Chapter:
CHURCH PROTOCOL
3rd page
HIERARCHY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Spiritual guidance for those truly established in the holy Orthodox faith:
- questions of believers and answers of holy righteous people.
Russian Orthodox Church as part Universal Church, has the same three-degree hierarchy that arose at the dawn of Christianity.
The clergy are divided into deacons, presbyters and bishops.
Persons in the first two sacred degrees can belong to either the monastic (black) or the white (married) clergy.
Since the 19th century, our Church has had the institution of celibacy, borrowed from the Catholic West, but in practice it is extremely rare. In this case clergyman remains celibate, but does not take monastic vows and does not take monastic vows. Priests can only marry before taking holy orders.
[In Latin “celibate” (caelibalis, caelibaris, celibatus) - an unmarried (single) person; in classical Latin, the word caelebs meant “one without a spouse” (and virgin, divorced, and widower), but in late antiquity folk etymology associated it with caelum (sky), and so it came to be understood in medieval Christian writing, where it was used in speech about angels, containing an analogy between virgin life and angelic life; according to the Gospel, in heaven they do not marry or be given in marriage (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:35).]
In schematic form, the priestly hierarchy can be represented as follows:
| SECULAR CLERGY | BLACK CLERGY |
|---|---|
| I. BISHOP (BISHOP) | |
| Patriarch | |
| Metropolitan | |
| Archbishop | |
| Bishop | |
| II. PRIEST | |
| Protopresbyter | Archimandrite |
| Archpriest (senior priest) | Abbot |
| Priest (priest, presbyter) | Hieromonk |
| III. DEACON | |
| Archdeacon (senior deacon serving with the Patriarch) | Archdeacon (senior deacon in the monastery) |
| Protodeacon (senior deacon, usually in a cathedral) | |
| Deacon | Hierodeacon |
NOTE: the rank of archimandrite in the white clergy hierarchically corresponds to the mitred archpriest and protopresbyter (senior priest in the cathedral).
A monk (Greek μονος - solitary) is a person who has dedicated himself to serving God and has taken vows (promises) of obedience, non-covetousness and celibacy. Monasticism has three degrees.
The ordeal (its duration, as a rule, is three years), or the degree of novice, serves as an entrance into monastic life, so that those who wish for it first test their strength and only after that pronounce irrevocable vows.
The novice (otherwise known as the novice) does not wear the full robe of a monk, but only a cassock and kamilavka, and therefore this degree is also called a ryassophore, i.e. wearing a cassock, so that while waiting to take monastic vows the novice is confirmed on his chosen path.
The cassock is the clothing of repentance (Greek ρασον - worn, dilapidated clothing, sackcloth).
Monasticism itself is divided into two degrees: the small angelic image and the great angelic image, or schema. Dedication of oneself to monastic vows is called tonsure.
A cleric can only be tonsured by a bishop, a layman can also be tonsured by a hieromonk, abbot or archimandrite (but in any case, monastic tonsure is performed only with the permission of the diocesan bishop).
In the Greek monasteries of Holy Mount Athos, tonsure is performed immediately on the Great Schema.
When tonsured in small schema(Greek το μικρον σχημα - small image) the cassock monk becomes a mantle: he receives a new name (its choice depends on the tonsure, for it is given as a sign that the monk who renounces the world completely submits to the will of the abbot) and puts on a mantle, which signifies “ betrothal of a great and angelic image”: it has no sleeves, reminding the monk that he should not do the works of the old man; the robe fluttering freely as he walks is likened to the wings of an Angel, in accordance with the monastic image. The monk also puts on the “helmet of salvation” (Isa. 59:17; Eph. 6:17; 1 Thess. 5:8) - a hood: like a warrior covers himself with a helmet, When going to battle, a monk puts on a hood as a sign that he strives to avert his eyes and close his ears so as not to see or hear the vanity of the world.
More strict vows of complete renunciation of the world are pronounced when accepting the great angelic image (Greek: το μεγα αγγελικον σχημα). When tonsured into the great schema, the monk is once again given a new name. The clothes in which the Great Schema monk dresses are partly the same as those worn by the monks of the Lesser Schema: a cassock, a mantle, but instead of a hood, the Great Schema monk puts on a doll: a pointed cap that covers the head and shoulders all around and is decorated with five crosses located on the forehead, on the chest, on both shoulders and on the back. A hieromonk who has accepted the great schema can perform divine services.
A bishop who has been tonsured into the great schema must renounce episcopal power and administration and remain a schema-monk (schema-bishop) until the end of his days.
