in the 7th century, several rules against the theater and horse racing were adopted at the Trullo Cathedral at once. According to the 24th canon of this council, priests and others in the clergy, as well as monks, were not allowed to attend the races and the theater. If the priest is called to the wedding feast and theatrical performances begin there, he will have to leave. Canon 51 forbids all Christians from attending comedy performances, "animal spectacles" and "dancing in disgrace" (dancing on the stage). “Animal spectacles” consisted in the fact that in big cities they fed various animals - lions and bears; at a certain time, they would take them out to some square and send them to the bulls, sometimes to people, prisoners or condemned, and this served as amusement to the spectators,” writes Vladyka Nikodim. And dances were forbidden because of their obscenity, especially if women participate in them, arousing passions and lust in the audience. Canons 62 and 65 of the Trullo Council also condemn participation in pagan festivities, which were accompanied by dances and theatrical processions.

Although many of the realities that led to the emergence of some canons no longer exist, these rules can be attributed to other, similar problems of our time. So, the hippodromes, ballet and theater in Christian culture, indeed, have changed a lot compared to what they were in the pagan world, and no one gives bulls or people to be torn to pieces by lions, but the rules of Trullo Cathedral may well be relevant and preserve landmark status when it comes to vulgar movies, TV programs, performances, literature, concerts, shows, etc.

In connection with the events that took place between the Church and the world last year, the position of the Ancient Church in semi-pagan Byzantium does not even seem outdated. The Church in the IV-VII centuries had to remain alien to the world, not to dissolve in it, and the bishops who made decisions at the Ecumenical and Local Councils fought not only for the purity of the evangelical life of their flock, but also for the good name of Christians in the empire. So, in order not to cause complaints, clerics are forbidden even to visit a tavern (9th Trull., 24th Laod.), give money at interest (17th I Ecum., 10th Trull.), walk in indecent and immodest clothes (27th Trull., 16th VII Ecc.), live in the same house with women who are not relatives (5th Trull., 3rd I Ecc.), and also bathe with their wives (77th Trull.). According to the 5th rule of the Trullo Cathedral, the wife of a cleric cannot be an actress (“disgraceful”). Women (including pilgrims) should not spend the night in male monasteries, and men - in female ones (47th Trul.). Monasteries should not be "double", i.e. two monasteries - female and male - are nearby, and a nun should not eat or talk with a monk alone (20th of the 7th Ecum.). All Christians are forbidden to gamble (Trull. 50) or to dance during marriage (Laod. 53).

Canons that are misunderstood

There are perhaps a couple of canons most frequently cited by contemporary Orthodox Christians. The first in popularity is the 19th canon of Trullo Cathedral. He is quoted when someone is seen trying to meditate on the Scriptures on their own, especially in relation to Bible study groups where such meditating and reasoning is practiced. However, this canon is quoted incorrectly, or rather, what is quoted is not the 19th rule at all. They say that the Holy Fathers categorically forbid interpreting Holy Scripture according to one's own understanding, and one cannot interpret Holy Scripture in any other way, but only in the way they themselves did it. But the 19th rule tells a different story. It is addressed not to the laity who read and meditate on the Word of God, but to the bishops who prepare sermons to instruct the people. This rule is for preachers and speaks of the responsibility of the preacher: it is they who must compose sermons based on the homily of the holy fathers, do it in the same spirit, so as not to make mistakes, because they are talking about dogma. But this rule does not apply to scripture reading groups also because in all such groups there is a rule that participants do not preach or teach other participants. Here is the full text of the rule in Church Slavonic: “The primates of the churches must all the days, and especially on Sundays, instruct all the clergy and the people in the words of piety, choosing from the Divine Scriptures the understanding and reasoning of the truth, and not transgressing the limits already laid down and the traditions of the God-bearing fathers: and if the word of Scripture is studied, then let them explain it in no other way, except as the luminaries and teachers of the church have stated in their writings, and with this they are more satisfied than with the compilation of their own words, so that, with a lack of skill in this, they do not deviate from what is proper. For, through the teaching of the aforementioned father, people, receiving knowledge of the good and worthy of election, and of the unprofitable and worthy of disgust, correct their lives for the better, and do not suffer from the disease of ignorance, but listening to the teaching, urge themselves to move away from evil, and, by fear threatening punishments work out their own salvation.

Another rule gained particular fame in connection with the scandalous incident in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This is the 75th rule of the same Trullo Cathedral. Accusers of the punk band Pussi Riot believe that it was this canon that its members violated with their behavior. Strictly speaking, this rule is “highly specialized” and is addressed to church choristers who, during their singing at the service, made unnatural sounds or unbridled screams (“unbridled screams”), imitating the performances of singers in the theater. The rule forbids them from doing so. Full text of the rule: “We wish that those who come to the church for singing do not use disorderly cries, do not force an unnatural cry out of themselves, and do not introduce anything inconsistent and unusual for the church: but with great attention and tenderness they bring psalmody to God, who observes the hidden. For the sacred word taught the sons of Israel to be reverent (Lev. 15:31).”

There are other, less popular canons, a careful reading of which will help us sort out some church misunderstandings. For example, often quoted in relation to women (girls) engaged in any educational activities in the church, the words of the Apostle Paul: “Let the woman be silent in the church” (cf. 1 Cor. 14, 34) have a clarification in the 70th rule of the Trullo Council : “It is not permissible for women to speak during the Divine Liturgy, but according to the word of the Apostle Paul, let them be silent. They were not commanded to speak, but to obey, as the law also speaks. And if they want to learn anything: in the house of their husbands, let them ask (1 Cor. 14:34-35) ”. The canon tells us that women are prohibited from preaching during the Divine Liturgy, as are male laity (see Canon 64 of the Council of Trullo). Everything else: missionary work, teaching, conducting catechesis, leading groups for the study of the Holy Scriptures - a woman can, if she has sufficient knowledge and acts with the blessing of the hierarchy.

