Definition. By Church Orders or Constitution we understand here only those of ancient Christian literature, most of which have only been re-discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are the most ancient surviving records of law, constitution, discipline, liturgy and custom in the Church. The initial stages of such directives, which soon became necessary for the well-being of the community, are to be found in the NT. The ancient collections now known are so disparate in form and content tha…