A deacon (Greek διακονος - minister) does not have the right to independently perform divine services and church sacraments; he is an assistant to the priest and bishop. A deacon can be elevated to the rank of protodeacon or archdeacon.
The rank of archdeacon is extremely rare. It is owned by a deacon who constantly serves His Holiness the Patriarch, as well as deacons of some stauropegial monasteries.
A deacon-monk is called a hierodeacon.
There are also subdeacons, who are assistants to bishops, but are not among the clergy (they belong to lower degrees clergy along with readers and singers).
Presbyter (from the Greek πρεσβυτερος - senior) is a clergyman who has the right to perform church sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of the Priesthood (ordination), that is, the elevation to the priesthood of another person.
In the white clergy it is a priest, in monasticism it is a hieromonk. A priest can be elevated to the rank of archpriest and protopresbyter, a hieromonk - to the rank of abbot and archimandrite.
Bishops, also called bishops (from the Greek prefix αρχι - senior, chief), are diocesan and vicar.
The diocesan bishop, by succession of power from the holy Apostles, is the head of the local Church - the diocese, canonically governing it with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity. He is elected by the Holy Synod. Bishops bear a title that usually includes the name of the two cathedral cities of the diocese.
As needed, the Holy Synod appoints suffragan bishops to assist the diocesan bishop, whose title includes the name of only one of the major cities of the diocese.
A bishop may be elevated to the rank of archbishop or metropolitan.
After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus', only bishops of some ancient and large dioceses could be metropolitans and archbishops.
Now the rank of metropolitan, just like the rank of archbishop, is only a reward for the bishop, which makes it possible for even titular metropolitans to appear.
Bishops, as a distinctive sign of their dignity, have a mantle - a long cape fastened at the neck, reminiscent of a monastic robe. In front, on its two front sides, top and bottom, tablets are sewn - rectangular panels made of fabric. The upper tablets usually contain images of evangelists, crosses, and seraphim; on the lower tablet on the right side are the letters: e, a, m or P, meaning the rank of bishop - bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch; on the left is the first letter of his name.
Only in the Russian Church does the Patriarch wear a green robe, the Metropolitan - blue, archbishops, bishops - purple or dark red.
During Great Lent, members of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church wear a black robe. The tradition of using colored bishop's robes in Rus' is quite ancient; an image of the first Russian Patriarch Job in a blue metropolitan robe has been preserved.
Archimandrites have a black mantle with tablets, but without sacred images and letters denoting rank and name. The tablets of archimandrite's robes usually have a smooth red field surrounded by gold braid.
During worship, all bishops use a richly decorated staff, called a rod, which is a symbol of spiritual authority over the flock.
Only the Patriarch has the right to enter the altar of the temple with a staff. The remaining bishops in front of the royal doors give the rod to the subdeacon-co-worker standing behind the service to the right of the royal doors.
According to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2000 by the Jubilee Council of Bishops, a man of the Orthodox confession at the age of at least 30 years old from among the monastics or unmarried members of the white clergy with mandatory tonsure as a monk can become a bishop.
The tradition of electing bishops from among the monastic ranks developed in Rus' already in the pre-Mongol period. This canonical norm is preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church to this day, although in a number of Local Orthodox Churches, for example in the Georgian Church, monasticism is not considered a mandatory condition for ordination to hierarchical service. In the Church of Constantinople, on the contrary, a person who has accepted monasticism cannot become a bishop: there is a provision according to which a person who has renounced the world and taken a vow of obedience cannot lead other people.
All hierarchs of the Church of Constantinople are not robed, but robed monks.
Widowed or divorced persons who have become monastics can also become bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. The elected candidate must correspond to the high rank of bishop in moral qualities and have theological education.
The diocesan bishop is entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities. He ordains and appoints clergy to their place of service, appoints employees of diocesan institutions and blesses monastic tonsures. Without his consent, not a single decision of the diocesan administration bodies can be implemented.
In his activities, the bishop is accountable to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The ruling bishops at the local level are authorized representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church before the authorities state power and management.
The first bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church is its Primate, who bears the title - His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and all Rus'. The Patriarch is accountable to the Local and Bishops' Councils. His name is exalted during divine services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church according to the following formula: “On the Great Lord and Our Father (name), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.”
A candidate for Patriarch must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, sufficient experience in diocesan administration, be distinguished by his commitment to canonical law and order, enjoy a good reputation and trust of the hierarchs, clergy and people, “have a good testimony from outsiders” (1 Tim. 3, 7), be at least 40 years old.
