Defining "Canon Law." Beginning in the second century and particularly after Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire (313), Christian leaders strove to define what it meant to be a Christian (theology and doctrine), how Christianity should be practiced (piety), and how Christians should think and behave (morality). The result was the production of a large number of provisions, or canons, by synods and Popes whose intentions were to resolve emerging difficulties in defining and living a Christian life. The body of documents and precedents that evolved became known as canon law, a term that did not come into use until the beginning of the twelfth century, when effective attempts were made to develop a clear collection of these laws. Medieval canon law was an evolving series of texts incorporating Greek, Germanic, and Roman legal principles. Canon law has been systematized since the Middle...