The Canons of the Holy Apostles

Canon 1. Let a bishop be ordained by two or three bishops. [a] Canon 2. Let a presbyter, a deacon and the rest of the clergy be ordained by one bishop.

Canon 3. If any bishop or presbyter offers anything else at the altar besides what the Lord ordained for the sacrifice, such as honey, or milk, or strong drink made in place of wine, or birds, or any living creatures, or vegetables, besides what is ordained, let him be deposed. The only exceptions are new ears of grain, and grapes in their season. Nor is it allowed to bring anything else to the altar at the time of the holy offering, except oil for the lamps, and incense. [c] Canon 4. All other produce is to be sent to the homes of the bishops and presbyters as firstfruits, but not offered at the altar. And the bishops and presbyters should, of course, give a share of these things to the deacons and the rest of the clergy.

Canon 5. A bishop, presbyter or deacon must not put away his wife on the pretext of religion. If he does put her away, let him be excommunicated; and if he persists, let him be deposed. Canon 6. A bishop, presbyter or deacon must not take up worldly business; otherwise let him be deposed. Canon 7. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon celebrates the holy day of Easter before the spring equinox, together with the Jews, let him be deposed. [e] Canon 8. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone on the priestly roll, does not partake of it when the offering is made, let him state the reason. If it is a reasonable one, let him be excused. But if he does not state it, let him be excommunicated, since he is a cause of offense to the people and raises a suspicion against the one who made the offering, as if he had not made it properly. [f] Canon 9. All the faithful who come in and hear the Scriptures, but do not stay for the prayers and the holy communion, are to be excommunicated, as people who cause disorder in the church. Canon 10. If anyone prays with an excommunicated person, even in a private house, let him also be excommunicated. Canon 11. If any clergyman joins in prayer with a deposed clergyman, as though he were still a clergyman, let him also be deposed. Canons 12 and 13. If any of the clergy or laity who is excommunicated, or who is not to be received, goes away and is received in another city without letters of recommendation, let both the one who receives him and the one received be excommunicated. But if he is already excommunicated, let the time of his excommunication be lengthened.

Canon 14. A bishop is not to be allowed to leave his own parish and move over into another, even though many may press him to do so, unless there is some proper cause compelling him, such as that he can bring some greater benefit to the people of that place in the word of godliness. And even this must be done, not on his own initiative, but by the judgment of many bishops and at their earnest urging. [g] Canon 15. If any presbyter or deacon, or anyone else on the list of the clergy, leaves his own parish and goes into another, and, having entirely abandoned his own, settles in the other parish without the permission of his own bishop, we order that he is no longer to perform divine service. This applies above all if his own bishop has urged him to return and he has refused, and persists in his disorderly conduct. But let him receive communion there as a layman. Canon 16. If, however, the bishop with whom such men are staying disregards the order that they are to stop performing divine services, and receives them as clergymen, let him be excommunicated, as a teacher of disorder.

Canon 17. A man who has been married twice after his baptism, or who has had a concubine, cannot become a bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone else on the priestly roll. Canon 18. A man who has married a widow, or a divorced woman, or a prostitute, or a maidservant, or an actress, cannot be a bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone else on the priestly roll. Canon 19. A man who has married two sisters, or a niece, cannot become a clergyman. Canon 20. If a clergyman becomes a guarantor for anyone, let him be deposed.

Canon 21. A eunuch who was made so by the violence of men, or who was castrated in times of persecution, or who was born so, may be made a bishop, if he is worthy in other respects. Canon 22. A man who has mutilated himself cannot become a clergyman, for he is a murderer of himself and an enemy of God’s workmanship. [h] Canon 23. If any man who is a clergyman mutilates himself, let him be deposed, for he is a murderer of himself. Canon 24. If a layman mutilates himself, let him be excommunicated for three years, as one who has plotted against his own life.