The rank of Patriarch is for life. The Patriarch is entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities related to the care of the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch and diocesan bishops have a stamp and a round seal with their name and title.
According to paragraph 1U.9 of the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is the diocesan bishop of the Moscow diocese, consisting of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region. In the administration of this diocese, His Holiness the Patriarch is assisted by the Patriarchal Vicar with the rights of a diocesan bishop, with the title of Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna. The territorial boundaries of the administration carried out by the Patriarchal Viceroy are determined by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (currently the Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna manages the churches and monasteries of the Moscow region, minus the stauropegial ones).
The Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is also the Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, a number of other monasteries with special historical meaning, and governs all church stauropegia (the word stauropegia is derived from the Greek σταυρος - cross and πηγνυμι - to erect: the cross installed by the Patriarch at the founding of a temple or monastery in any diocese means their inclusion in the Patriarchal jurisdiction).
[Therefore, His Holiness the Patriarch is called the Higumen of stauropegial monasteries (for example, Valaam). Ruling bishops, in relation to their diocesan monasteries, can also be called Holy Archimandrites and Holy Abbots.
In general, it should be noted that the prefix “sacred-” is sometimes added to the name of the rank of clergy (holy archimandrite, holy abbot, holy deacon, holy monk); however, this prefix should not be attached to all words without exception denoting a spiritual title, in particular to words that are already compound (protodeacon, archpriest).]
His Holiness the Patriarch, in accordance with worldly ideas, is often called the head of the Church. However, according to Orthodox doctrine, the Head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ; The Patriarch is the Primate of the Church, that is, a bishop who prayerfully stands before God for his entire flock. Often the Patriarch is also called the First Hierarch or High Hierarch, since he is the first in honor among other hierarchs equal to him in grace.
What an Orthodox Christian should know:
THE MOST NEEDED ABOUT THE ORTHODOX FAITH IN CHRIST
Anyone who calls himself a Christian must accept with all his Christian spirit completely and without any doubts Symbol of faith and truth.
Accordingly, he must know them firmly, because one cannot accept or not accept what one does not know.
Out of laziness, ignorance or unbelief, one who tramples and rejects proper knowledge of Orthodox truths cannot be a Christian.
Symbol of faith
The Creed is a brief and precise statement of all the truths of the Christian faith, compiled and approved at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils. And whoever does not accept these truths can no longer be an Orthodox Christian.
The entire Creed consists of twelve members, and each of them contains a special truth, or, as they also call it, dogma Orthodox faith.
The Creed reads like this:
|
1. I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. |
|
“Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you;" ()
Sim By Your Word Christ gave people a way to verify the truth of the Christian faith of everyone who calls himself a believing Christian.
If this Word of Christ or otherwise stated in Holy Scripture, you question or try to interpret allegorically - you have not yet accepted truth The Holy Scriptures and you are not yet a Christian.
If, according to your word, the mountains do not move, you have not yet believed enough, and there is not even true Christian faith in your soul. with a mustard seed. With very little faith, you can try to move with your word something much smaller than a mountain - a small hillock or a pile of sand. If this fails, you must make many, many efforts to gain Christ's faith, while absent from your soul.
Therefore true Word Christ check the Christian faith of your priest, so that he does not turn out to be a deceiving servant of the insidious Satan, who does not have the faith of Christ at all and is falsely dressed in the Orthodox cassock.
Christ Himself warned people about many lying church deceivers:
“Jesus answered and said to them, “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many.” (
Church hierarchy- these are three degrees of priesthood in their subordination and degrees of administrative hierarchy of clergy.
Clergy
Servants of the Church who, in the Sacrament of Priesthood, receive the special gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit to perform the sacraments and worship, and teach people Christian faith and management of the affairs of the Church. There are three degrees of priesthood: deacon, priest and bishop. In addition, the entire clergy is divided into “white” - priests who are married or have taken a vow of celibacy, and “black” - priests who have taken monastic vows.
A bishop is appointed by a council of bishops (that is, several bishops together) in the Sacrament of the Priesthood through a special episcopal consecration, that is, ordination.
In the modern Russian tradition, only a monk can become a bishop.
The bishop has the right to perform all sacraments and church services.
As a rule, a bishop is at the head of a diocese, a church district, and cares for all the parish and monastic communities included in his diocese, but he can also perform special church-wide and diocesan obediences without having his own diocese.
Bishop titles
Bishop
Archbishop- oldest, most honored
bishop.
Metropolitan- bishop of the main city, region or province
or the most honored bishop.
Vicar(lat. vicar) - bishop - assistant to another bishop or his deputy.
Patriarch- chief bishop in the Local Orthodox Church.
