Definition: The term canon can apply to any general rule or criterion by which something is judged; however, medieval scholars will most often encounter the word with regard to medieval Christianity. Here the term has several uses:
- A specific Church law or decree. All canons taken together made up the body of canon law that governed the Christian Church. See Canon Law.
- The New Testament; the list of 27 books accepted as scripture by the Christian Church between the 2nd and 4th centuries, taken together, are called the canon.
- A cleric. Canons could be secular or regular (also known as Augustinian).
