Today I looked at a Google Books volume, here, headed on that site as “Codex canonum Ecclesiæ Africanæ promulgated at the Council of 419”. It turns out to be a book printed in 1615 by C. Justell, consisting – seemingly – of the material from the “collectio Dionysiana” under the heading of the council of Carthage.
The text is printed from some manuscript, in Latin. On alternate pages is the Greek translation made in antiquity.
The title – “Codex canonum ecclesiae Africanae” – “Code of canons of the African Church” – keeps turning up in discussions of canon law for centuries afterwards, and even merits a Clavis Patrum Latinorum number of its own, CPL 1765.
But … in reality it is the collection of texts relating to the Council of Carthage of 419, complete, following canon 33, with an appendix of materials from previous councils – which was probably added by Dionysius Exiguus from other sources – plus a few letters to and from the council. One of the purposes of the council was to verify the exact text of materials from Nicaea, by requesting copies from the east, and these are included.
What is NOT included is the Breviarium of the canons of Hippo in 393, nor the introductory letter to it by Aurelius and Mizonius,
This makes matters simpler. There are plainly two main transmission units in play here.
- The Breviarium and its introductory letter by Aurelius and Mizonius, both produced at the Council of Carthage in 397. Canon 36 in the Breviarium contains the canon of scripture.
2. The canons of the council of 419, plus the appendix of earlier material added by Dionysius Exiguus. Canon 24 contains the canon of scripture. The appendix also contains a chunk of prefatory material to the Council of Carthage in 397.
It looks as if these two items travel down the years independently.
Progress of a sort, anyway.