The Rudder (Pedalion)

The canonical collection of the Greek Church, compiled by St Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain with Agapios the Monk and first printed in 1800. It gives the canons of the Apostles, of the Ecumenical and local councils and of the Fathers, each followed by Nikodemos’ own commentary and by a note on how it is actually applied, which is what makes it a rudder rather than a law code. It is the standard reference for Orthodox canon law in Greek practice, and its footnotes are where a reader meets the principle that the canons are steered rather than obeyed mechanically.