ABSTRACT
An exposition of the Christian legal sources must distinguish between denominations and their respective understanding of law, while at the same time such a comparison reveals relations and common roots. In the classical age, Christian communities expanded beyond the borders of the Roman Empire to Persia, Armenia, Georgia and Ethiopia. The earliest sources include documents on church organisation from early Christianity such as the pastoral letters, the Didache, writings of Ignatius of Antioch, the Didascalia, the Traditio Apostolica and the Apostolic Constitutions. Hence, the relationship between Christianity and legal norms is characterised by ambivalence. Regarding the concepts of natural law and divine law, there are major differences between Christian denominations. The law of Christian communities is mostly enacted by legislative bodies. Considering the dominant role of the legislative entity in most Christian denominations, the role of courts and legal scholars is a minor one.
