This course provides an introduction to the canon law of the Church: East and West. First, the “Sacred canons” of the first millennium will be examined as the common canonical foundation to the entire Christian Church. Second, developments in the
medieval era will be compared in the Byzantine East and the Latin West. Third, the
process of legal codification in the Catholic Church will be examined to see one
approach to applying historical legislation in the contemporary Church. Finally,
numerous themes will be examined to provide a cursory overview of the Catholic
Church’s system of canon law, with special attention to questions related to
ecclesiology, sacraments, and sanctions in the Church.