There is another canon concerning women and destroying the opinion that, as if at some cathedral, women were forbidden to wear trousers. In this case, "trousers", of course, is an anachronism, but, indeed, in the 13th rule of the Gangra Cathedral it is said that women are not supposed to dress in men's clothes: “If a certain wife, for the sake of imaginary asceticism, uses a robe, and, instead of ordinary women's clothes, puts on a man's: let it be under an oath”. We are talking about the custom of heretics, followers of the teachings of Eustathius, who rejected marriage as a sin, preached extreme asceticism, but at the same time fell into fornication, and, moreover, did not distinguish between men and women. For the sake of asceticism, Eustathian men wore coarse clothes, and women imitated them in this. The rule speaks against the spread of this custom among the Orthodox. Now there is hardly a lady who wears trousers "for the sake of imaginary asceticism", in addition, trousers have long ceased to be only men's clothing.

"Forgotten" canons

There are also rules that are not observed in the modern Orthodox Church for a number of reasons, including historical ones, but the observance of which would only improve the life of Christians.

The first two canons - the 46th Council of Laodicea and the 78th Council of Trullo (the same), which prescribes the obligatory catechesis of those preparing for baptism: “Those who are being baptized must study the faith, and on the fifth day of the week give an answer to the bishop, or presbyters”(46th Laod.). The following - the 76th canon of the Council of Trullo would save us from numerous reproaches from the Protestants: “No one should supply a tavern or various food items inside the sacred fences, or make other purchases, while maintaining reverence for the churches. For our Savior and God taught us by His life in the flesh, and commanded us not to make His Father's house a house of purchase. He scattered penyazki even among pennyazhniki, and expelled those who build the holy temple to a worldly place (John 2:15-16). Therefore, if anyone is convicted of the said crime, let him be excommunicated.”. As you can see, this rule forbids any trade in temples or on temple grounds.

Two more useful rules are about holding Great Lent and Bright Week. “It is not fitting to celebrate marriages on the day of Fortecost, or to celebrate birthdays”(52nd Laod.). AND: “From the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God until the new week, throughout the whole week, the faithful must constantly exercise in the holy churches, in psalms and spiritual songs, rejoicing and triumphing in Christ, and listening to the reading of the Divine Scriptures, and enjoying the holy mysteries. For in this way let us be resurrected with Christ, and be exalted. For this reason, there is no horse racing, or any other folk spectacle, on the said days.(66th Trull.). The last rule is frequent attendance at divine services during Bright Week and frequent Communion.

The 80th canon of the Trullo Council says that it is impossible to move away from church communion for more than three Sundays in a row, by this very person excommunicates himself from the Church. Moreover, the rule prescribes only to attend services on Sundays, leaving the question of participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist at the discretion of everyone: “If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or any of those who are numbered among the clergy, or a layman, without any urgent need or obstacle, by which he would be removed from his church for a long time, but staying in the city, on three Sundays in the course of three weeks, does not come to the church meeting: then let the cleric be expelled from the clergy, and let the layman be removed from communion.

The Church is a very complex structure with its own laws, dogmas and traditions. They are difficult to understand without understanding the origins. So the church canon?

This word first appears in relation to What is a canon in the context of the Bible and hermeneutics? This is a rule that is used to define some standard for books. It must be remembered that all the books of the New and Old Testaments were absolutely canonical at the time of their writing. Understanding that Scripture is the main authority of the Christian Church and will make it possible to separate truth from theological error.

What is a canon in the Bible, and what measures and standards were used to determine whether a particular book could be classified as canonical and become part of the Holy Scriptures? An explanation of this issue was given in the Epistle of Jude (1:3). It affirms such a moment that faith was given by the Lord God once and for all. Therefore, faith is determined by Scripture, and, according to the statement of the apostle Jude, it was the same for all. The Psalter states that Truth is the foundation of the Sacred Word. Based on this statement, theologians and apologists compared individual books within the limits of generally accepted canonical Scripture. The major books of the Bible support the claim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. However, most non-biblical texts that claim to be canonical deny the very idea of ​​Christ's divinity. This is one of the main features of the so-called Apocrypha.

What is canon from a more metaphysical point of view? In the era of the early Christian Church, individual societies recognized this or that text as "inspired", which ultimately was the criterion for its canonicity. During the first few centuries, active controversy was conducted only about a few books, the main list of which was already approved before the 3rd century AD. For example, the so-called penitential canon (or touching) of Andrew of Crete is recognized as canonical.

When considering books, the following factors were fundamental:

The presence of quotations or references in the books of the Old Testament (with the exception of two);

As described in the Gospels, Jesus Christ upheld Old Testament traditions and even quoted some narratives and texts;

The Jews themselves were extremely careful in their preservation of the scriptures. The Roman Catholic Apocrypha does not correspond to these points, so they were never accepted by the Jews.

Many liturgical texts are classified as orthodox solely because of their "spirituality". An example is the penitential canon. It combines a huge number of holy images for Christians and is saturated with the Christian spirit and spirituality.

Answering the question: "What is a canon?" - It is impossible not to mention one of the important criteria of the early Church: whether the person who wrote this or that text was an "eyewitness" of the acts of Jesus Christ. Thus, we can conclude that the church canon was formed in the first centuries of the birth of Christianity and has not undergone any special changes since then.