J
JamesTheJust
Guest
I’m not sure how to address the Apostolic Canons, but I’ll address the 39th Festal Epistle.Mr. Bonocore perhaps should have done more research on the topic of Orthodox canon law before presuming to speak for Orthodox Christians as to how our own canons are to be interpreted. Canon I of Second Nicaea and Canon II of Trullo both approve not only the canons of regional synods, but also the Apostolic Canons, the 85th of which includes a list of scriptures which differs from the canon of Carthage in that it includes 3 Maccabees. The same canons from Second Nicaea and Trullo also approve of canons written by the fathers, which presumably should include St. Athanasius’ 39th Festal Epistle, which lists a canon of scripture which excludes quite a few books which both Ap. Canon 85 and Carthage include. It cannot be then, as Mr. Bonocore seems to contend, that the scriptural canon of Carthage was promulgated by Trullo and Second Nicaea in the sense of a closed canon, as to do so would be inconsistent, contradicting the canon of scripture from Ap. Canon 85 and St. Athanasius’ 39th Festal Epistle, also approved by both councils.
When one refers to a doctrine held by the Church Fathers, one is usually speaking of a consensus of patristic doctrine. No single Father was correct on every single point of doctrine, and one would be hard-pressed to find a doctrine on which all the Fathers agree. Thus, we must look upon that upon which the majority of Fathers agree as sound patristic doctrine.
We must conclude, then, that the Council means to approve the canon which was approved by a majority of Fathers, which, after Carthage, Hippo, and Rome, is the 73-book, Catholic canon.