Canon 25. If a bishop, presbyter or deacon is found guilty of fornication, perjury or theft, let him be deposed, but not excommunicated; for the Scripture says, “You shall not punish a man twice for the same offense.” In the same way the other clergy are to be subject to the same procedure. [i] Canon 26. Of those who have been admitted to the clergy unmarried, we order that only the readers and singers may marry, if they wish. Canon 27. If a bishop, presbyter or deacon strikes any of the faithful who have sinned, or any unbelievers who have done wrong, intending to frighten them, we command that he be deposed. For our Lord has by no means taught us to do this. On the contrary, when he was struck he did not strike back; when he was reviled he did not revile in return; when he suffered he made no threats. [j] Canon 28. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon who has been justly deposed on open charges dares to meddle with any of the divine services that had been entrusted to him, let him be cut off from the church altogether. Canon 29. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon obtains that rank by money, let both him and the one who ordained him be deposed, and also cut off altogether from all communion, as Simon Magus was by me, Peter. [k] Canon 30. If any bishop obtains a church through the help of secular rulers, let him be deposed and excommunicated, together with all who are in communion with him.

Canon 31. If any presbyter despises his own bishop and gathers a separate congregation and sets up another altar, though he has no grounds for condemning the bishop in matters of religion or justice, let him be deposed for his love of power, for he is a tyrant. Let the same be done with the rest of the clergy, as many as join him; and let laymen be excommunicated. But let this be done only after a first, second and third warning from the bishop. Canon 32. If any presbyter or deacon has been excommunicated by a bishop, he may not be received back into communion by anyone other than the one who excommunicated him, unless the bishop who excommunicated him happens to have died. Canon 33. No bishop, presbyter or deacon from elsewhere may be received without letters of recommendation. When they produce them, let the men be examined; and if they are preachers of godliness, let them be received. Otherwise, though you supply them with what they need, you must not receive them into communion, for many things are done by deceit. Canon 34. The bishops of every nation must recognize the one who is first among them and regard him as their head, and do nothing of importance without his consent. Each may do only those things that concern his own parish and the country places belonging to it. But neither should the one who is first do anything without the consent of all. For in this way there will be unity of mind, and God will be glorified through the Lord in the Holy Spirit. [l] Canon 35. A bishop must not dare to ordain outside his own boundaries, in cities and places not subject to him. If he is convicted of doing so without the consent of those who have authority over those cities and places, let him be deposed, and those whom he ordained as well. Canon 36. If anyone who has been ordained bishop does not take up the ministry and the care of the people entrusted to him, let him be excommunicated until he does take it up. The same applies to a presbyter or deacon. But if he has gone and has not been received, not through his own will but because of the perversity of the people, let him remain a bishop, and let the clergy of the city be excommunicated, because they have not corrected the disobedient people. Canon 37. Let there be a meeting of the bishops twice a year, and let them examine together the decrees concerning religion and settle any church disputes that may have arisen. One meeting is to be held in the fourth week of Pentecost, that is, the fourth week after Easter, and the other on the twelfth day of the month Hyperberetaeus, that is, October. [m]

Canon 38. Let the bishop have the care of all the goods of the church, and let him manage them as one who is under the eye of God. But he must not part with any of them, or give what belongs to God to his own relatives. If they are poor, let him help them as he would the poor; but let him not sell the goods of the church on that pretext. Canon 39. Let the presbyters and deacons do nothing without the approval of the bishop; for it is he who has been entrusted with the people of the Lord, and from him an account of their souls will be required. [n] Canon 40. Let the bishop’s private goods, if he has any, be kept clearly distinct from the goods of the Lord, so that the bishop may have the power, when he dies, to leave his own goods to whom he wishes and as he wishes, and so that the bishop’s own property may not be lost on the pretext that it belongs to the church. For he may have a wife, or children, or relatives, or servants. And it is just before God and men that the church should suffer no loss through ignorance of what is the bishop’s own property; and that the bishop and his relatives should not be wronged on the pretext of the church; and that those who belong to him should not be drawn into disputes, and so bring reproach upon his death. Canon 41. We order that the bishop have authority over the goods of the church. For if he is to be entrusted with the precious souls of men, much more should he be entrusted with earthly possessions. He is therefore to manage them all on his own authority, and to supply those in need through the presbyters and deacons, in the fear of God and with all reverence. He may also, if need be, take what he requires for his own necessary needs, and for the brothers to whom he must show hospitality, so that he may not be in any want. For the law of God has ordained that those who serve at the altar should be fed from the altar. Nor does any soldier bear arms against an enemy at his own expense. [o]

Canon 42. If a bishop, presbyter or deacon is given to dice or drinking, let him either give it up or be deposed. Canon 43. If a subdeacon, reader or singer does the same things, let him either give them up or be excommunicated. The same applies to laymen. Canon 44. A bishop, presbyter or deacon who charges interest to those who borrow from him must either stop doing so or be deposed.

