2025 Catholic Media Association Third Place Award, History of Theology, Church Fathers and Mothers

An analysis of the origin of the Canons of Hippolytus, church orders from the fourth century.

Can a case still be made for Egyptian origin of the Canons of Hippolytus? This is the question that noted scholars Maxwell E. Johnson and Nathan P. Chase focus on in response to the recent translation of and commentary on the Canons of Hippolytus by Alistair Stewart, who claims a Cappadocian origin, with a possibly later Egyptian redaction. In The Origins of the Canons of Hippolytus, the authors look at the relevant canons and argue for an Egyptian origin, though not necessarily “Alexandrian.” For students and teachers of liturgy, theology, and the early church, this volume provides contemporary research and careful analysis on the origin and relevance of the Canons of Hippolytus, supporting the claim that they remain the earliest derivative document of the Apostolic tradition.