Pidalion. Rules of the Orthodox Church with interpretations. Volume 4. Rules of the Holy Fathers

“Pidalion” was first published in Leipzig in 1800. This is an authoritative collection of the rules of the Ecumenical and Local Councils and the holy fathers with commentaries. The 4th volume includes 247 rules of the holy fathers, namely: 4 rules of St. Dionysius the Great, 12 - St. Gregory the Wonderworker, 15 - sschmch. Peter I of Alexandria, 3 - St. Athanasius I the Great, 92 - St. Basil the Great, 8 - St. Gregory of Nyssa, 1 - St. Gregory the Theologian, 1 - St. Amphilochios of Iconium, 18 - Timothy I, Archbishop. Alexandria, 14 - Theophilus I, Archbishop. Alexandriysky, 5 - St. Kirill, Archbishop. Alexandriysky, 1 - St. Gennady I, Patriarch of Constantinople, 35 – St. John IV the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople, 1 - St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 37 – St. Nikephoros I, Patriarch of Constantinople. The Appendix included in Volume 4 was added by the publishers of the Pidalion and is a reprint from the Athenian Syntagma. It included the messages of Saints Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Anastasius of Antioch, Nikephoros I, Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as a treatise on obstacles to marriage and samples of some church documents. The compilers of the “Pidalion” were St. Nicodemus the Svyatogorets and Hieromonk Agapius the Elder. They were guided by the goal of making church rules publicly available. The text of the canons is accompanied by a lengthy interpretation. Each section of the book is preceded by an introduction in the form of a brief historical background about the Council or the Father of the Church. The text is provided with historical, theological and canonical commentaries. Each rule is accompanied by a list of parallel passages, interpretation and notes. For some rules, agreement with other rules is also given. Some canonists consider the Pidalion to be the most perfect body of Orthodox church law, although the canonical status of the Pidalion is not entirely certain. This work influenced the official collection of canons of the Russian Orthodox Church - “The Book of Rules” (1839). This was expressed, first of all, in the presentation and division of the rules of the Council of Carthage. “Pidalion” became the main source for enriching the “Book of Rules” with patristic quotations, while interpreting St. Nicodemus significantly exceeds the volume of quotations from other sources. Unlike the “Pidalion,” the “Book of Rules” did not include the rules of Saints John IV the Faster and Nicephorus I, patriarchs of Constantinople. In the presented edition, the texts of the rules are given in Russian. *The title of the work in Greek is Πηδάλιον. See our website Church law: canons (rules) Volume 1 • Volume 2 • Volume 3 • Volume 4 To the Glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the One God Pidalion of the spiritual ship of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church, or all the sacred and Divine Rules of the holy all-validated apostles, holy Ecumenical and Local Councils and individual divine fathers, interpreted by Hieromonk Agapius and monk Nicodemus The fourth volume includes the rules of the holy fathers, as well as a treatise on obstacles to marriage and samples of some church documents.