Before Christianity developed centralized hierarchy and liturgical standardization, scattered congregations needed practical manuals for organizing community life, conducting worship, and testing traveling preachers. Church Orders filled this gap, claiming apostolic authority for their instructions on everything from baptism to bishops. The Didache (c. 50-120 CE), Christianity's oldest catechism, teaches the 'Two Ways' of life and death, prescribes baptism in running water (or failing that, pour water thrice on the head), includes primitive Eucharistic prayers emphasizing David's 'holy vine' rather than Jesus' sacrifice, and provides rules for testing itinerant apostles ('if he stays three days, he is a false prophet'). The Apostolic Tradition, long attributed to Hippolytus of Rome (c. 215 CE), revolutionized 20th-century liturgical reforms before modern scholarship questioned the attribution—revealing how a possibly composite 2nd-4th century text shaped contemporary Catholic and Anglican worship. The massive Apostolic Constitutions (c. 380 CE) compiled earlier orders into an eight-book encyclopedia of church life, preserving the oldest complete Divine Liturgy (the 'Clementine Liturgy') and 85 Apostolic Canons. Though ultimately rejected for heretical interpolations, these manuals illuminate Christianity's transition from charismatic to hierarchical organization.
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
Christianity's oldest catechism (c. 50-120 CE), Two Ways morality, baptism/Eucharist instructions, testing traveling prophets, considered near-canonical by some early churches
Didache — Full Summary & Context →Egyptian Church Order
3rd-century liturgical manual (formerly attributed to Hippolytus) detailing ordinations, baptism, Eucharist, daily prayer—profoundly influenced modern Catholic/Anglican liturgical reforms
Apostolic Tradition — Full Summary & Context →Eight Books of Church Law
Massive 4th-century compilation (c. 380 CE) incorporating Didache, Didascalia, Apostolic Tradition—oldest complete Divine Liturgy (Clementine Liturgy), 85 Apostolic Canons
Apostolic Constitutions — Full Summary & Context →Apostolic Church Law
85 ecclesiastical canons claiming apostolic authority, appended to Apostolic Constitutions, governing clergy conduct, liturgical practice, and church discipline in the early church
Canons of the Apostles — Full Summary & Context →Teaching of the Apostles
3rd-century Syrian church manual addressing bishops, widows, deacons, and penitents—earliest source for female deacons, reconciliation of lapsed Christians, and Jewish-Christian boundary disputes
Didascalia Apostolorum — Full Summary & Context →All editions below are included with your KU subscription at no extra cost.
Modern English Translation with 70+ Gustave Doré Engravings
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Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso with 120+ Gustave Doré Illustrations
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A Modern English Translation with Historical Context and Inline Explainers
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Modern English Translation with Historical Commentary & Contextual Notes
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1 Enoc, 2 Enoc, 3 Enoc, Libro de los Gigantes
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1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 3 Enoch, Book of Giants
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Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Didache, Barnabas, Hermas, and More
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From Creation to the Conquest of Canaan with Essays and Commentary
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The conflict With Satan, includes the Apocalypse of Moses
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Including: Thomas, Mary, Philip, Judas, and the Nag Hammadi Library
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Trial of Jesus and the Harrowing of Hell with Essays and Commentary
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Protoevangelium of James, Gospel of Thomas, Pseudo-Matthew, and More
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Everything You Want to Know About Forbidden Christian Texts in Plain English
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Childhood Stories, Trial Records, Resurrection Visions, and Secret Sayings
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Deathbed Testaments of Jacob's Sons with Complete Modern Translation
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2 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 3 Enoch, Book of Giants
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The Compendium of Theology by Thomas Aquinas
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Ten Afterlife Visions from the Lost Books of the Bible
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Tales of Fallen Angels, Cosmic Wars, and Apocalypses
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Tales of Wisdom from the Secret Gospels and Hidden Texts
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The Story of Scripture Retold in Modern, Dramatic Prose
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