EIS DOXAN PATROS UIOU KAI HAGIU PNEUMATOS TOU HENOS THEU : PEDALION TES NOETES NEOS, TES MIAS, HAGIAS, KATHOLIKES KAI APOSTOLIKES TON ORTHODOXON EKKLESIAS. . . [ . . .THE RUDDER (PEDALION) : OF THE METAPHORICAL SHIP OF THE ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS. . . ] by Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite [i.e. St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain]; Agapius the Hieromonk - 1841

Athens: Konstantin Gkarpola, 1841. First Thus. Hardcover. Very good. Folio. [14],484 pp. plus two plates (frontispiece and church plan). In modern Greek. Expertly rebound in antique-style three-quarter calf and marbled boards, spine gilt. Frontispiece quite clean, remainder of contents moderately foxed. Very good.

First edition printed in Greece (and second overall) of the classic compilation of Eastern Orthodox canon law, compiled and edited by the monks Agapius and Nicodemus of Mount Athos at the close of the 18th century. The largest published compilation of canon law in its time, PEDALION collected and provided commentary on the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, of regional synods through Carthage, and of numerous Church Fathers.

As Greek printing on Greek soil was suppressed by the Ottoman authorities during the lives of Nicodemus and Agapius, their first manuscript was sent to Leipzig for publication. There, the hieromonk Theodoret made various unauthorized additions to the editors' commentaries, which were corrected in the present edition on the order of Patriarch Neophytos Doukas. This new edition was printed twelve years after Greek independence by Athens publisher Konstantin Gkarpola, who dedicated it to the brothers Zosimas (Zosimades), leading benefactors of the Greek Enlightenment and independence movements.

PEDALION represents one of several major contributions by Nicodemus the Hagiorite (1749-1809) to the Eastern Orthodox Church in the modern era. An accomplished theologian, committed ascetic, and influential mystic, Nicodemus played a major role in the revival of Patristic literature and ancient and medieval Christian practices, including Hesychasm, an intensive spiritual discipline centering on the Jesus Prayer and closely associated with the monks of Mount Athos. He was canonized in 1955.

The book includes a detailed floor diagram of an Orthodox church, borrowed from the EXOMOLOGETARION of Chrysanthos of Jerusalem, and an attractive allegorical frontispiece showing Christ at the helm of a boat. The accompanying caption reads (in Greek, with the following translation supplied in the first English-language edition of 1957):

"This ship symbolizes the Catholic Church of Christ. Its keel represents the Orthodox Faith in the Holy Trinity. Its beams and planks represent the dogmas and traditions of the Faith. Its mast represents the Cross; its sail and rigging represent Hope and Love. The Master of the vessel is our Lord Jesus Christ, whose hand is on the helm. The mates and sailors are the Apostles, and the successors of the Apostles, and all clergymen, secretaries and notaries, and occasional teachers. The passengers comprise all Orthodox Christians. The sea symbolizes present life. A gentle and zephyr-like breeze signifies whiffs and graces of the Holy Spirit wafting the vessel on its course. Winds, on the other hand, are temptations baffling it. Its Rudder, whereby it is steered straightforwardly to the heavenly harbor is the present Book of the Holy Canons."

Surprisingly scarce in major institutions. OCLC records twelve copies worldwide.