Father,
Interesting -- I kinda want to get my hands on the Pedalion even more now. I heard that it includes the canons from the Council of Florence as well as the 17th-century Synod of Jerusalem... is that true?
Also, does anyone reprint the Pedalion these days?
Tom Smith
Dear Tom,
First of all, please forgive me for calling you 'Tim' in the previous post. Perhaps I wasn't wearing my eyeglasses at the time!
The Pedalion does not contain the canons from the Council of Florence (a Council which, as you know, the Orthodox Church ultimately rejected). Nor does it contain anything from of the Synod of Jerusalem, which issued no canons (as far as I know), but only acts and decrees. From Wikipedia:
"The Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem was translated directly from the Greek, and edited with notes, by J.N.W.B. Robertson (London, 1899). The text of Chapter VI, which sets forth the Orthodox faith in eighteen decrees and four questions, commonly known as The Confession of Dositheus, can be consulted at the Web site
http://catholicity.elcore.net/ConfessionOfDositheus.html "
The Pedalion contains the text and commentary on the canons recognised by the Seven Ecumenical Councils as have universal authority, i.e.:
1. The Canons of the Holy Apostles (i.e. the so-called
Apostolic Canons);
2. The Canons of the Ecumenical Synods (which the Orthodox number as only Seven, and among which they count the Council of Trullo - the Quinisext Council - as completing the work of the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils, which issued no disciplinary canons of their own);
3. The Canons of the Regional Synods (the last of which is Carthage in 418 or 419); and
4. The Canons of the Holy Fathers (Fifteen Holy Fathers from St Dionysius the Alexandrian, d. 265, to St Nicephorus the Confessor, d. 828)
Yours in Christ,
Fr David
