Instructions of the Apostles
A Greek treatise on discipline and doctrine traditionally attributed to the Apostles , but probably written by a bishop of the 3rd century , in Syria. It was first printed in 1854 , in Syriac. It forms the basis of the first eight books of the Apostolic Constitutions , a 4th-century collection regarded as a valuable historical document, revealing the moral and religious conditions and liturgical observances of the 3rd and 4th centuries . It deals with the treatment of penitents, the duties of the laity and clergy , and the defense against heresy . The Old Testament, the Gospels, and Epistles are frequently quoted. Often called the earliest attempt to compile a corpus (body) of canon law , it never had a great vogue and was superseded by the Apostolic Constitutions .