Canon 45. Let a bishop, presbyter or deacon who has merely prayed with heretics be excommunicated; but if he has allowed them to perform any clerical office, let him be deposed. Canon 46. We order that a bishop or presbyter who has accepted the baptism or the sacrifice of heretics be deposed. For what agreement does Christ have with Belial, or what share does a believer have with an unbeliever? [p] Canon 47. Let a bishop or presbyter be deposed if he baptizes a second time someone who has rightly received baptism, or if he does not baptize someone who has been defiled by the ungodly; for he despises the cross and death of the Lord, and makes no distinction between the true priests and the false. [q] Canon 48. If any layman puts away his wife and marries another, or marries a woman divorced by another man, let him be excommunicated. Canon 49. If any bishop or presbyter, contrary to the ordinance of the Lord, does not baptize into the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but into three Beings without beginning, or three Sons, or three Comforters, let him be deposed. [r] Canon 50. If any bishop or presbyter does not perform the one initiation with three immersions, but gives only one immersion, into the death of the Lord, let him be deposed. For the Lord did not say, “Baptize into my death,” but, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” [s]

Canon 51. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone on the priestly roll, abstains from marriage, or meat, or wine, not for the sake of religious discipline but because he loathes them, forgetting that God made all things very good, and that he made man male and female, and so blaspheming the work of creation, let him either be corrected or be deposed and cast out of the church. The same applies to a layman. [t] Canon 52. If any bishop or presbyter does not receive one who turns back from his sin, but rejects him, let him be deposed; for he grieves Christ, who said, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.” [u] Canon 53. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon does not eat meat and drink wine on feast days, because he loathes them and not for the sake of religious discipline, let him be deposed, as one whose conscience is seared, and who is a cause of offense to many. [v] Canon 54. If any of the clergy is found eating in a tavern, let him be excommunicated, unless he was forced by necessity to stay at an inn while on a journey.

Canon 55. If any of the clergy insults the bishop, let him be deposed; for “you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.” [w] Canon 56. If any of the clergy insults a presbyter or deacon, let him be excommunicated. Canon 57. If any of the clergy mocks the lame, or the deaf, or the blind, or one who is weak in his legs, let him be excommunicated. The same applies to any of the laity. Canon 58. If any bishop or presbyter neglects the clergy or the people and does not teach them the way of godliness, let him be excommunicated; and if he persists in his neglect and idleness, let him be deposed. Canon 59. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon does not supply what is needed when one of the clergy is in want, let him be excommunicated. If he persists, let him be deposed, as one who has killed his brother. Canon 60. If anyone reads publicly in the church the falsely titled books of ungodly men as if they were holy Scripture, to the ruin of the people and the clergy, let him be deposed. [x] Canon 61. If a charge of fornication or adultery, or of any other forbidden act, is brought against a believer, and he is convicted, let him not be promoted to the clergy. Canon 62. If any of the clergy, through fear of men, whether Jew, pagan or heretic, denies the name of Christ, let him be cast out. If he denies the name of clergyman, let him be deposed. If he repents, let him be received as a layman. Canon 63. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone of the priestly order, eats meat with its lifeblood in it, or anything killed by wild animals, or anything that has died of itself, let him be deposed; for the law has forbidden this. If he is a layman, let him be excommunicated. [y] Canon 64. If any clergyman or layman enters a synagogue of the Jews or of heretics to pray, let the clergyman be deposed and the layman excommunicated. Canon 65. If any clergyman strikes someone in a fight and kills him with one blow, let him be deposed for his violence. If a layman does so, let him be excommunicated.

Canon 66. If any of the clergy is found fasting on the Lord’s day, or on the Sabbath, except for the one only, let him be deposed. If he is a layman, let him be excommunicated. [z] Canon 67. If anyone takes by force a virgin who is not betrothed, and keeps her, let him be excommunicated. And he may not take any other woman, but must keep the one he has chosen, even if she is poor. Canon 68. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon receives a second ordination from anyone, let both the one ordained and the one who ordained him be deposed, unless it is proved that his ordination came from heretics. For those who have been baptized or ordained by such people cannot be either of the faithful or of the clergy. Canon 69. If any bishop, presbyter, deacon, reader or singer does not keep the holy fast of forty days before Easter, or the fast of the fourth day, or of the day of Preparation, let him be deposed, unless he is prevented by some bodily weakness. If he is a layman, let him be excommunicated. [aa] Canon 70. If any bishop, presbyter or deacon, or anyone on the list of the clergy, fasts or keeps festival with the Jews, or receives from them any of the gifts of their feasts, such as unleavened bread or anything of that kind, let him be deposed. If he is a layman, let him be excommunicated. Canon 71. If any Christian brings oil to a pagan temple or to a synagogue of the Jews at their feast, or lights lamps there, let him be excommunicated.