The priest is ordained by the bishop in the Sacrament of the Priesthood through priestly ordination, i.e. ordination.
The priest can perform all divine services and sacraments, except for the consecration of the chrism (the oil used in the Sacrament of Confirmation) and antimensions (a special plate consecrated and signed by the bishop, on which the liturgy is performed), and the Sacraments of the Priesthood - only the bishop can perform them.
A priest, like a deacon, as a rule, serves in a specific church and is assigned to it.
The priest at the head of the parish community is called the rector.
Titles of priests
from the white clergy
Priest
Archpriest- the first of the priests, usually an emeritus priest.
Protopresbyter- a special title, awarded rarely, as a reward for the most worthy and honored priests, usually rectors of cathedrals.
from the black clergy
Hieromonk
Archimandrite(Greek head of the sheepfold) - in ancient times the abbot of individual famous monasteries, in modern tradition - the most honored hieromonk or abbot of the monastery.
Abbot(Greek presenter)
currently the abbot of the monastery. Until 2011 - Honored Hieromonk. When leaving a position
The abbot title of abbot is retained. Awarded
with the rank of abbot until 2011 and who are not abbots of monasteries, this title is retained.
A deacon is ordained by a bishop in the Sacrament of the Priesthood through deacon ordination, i.e. ordination.
The deacon assists the bishop or priest in performing divine services and sacraments.
The participation of a deacon in divine services is not obligatory.
Titles of deacons
from the white clergy
Deacon
Protodeacon- senior deacon
from the black clergy
Hierodeacon
Archdeacon- senior hierodeacon
Clergymen
They are not part of the main clergy hierarchy. These are ministers of the Church who are appointed to their positions not through the Sacrament of Priesthood, but through ordination, that is, with the blessing of the bishop. They do not have the special gift of grace of the Sacrament of the Priesthood and are assistants to the clergy.
Subdeacon- participates in bishop's services as an assistant to the bishop.
Psalmist/reader, singer- reads and sings during services.
Sexton/altar boy- the most common name for assistants during worship. Calls believers to worship by ringing bells, helps at the altar during services. Sometimes the duty of ringing bells is entrusted to special servants - bell ringers, but not every parish has such an opportunity.
Hierarchy in Orthodox Church has big amount titles (rank). A person coming to church meets with clergy who occupy certain posts and bear responsibility, as true servants of the Most High, for the flock.
Church hierarchy in Orthodoxy
Orthodox ranks
God the Father divided his own people into three types, depending on their proximity to His Kingdom.
- The first category includes laymen- ordinary members of the Orthodox brotherhood who have not taken the clergy. These people make up the bulk of all believers and take part in prayer services. The Church allows the laity to conduct rituals in their homes. In the first centuries of Christianity, people had much more rights than they do today. The voices of the laity had power in the election of rectors and bishops.
- Clergymen- a lower rank who dedicated himself to God and put on the appropriate clothes. To receive initiation, these people undergo the rite of hirothesia (ordination) with the blessing of the bishop. This includes readers, sextons (sacristans), and singers.
- Clergy- the level where the highest clerics stand, forming the divinely established hierarchy. To receive this rank, one must undergo the sacrament of ordination, but only after spending some time in a lower rank. White robes are worn by the clergy, who are allowed to have a family, while black robes are worn by those who lead a monastic life. Only the latter are allowed to manage the church parish.
About the various ministers of the church:
At the first glance at the clergy, you understand that for convenience, in determining the rank, the clothing of priests and holy fathers differs: few wear beautiful multi-colored robes, others adhere to a strict and ascetic appearance.
On a note! The church hierarchy is, as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite says, a direct continuation of the “heavenly army,” which includes the archangels - the closest servants of God. The highest ranks, divided into three orders, through unquestioning service, transmit grace from the Father to each of his children, which we are.
Beginning of the hierarchy
The term “church account” is used both in a narrow and broad sense. In the first case, this phrase means a collection of clergy of the lowest rank, who do not fit into the three-degree system. When they speak in a broad sense, they mean clergy (clergy), whose association constitutes the staff of any church complex (temple, monastery).
Parish of the Orthodox Church
IN pre-revolutionary Russia they were approved by the consistory (an institution under the episcopate) and personally by the bishop. The number of lower-ranking clergy depended on the number of parishioners seeking communication with the Lord. The congregation of the large church consisted of a dozen deacons and clergy. To make changes in the composition of this state, the bishop was required to obtain permission from the Synod.
