canon law
rules formulated by the Christian community to express the preferred order of its corporate life. The tradition may be seen as beginning at the Council of Jerusalem, as recorded in the New Testament in Acts Ch 15. It is variously developed in councils of church leaders, in both Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) Churches. With the overlap between Christendom and the countries of Europe, aspects of canon law also became civil law. Whilst that may continue in some respects, it cannot in all, and the need for restatements of distinctive church teachings has given rise to new versions of canon law, as found in both Anglican and Roman Catholic traditions. See http://canonlaw.anglican.org/