The Origins of the Canons of Hippolytus - by Nathan P Chase & Maxwell E Johnson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Can a case still be made for Egyptian origin of the Canons of Hippolytus? This is the question that 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, supporting the claim that the Canons of Hippolytus remain the earliest derivative document of the Apostolic tradition"--

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Johnson and Chase take an incredibly complex, and often overlooked, integral part of Christian history, and make the text digestible and interesting. Their breakdown and excursus of each canon present the reader with a valuable source in understanding the role of canons in the church broadly speaking, and the individual Canons of Hippolytus. This work serves as an excellent resource to church historians, canon lawyers, liturgists, and apologists alike."

Catholic Media Association

"The primary aim of this book is to revisit Alistair C. Stewart's claim about an Asian or Antiochene layer in the Canons of Hippolytus and to argue for the traditional view, that this derivative of the Apostolic Tradition was compiled in Egypt. Nathan P. Chase and Maxwell E. Johnson argue this convincingly, but they also offer the reader much more. They bring us a detailed study of the material proper to the Canons of Hipploytus, and through comparison with an impressive variety of sources, they illuminate several aspects of Egyptian liturgy in the fourth century."
Ágnes T. Mihálykó, St Athanasius Greek Catholic Theological Institute, Hungary
-- (7/22/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"In the many iterations of the so-called Apostolic Tradition, the Canons of Hippolytus is an important early example. Drawing on the Ethiopian evidence of the Aksumite Collection, Nathan Chase and Maxwell Johnson present a well-argued and convincing case for accepting Egypt as the sole provenance of this Church Order. This work is crucial for all who study liturgy and ministry in early Christian Egypt."
Bryan D. Spinks, Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology, Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School-- (6/12/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"This work provides us with a significant advance in our understanding and knowledge of an important fourth-century church order, and to some extent of its principal source, the Apostolic Tradition. A substantial introduction is followed by a revised English translation of the text and a comprehensive commentary that takes account of all the relevant parallels in the literature of the period. This will make it invaluable to all those interested in the development of early Christian life."
Paul F. Bradshaw, Emeritus Professor of Liturgy, University of Notre Dame
-- (6/13/2024 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Nathan P. Chase (1990-2025) was assistant professor of liturgical and sacramental theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. He contributed articles to the field of liturgical studies, including pieces on liturgy in the early Church, initiation, the Eucharist, inculturation, and the Western Non-Roman Rites, particularly the Hispano-Mozarabic tradition. With Maxwell E. Johnson, he co-authored The Apostolic Tradition: Its Origins, Development, and Liturgical Practices (Liturgical Press, 2025), and The Origins of the Canons of Hippolytus (Liturgical Press, 2024). He was the author of The Homiliae Toletanae and the Theology of Lent and Easter (Peeters, 2020) and The Anaphoral Tradition in the 'Barcelona Papyrus' (Brepols, 2023).

Maxwell E. Johnson is emeritus professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and a retired presbyter in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His numerous publications are on the origins and development of early Christian liturgy, contemporary rites, and current ecumenical and theological questions in both East and West. He is the author and/or editor of more than twenty books and over one hundred essays and articles. He is also a former president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, a member of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, a member of Societas Liturgica, and a member of the scientific advisory board for the journal Ecclesia Orans.