In past centuries, the income of the account consisted of payments for church services (clergy and prayers for the needs of the laity). Rural parishes, served by lower ranks, were provided with plots of land. Some readers, sextons and singers lived in special church houses, and in the 19th century they began to receive salaries.
For information! The history of the development of the church hierarchy has not been fully disclosed. Today they speak with confidence about three degrees of priesthood, while the early Christian titles (prophet, didaskal) have practically been forgotten.
The meaning and significance of the ranks reflected the activities that were authoritatively announced by the Church. Previously, the brethren and the affairs of the monastery were managed by the abbot (leader), who was distinguished only by his experience. Today the acquisition ecclesiastical rank similar to an official award received for a certain period of service.
About the life of the Church:
Sextons (sacristans) and clergy
With the emergence of Christianity, they played the role of guardians of temples and sacred places. The duties of the gatekeepers included lighting the lamp during divine services. Gregory the Great called them “guardians of the church.” The sextons were in charge of the choice of utensils for the rituals, they brought in prosphora, blessed water, fire, wine, lit candles, cleaned the altars, reverently washed the floors and walls.
Today, the position of sexton has been practically reduced to zero; ancient responsibilities are now assigned to the shoulders of cleaners, watchmen, novices and simple monks.
- IN Old Testament the term "clergy" affects the lower ranks and the common people. In ancient times, representatives of the tribe (tribe) of Levi became clerics. The people were called all those who were not distinguished by “true” birth.
- In the book of the New Testament, the criterion of nation is omitted: now the lowest and highest rank can be received by any Christian who has confirmed compliance with certain canons of religion. Here the status of a woman who is allowed to obtain an auxiliary position is increased.
- In ancient times, the people were divided into laymen and monks, who were distinguished by great asceticism in life.
- In a narrow sense, clergy are clergymen standing on the same level as clerics. In the modern Orthodox world, this designation has extended to priests of the highest rank.
The first level of the hierarchy of clergy
In the first Christian communities, deacons were the bishop's assistants. Today they minister the word of God by reading scriptures and offering pleas on behalf of the congregation. Deacons, who always ask for a blessing for work, burn incense in the church building, and help perform the proskomedia (liturgy).
The deacon assists the bishop or priest in performing divine services and sacraments
- Naming without specification indicates that the minister belongs to the white clergy. The monastic order is called hierodeacons: their clothes do not differ, but outside of liturgies they wear a black cassock.
- The eldest in the rank of diaconate is the protodeacon, who is distinguished by a double orarion (long narrow ribbon) and a purple kamilavka (headdress).
- In ancient times, it was common to give the rank of deaconesses, whose task was to care for sick women, prepare for baptism and assist priests. The question of reviving such a tradition was considered in 1917, but there was no answer.
The subdeacon is the deacon's assistant. IN ancient times they were not allowed to take wives. Among the duties was the care of church vessels, the covers of the altar, which they also guarded.
For information! In the present, this rite is observed only in the services of the bishop, whom the subdeacons serve with all diligence. Students of theological academies often become candidates for rank.
Second level of the hierarchy of clergy
Presbyter (head, elder) is a general canonical term that unites middle-order ranks. He has the right to administer the sacraments of communion and baptism, but does not have the authority to place other priests in any place in the hierarchy or to bestow grace on those around him.
The priest at the head of the parish community is called the rector
Under the apostles, elders were often called bishops - a term meaning “overseer”, “overseer”. If such a priest had wisdom and honorable age, he was called an elder. The book of Acts and Epistles says that the elders blessed the faithful and presided in the absence of the bishop, they taught, performed many sacraments and received confessions.
Important! The Russian Orthodox Church puts forward rules that say that today this church level is available only to monks with a theological education. Elders are required to have ideal morality and an age above 30 years.
This group includes archimandrites, hieromonks, abbots and archpriests.
The third level of the hierarchy of clergy
Before Church Schism, which occurred in the middle of the 11th century, the two parts of Christianity were united. After the division into Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the foundations of the episcopate (the highest rank) were practically the same. Theologians say that these two powers religious organizations recognize the power of God, not man. The right to rule is transferred only after the condescension of the Holy Spirit in the ritual of ordination (ordination).
In the modern Russian tradition, only a monk can become a bishop
A Christian theologian named Ignatius of Antioch, who was a disciple of Peter and John, reacted positively to the question of the need for one bishop in each city. Priests of the lower levels must unquestioningly obey the latter. Apostolic succession, giving the right to ecclesiastical authority before the flock, was considered as a dogma in the doctrines of Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
Adherents of the latter support the unconditional authority of the Pope, which forms a strict hierarchy of bishops.