Canon 72. If any clergyman or layman takes wax or oil from the holy church, let him be excommunicated, and let him pay back a fifth more than he took. [ab] Canon 73. Let no one take for his own use any vessel of gold or silver, or any veil, that has been consecrated, for this is against the law. If anyone is caught doing so, let him be excommunicated. Canon 74. If a bishop has been accused of anything by men who are worthy of belief, he must be summoned by the bishops. If he appears and confesses, or is convicted, a fitting penalty must be laid on him. But if he does not come when he is summoned, let him be summoned a second time, two bishops being sent to him for that purpose. If even then he will not come, let him be summoned a third time, two bishops again being sent to him. But if even then he ignores the summons and does not come, let the synod pass whatever sentence on him seems right, so that he may not appear to profit by avoiding judgment. [ac] Canon 75. A heretic is not to be accepted as a witness against a bishop, nor is one believer alone; for “at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” [ad] Canon 76. A bishop must not, as a favor to a brother or a son or any other relative, ordain whomever he wishes to the rank of bishop. For it is not right to make heirs to the office of bishop, giving the things of God to human affection. Nor is it fitting to make the church of God subject to heirs. If anyone does so, let the ordination be void, and let the one who ordained be punished with excommunication.

Canon 77. If anyone has lost an eye or is lame in one leg, but is worthy of the office of bishop in other respects, he may be ordained; for a defect of the body does not defile a man, but the pollution of the soul does. Canon 78. But if a man is deaf or blind, he may not be made a bishop. This is not because he would be defiled, but so that the affairs of the church may not be hindered. Canon 79. If anyone has a demon, let him not be made a clergyman, nor let him pray with the faithful. But if he is freed from it, let him be received into communion, and, if he is worthy, he may be ordained. Canon 80. It is not allowed that a man who has come over from a pagan life and been baptized, or who has turned from an evil way of living, should be made a bishop at once. For it is not right that one who has not himself been tested should be a teacher of others, unless this is done because of a special showing of God’s grace in his favor. Canon 81. We have said that a bishop or presbyter must not give himself to the management of public affairs, but must devote himself to the business of the church. Let him then be persuaded to do so, or else be deposed; for no one can serve two masters, as the Lord declared. [ae] Canon 82. We do not allow any slaves to be promoted to the clergy without the consent of their masters, for that would bring trouble on their households. But if any slave appears worthy to receive an order, as our Onesimus did, and his masters agree and set him free and send him out of their house, he may be ordained. [af] Canon 83. If a bishop, presbyter or deacon serves in the army and wishes to hold both a Roman office and the priestly office, let him be deposed; for the things of Caesar belong to Caesar, and the things of God to God. [ag] Canon 84. Whoever insults the king or a ruler without just cause, let him suffer punishment. If he is a clergyman, let him be deposed; if a layman, excommunicated.

Canon 85. Let the following books be held worthy of honor and sacred by all of you, clergy and laity alike. Of the Old Testament: the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; of Joshua the son of Nun, one; of the Judges, one; of Ruth, one; of the Kings, four; of the Chronicles of the book of the days, two; of Ezra, two; of Esther, one (some texts read, “of Judith, one”); of the Maccabees, three; of Job, one; of the Psalter, one; of Solomon, three, namely Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs; of the Prophets, twelve; of Isaiah, one; of Jeremiah, one; of Ezekiel, one; of Daniel, one. Besides these, you are advised to have your young people taught the Wisdom of the very learned Sirach. Our own books, that is, those of the New Testament, are these: the four Gospels, of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; fourteen letters of Paul; two letters of Peter; three of John; one of James; and one of Jude. Two letters of Clement; and the Constitutions addressed to you bishops by me, Clement, in eight books, which are not to be made public to everyone because of the mysteries in them. And the Acts of us, the apostles. [ah]