Back to Eastern Orthodox Overview Canon

Scripture, canons, and the Orthodox Bible.

The word canon points two directions in Eastern Christianity: the canon of Scripture, which traditionally follows the Septuagint and includes deuterocanonical books, and the canons of the Church, which regulate faith, order, and discipline.

Orthodox ClaimOrthodox Bibles preserve the fuller Old Testament of the Septuagint, and the Church canons guard faith and order under apostolic tradition.

Main ReceiptsApostolic Canons, Trullo canons, Nicaea canons, and the local practice of the Orthodox canon of Scripture.

Live DisputeProtestants often exclude the deuterocanonical books; the exact boundaries of Scripture and canons vary across Orthodox churches and editions.

Component Map

Canon has two senses in Orthodoxy.

Canon of ScriptureThe Orthodox Old Testament is based on the Septuagint and may include books absent from Protestant Bibles; the New Testament canon is the same twenty-seven books.

Canon LawChurch canons from councils and fathers regulate clerical order, liturgy, fasting, marriage, and discipline.

Apostolic CanonsAn early collection that influenced Eastern church order and the role of bishops, clergy, and liturgical practice.

Ecumenical CanonsCanons of Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, and Trullo are received as binding across Orthodox churches.

Local Councils and FathersLocal councils and patristic canons (Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, and others) fill out the canonical corpus.

EconomiaOrthodox pastoral practice may apply canonical discipline with flexibility (economia) while preserving the norm (akribeia).

Receipt Trail

Start here before drawing conclusions.

Apostolic CanonsIndexed locally: church-order canons governing bishops, clergy, and discipline.

Council in TrulloIndexed locally: the Quinisext canons that complete the fifth and sixth councils on practice.

Nicaea CanonsIndexed locally: the earliest ecumenical canons on order, clergy, and liturgical practice.