In Orthodoxy, power is given to the patriarchs of national church organizations. Here, in contrast to Catholicism, the doctrine of conciliarity of hierarchs has been officially adopted, where each chapter is likened to apostles, listening to the instructions of Jesus Christ and giving orders to the flock.
Bishops (archpastors), bishops, patriarchs have complete completeness of services and administration. This rank has the right to perform all the sacraments and ordain representatives of other degrees.
Clergymen who are in the same church group are equal “by grace” and act within the framework of the appropriate rules. The transition to another level occurs during the Liturgy, in the center of the temple. This suggests that the monk receives the symbolic vestment of impersonal holiness.
Important! The hierarchy in the Orthodox Church is built on certain criteria, where lower ranks are subordinate to higher ones. In accordance with their rank, laity, clerks, clergy and clergy have certain powers that they must fulfill with true faith and unquestioningness before the will of the Supreme Creator.
Orthodox alphabet. Church hierarchy
A priest in the Orthodox Church is not just a “priest”. An uninitiated person guesses that there are many degrees of priesthood in the church: it’s not for nothing that one Orthodox priest wears silver cross, the other is gold, and the third is also decorated with beautiful stones. In addition, even a person who does not go particularly deep into the Russian church hierarchy, from fiction knows that the clergy can be black (monastic) and white (married). But when faced with such Orthodox Christians as an archimandrite, a priest, or a protodeacon, the vast majority of people do not understand what we are talking about and how the listed clergy differ from each other. Therefore, I offer a short overview of the orders of Orthodox clergy, which will help you understand large quantities spiritual titles.
Priest in the Orthodox Church - black clergy
Let's start with the black clergy, since monastic Orthodox priests have much more titles than those who have chosen family life.
- Patriarch is the head of the Orthodox Church, the highest ecclesiastical rank. The Patriarch is elected at a local council. Distinctive feature his vestments are a white headdress (kukol), crowned with a cross, and a panagia (decorated precious stones image of the Virgin Mary).
- A metropolitan is the head of a large Orthodox ecclesiastical region (metropolis), which includes several dioceses. Currently, this is an honorary (as a rule, award) rank, immediately following the archbishop. The Metropolitan wears a white hood and panagia.
- An archbishop is an Orthodox clergyman who has been in charge of several dioceses. Currently a reward. The archbishop can be distinguished by his black hood, decorated with a cross, and a panagia.
- Bishop - head Orthodox diocese. He differs from the archbishop in that there is no cross on his hood. All patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops and bishops can be called in one word - bishops. All of them can ordain as Orthodox priests and deacons, consecrate, and perform all other sacraments of the Orthodox Church. Ordination as bishops, according to church rule, is always carried out by several bishops (council).
- An archimandrite is an Orthodox priest in the highest monastic rank, preceding that of a bishop. Previously, this rank was assigned to the abbots of large monasteries, but now it is often of an award nature, and one monastery can have several archimandrites.
- Hegumen is a monk in the rank of an Orthodox priest. Previously, this title was considered quite high, and only abbots of monasteries had it. Today this is no longer important.
- Hieromonk is the lowest rank of monastic priest in the Orthodox Church. Archimandrites, abbots and hieromonks wear black vestments (cassock, cassock, mantle, black hood without a cross) and a pectoral (breast) cross. They can perform church sacraments, except for ordination to the priesthood.
- Archdeacon is the senior deacon in an Orthodox monastery.
- Hierodeacon - junior deacon. Archdeacons and hierodeacons differ in appearance from monastic priests in that they do not wear pectoral cross. Their vestments during worship also differ. They cannot perform any church sacraments, their functions include co-serving the priest during the service: proclaiming prayer requests, bringing out the Gospel, reading the Apostle, preparing sacred vessels etc.
- Deacons, both monastics and those belonging to the white clergy, belong to the lowest level of the priesthood, Orthodox priests to the middle, and bishops to the highest.
Orthodox clergyman - white clergy
- An archpriest is the senior Orthodox priest in a church, usually the rector, but today in one parish, especially a large one, there may be several archpriests.
- Priest - junior Orthodox priest. White priests, like monastic priests, perform all sacraments except ordination. Archpriests and priests do not wear a mantle (this is part of the monastic vestment) and a hood; their headdress is a kamilavka.
- Protodeacon, deacon - respectively senior and junior deacons among the white clergy. Their functions fully correspond to the functions of monastic deacons. Secular clergy is not ordained as an Orthodox bishop only on condition of accepting monastic rank (this often happens by mutual consent in old age or in the case of widowhood, if the priest has no children or they are already adults.
