The work opens with detailed instructions on the ordination of church officers. The election and consecration of a bishop occupy a central place, featuring a solemn prayer that outlines episcopal duties as those of a high priest and leader of the flock. Subsequent sections regulate the ordination of presbyters and deacons, defining their specific roles and sacramental limitations, while distinguishing them from confessors and minor orders such as widows, readers, and virgins.
The second part governs the admission and preparation of new converts. Applicants face rigorous scrutiny regarding their trades and lifestyles before entering the lengthy catechumenate. The text then outlines the elaborate rites of baptism, including pre-baptismal exorcisms, anointings, the triple immersion accompanied by a primitive creed, and the subsequent confirmation. This section concludes with instructions for the first eucharistic participation of the newly baptized, incorporating symbolic offerings of milk, honey, and water alongside the traditional bread and wine.
Part three shifts toward practical church discipline and communal life. The author prescribes rules for fasting, the handling of first-fruits, and the preservation of order during agape feasts and burial practices. Daily administrative duties of the clergy are balanced with individual lay responsibilities, including regular attendance at instructional gatherings and the proper care of the eucharist.
The final section establishes a strict rhythm of private daily devotions. Believers are instructed to pray at specific hours corresponding to pivotal moments of the Passion, accompanied by ritual hand-washing and the protective sign of the cross. The treatise closes with a passionate plea to preserve these apostolic customs unaltered, warning against the proliferation of unauthorized heresies born from human innovation.
