Canon law

Lore & Background

The term 'canon' derives from Greek kanon, meaning 'straight' or 'rule,' with roots in the Hebrew kaneh ('reed'). The Apostolic Canons, a collection of ancient ecclesiastical decrees (eighty-five in the Eastern, fifty in the Western Church), were incorporated with the Apostolic Constitutions.

Reader's Guide

Canon law is significant as the first modern Western legal system and the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the West. In the Catholic Church, it is a fully developed legal system with courts, lawyers, judges, a legal code, principles of interpretation, and coercive penalties, though it lacks civilly-binding force in most secular jurisdictions. Its legislative style was adapted from the Roman Code of Justinian, and its institutions and practices paralleled the legal development of much of Europe, influencing both modern civil law and common law. The Catholic Church's canon law includes the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches for Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See. Academic degrees in canon law include the J.C.B., J.C.L., and J.C.D.

Did You Know?

• The term 'canon' originally meant 'reed' in Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic.
• The Apostolic Canons contain 85 decrees in the Eastern Church and 50 in the Western Church.
• Catholic canon law was the first modern Western legal system.