Spiritual orders and ranks in Orthodoxy
What is the hierarchy of clergy in the Church: from reader to Patriarch? From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual ranks and how to contact the clergy
Spiritual hierarchy in Orthodoxy
There are many traditions and rituals in the Orthodox Church. One of the establishments of the Church is the hierarchy of clergy: from the reader to the Patriarch. In the structure of the Church, everything is subject to order, which is comparable to the army. Every person in modern society where the Church has influence and where Orthodox tradition- one of the historical ones, interested in its structure. From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual ranks in the Church and how to contact the clergy.
Structure of the Church
The original meaning of the word “Church” is a meeting of Christ’s disciples, Christians; translated as “meeting”. The concept of “Church” is quite broad: it is a building (in this sense of the word church and temple are one and the same!), and a meeting of all believers, and a regional meeting Orthodox people- for example, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church.
Also, the Old Russian word “cathedral”, translated “assembly”, still refers to congresses of the episcopate and lay Christians (for example, the Ecumenical Council - a meeting of representatives of all Orthodox regional Churches, Local Council- a meeting of one Church).
The Orthodox Church consists of three orders of people:
- Lay people - ordinary people, not ordained, not working in the church (parish). The laity are often called “the people of God.”
- Clergy are laymen who are not ordained to the priesthood, but who work in the parish.
- Priests, or clergy and bishops.
First, we need to talk about the clergy. They play an important role in the life of the Church, but they are not consecrated or ordained through the Sacraments of the Church. This category of people includes professions of different importance:
- Watchmen, cleaners at the temple;
- The elders of churches (parishes are people like the caretaker);
- Employees of the office, accounting and other departments of the Diocesan Administration (this is an analogue of the city administration; even non-believers can work here);
- Readers, altar servers, candle bearers, psalm-readers, sextons - men (sometimes nuns) who serve at the altar with the blessing of the priest (once these positions were different, now they are mixed);
- Singers and regents (conductors of a church choir) - for the position of regent you need to receive the appropriate education at a theological school or seminary;
- Catechists, diocesan press service employees, youth department employees are people who must have certain deep knowledge about the Church, they usually complete special theological courses.
Some clergy may have distinctive clothing - for example, in most churches, except for poor parishes, male altar servers, readers and candle bearers are dressed in brocade surplices or cassocks (black clothing is slightly narrower than the cassock); At festive services, singers and directors of large choirs dress in free form, custom-tailored, godly clothes of the same color.
Let us also note that there is such a category of people as seminarians and academicians. These are students of Theological schools - schools, seminaries and academies - where future priests are trained. This gradation educational institutions corresponds to a lay school or college, institute or university and graduate or master's school. Students usually, in addition to studying, perform obediences in the church at the Theological School: they serve at the altar, read, and sing.
There is also the title of subdeacon. This is a person who helps the bishop in worship (taking out the staff, bringing a basin for washing hands, putting on liturgical clothes). A subdeacon can also be a deacon, that is, a clergyman, but most often it is a young man who does not have holy orders and performs only the duties of a subdeacon.
Priests in the Church
In fact, the word “priest” is a short name for all clergy.
They are also called by the words: clergy, clerics, clergy (you can specify - temple, parish, diocese).
The clergy is divided into white and black:
- married clergy, priests who have not taken monastic vows;
- black - monks, while occupying the highest church positions only they can.
Let us first talk about the degrees of clergy. There are three of them:
- Deacons - they can be either married people or monks (then they are called hierodeacons).
- Priests - also, a monastic priest is called a hieromonk (a combination of the words “priest” and “monk”).
- Bishops - bishops, metropolitans, Exarchs (governors of Local small Churches subordinate to the Patriarchate, for example, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate), Patriarchs (this is the highest rank in the Church, but this person is also called “bishop” or “Primate of the Church”).
Black clergy, monks
According to church tradition, a monk must live in a monastery, but a monastic priest - hierodeacon or hieromonk - can be sent by the ruling bishop of the diocese to a parish, like an ordinary white priest.
In a monastery, a person who wants to become a monk and priest goes through the following stages:
- A laborer is a person who came to the monastery for a while without a firm intention to stay in it.
- A novice is a person who has entered a monastery, performs only obediences (hence the name), lives according to the rules of the monastery (that is, living as a novice, you cannot go to see friends for the night, go on dates with us, and so on), but have not made monastic vows.
- A monk (cassophore novice) is a person who has the right to wear monastic robes, but has not taken all monastic vows. He only receives a new name, a symbolic hair cut, and the opportunity to wear some symbolic clothes. At this time, a person has the opportunity to refuse to become a monk; this will not be a sin.
- A monk is a person who has taken on the mantle (small angelic image), the small schema of the schema. He takes vows of obedience to the abbot of the monastery, renunciation of the world and non-acquisitiveness - that is, the absence of his property, everything from now on belongs to the monastery and the monastery itself takes upon itself the responsibility to provide for a person’s life. This tonsure of monks has been going on since ancient times and continues to the present day.
All these levels exist in both women's and women's monasteries. Monastic rules are the same for everyone, but different monasteries have different traditions and customs, relaxations and tightening of the rules.
Let us note that going to a monastery means choosing a difficult path unusual people who love God with all their hearts and do not see any other way for themselves other than serving Him and dedicating themselves to the Lord. These are true monks. Such people may even be successful in the world, but at the same time they will miss something - just as a lover misses his beloved by his side. And only in prayer does the future monk find peace.
Church hierarchy of clergy
The priesthood of the Church has its foundation in the Old Testament. They go in ascending order and cannot be skipped, that is, the bishop must first be a deacon, then a priest. All degrees of the priesthood are ordained (in other words, consecrated) by the bishop.
Deacon
The lowest level of the priesthood includes deacons. Through ordination as a deacon, a person receives the grace necessary to participate in the Liturgy and other services. The deacon cannot conduct the Sacraments and divine services alone; he is only an assistant to the priest. People who serve well as deacons for a long time, receive the titles:
- white priesthood - protodeacons,
- black priesthood - archdeacons, who most often accompany the bishop.
Often in poor, rural parishes there is no deacon, and his functions are performed by a priest. Also, if necessary, the duties of a deacon can be performed by a bishop.
Priest
A person in the clergy of a priest is also called a presbyter, a priest, and in monasticism - a hieromonk. Priests perform all the Sacraments of the Church, except for consecration (ordination), the consecration of the world (it is performed by the Patriarch - the world is necessary for the completeness of the Sacrament of Baptism for every person) and the antimension (a scarf with a sewn-in piece of holy relics, which is placed on the altar of each church). The priest who leads the life of the parish is called the rector, and his subordinates, ordinary priests, are full-time clergy. In a village or town the priest usually presides, and in the city - an archpriest.
The abbots of churches and monasteries report directly to the bishop.
The title of archpriest is usually an incentive for long service and good service. The hieromonk is usually awarded the rank of abbot. Also, the rank of hegumen is often given to the abbot of the monastery (hierogumen). The abbot of the Lavra (a large, ancient monastery, of which there are not many in the world) receives an archimandrite. Most often, this award is followed by the rank of bishop.
Bishops: bishops, archbishops, metropolitans, patriarchs.
- Bishop, translated from Greek - chief of priests. They perform all the Sacraments without exception. Bishops ordain people as deacons and priests, but only the Patriarch, concelebrated by several bishops, can ordain bishops.
- Bishops who have distinguished themselves in ministry and served for a long time are called archbishops. Also, for even greater merits, they elevate them to the rank of metropolitans. They have a higher rank for their services to the Church; also, only metropolitans can govern metropolitan areas - large dioceses, which include several small ones. An analogy can be drawn: a diocese is a region, a metropolis is a city with a region (St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region) or the entire Federal District.
- Often, other bishops are appointed to help the metropolitan or archbishop, who are called suffragan bishops or, in short, vicars.
- The highest spiritual rank in the Orthodox Church is the Patriarch. This rank is elective, and is chosen by the Council of Bishops (a meeting of bishops of the entire regional Church). Most often, he leads the Church together with the Holy Synod (Kinod, in different transcriptions, in different churches) leads the Church. The rank of Primate (head) of the Church is for life, however, if serious sins are committed, the Bishops' Court can remove the Patriarch from ministry. Also, upon request, the Patriarch can be retired due to illness or old age. Until the convening of the Council of Bishops, a Locum Tenens (temporarily acting as the head of the Church) is appointed.
Appeal to an Orthodox priest, bishop, metropolitan, Patriarch and other clergy
- The deacon and priest are addressed - Your Reverence.
- To the archpriest, abbot, archimandrite - Your Reverence.
- To the bishop - Your Eminence.
- To the metropolitan, archbishop - Your Eminence.
- To the Patriarch - Your Holiness.
In a more everyday situation, during a conversation, all bishops are addressed as “Vladyka (name),” for example, “Vladyka Pitirim, bless.” The Patriarch is addressed either in the same way or, a little more formally, “Holy Bishop.”
May the Lord protect you with His grace and the prayers of the Church!
Loading...