Orders of clergy. Orthodox church hierarchy, ranks and titles in the Russian Orthodox Church
IN Orthodox Church There is a people of God, and they are divided into three types: laity, clergy and clergy. With the laity (i.e., ordinary parishioners), everything is usually clear to everyone, but in reality this is not the case. For many (unfortunately, for the laity themselves), the idea of lack of rights and servility has long become familiar common man, But the role of the laity is the most important in the life of the church. The Lord did not come to be served, but He Himself served to save sinners. (Matthew 20:28), and he commanded the apostles to do the same, but he also showed the simple believer the path of selfless, sacrificial love for one’s neighbor. So that everyone is united.
Lay people
Laymen are all parishioners of the temple who are not called to priestly service. It is from the laity that the Church, by the Holy Spirit, puts into service at all the necessary levels.
Clergymen
Usually this type of servant is rarely distinguished from the laity, but it exists and plays a huge role in the life of the Church. This type includes readers, singers, workers, elders, altar servers, catechists, watchmen and many other positions. Clergymen may have obvious differences in their clothes, but they may not stand out in appearance.
Clergy
Priests are usually called clergy or clergy and are divided into whites and blacks. White is the married clergy, black is the monastics. Only black clergy, unencumbered by family concerns, can manage the Church. Clergy also has a hierarchical degree, which indicates involvement in worship and spiritual care of the flock (i.e., the laity). For example, deacons only participate in divine services, but do not perform the Sacraments in the Church.
Clothes of the clergy are divided into everyday and liturgical. However, after the coup of 1917, it became unsafe to wear any church clothes and, in order to maintain peace, it was allowed to wear secular clothes, which is still practiced today. Types of clothes and their symbolic meaning will be described in a separate article.
For a new parishioner you need be able to distinguish a priest from a deacon. In most cases, the difference can be considered the presence pectoral cross, which is worn on top of vestments (liturgical garments). This part of the vestment differs in color (material) and decoration. The simplest pectoral cross is silver (for the priest and hieromonk), then gold (for the archpriest and abbot) and sometimes there is a pectoral cross with decorations ( precious stones), as a reward for many years of good service.
Some simple rules for every Christian
- Anyone who misses many days of worship cannot be considered a Christian. Which is natural, for just as it is natural for someone who wants to live in a warm house to pay for heat and a house, so it is natural for someone who wants spiritual well-being to do spiritual work. The question of why you need to go to church will be considered separately.
- In addition to attending services, there is a tradition of wearing modest and non-provocative clothing (at least in church). For now we will omit the reason for this establishment.
- Keeping fasts and prayer rules has natural causes, since sin is driven out, as the Savior said, only by prayer and fasting. The question of how to fast and pray is solved not in articles, but in church.
- It is natural for a believer to abstain from excesses in speech, food, wine, fun, etc. For even the ancient Greeks noticed that for a quality life there must be a measure in everything. Not extreme, but deanery, i.e. order.
Believers must remember that the Church reminds us of order not only internally, but also externally, and this applies to everyone. But you also shouldn’t forget that order is a voluntary matter, not a mechanical one.
In the Orthodox Church there are three degrees of priesthood: deacon, priest, bishop. In addition, all the clergy are divided into “white” - married and “black” - monks.
Deacon (Greek “diakonos” - minister) is a clergyman of the first (junior) degree of the priesthood. He participates in worship, but does not perform the sacraments himself. A deacon in the monastic rank is called a hierodeacon. The senior deacon in the white (married) clergy is called a protodeacon, and in monasticism - an archdeacon.
A priest, or presbyter (Greek "pre-sbyteros" - elder), or priest (Greek "hier-is" - priest), is a clergyman who can perform six of the seven sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of Ordination, that is, elevation to one of the levels of the church hierarchy. Priests are subordinate to the bishop. They are entrusted with leading church life in urban and rural parishes. The senior priest in the parish is called the rector.
Only a deacon (married or monastic) can be ordained to the rank of presbyter. A priest holding the monastic rank is called a hieromonk. Elder Elders white clergy are called archpriests, protopresbyters, and monastics are called abbots. The abbots of monastic monasteries are called archimandrites. The rank of archimandrite is usually held by the rector large monastery, laurels. Hegumen is the rector of an ordinary monastery or parish church.
Bishop (Greek "episkopos" - guardian) is a clergyman of the highest degree. A bishop is also called a bishop, or hierarch, that is, a priest, sometimes a saint.
A bishop governs the parishes of an entire region, called a diocese. The bishop who governs the parishes of a large city and the surrounding region is called a metropolitan.
The Patriarch is the “principal” - the head of the Local Church, elected and appointed at the Council - the highest rank of the church hierarchy.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. He governs the church with the Holy Synod. In addition to the Patriarch, the Synod constantly includes the Metropolitans of Kiev, St. Petersburg, Krutitsky, and Minsk. The permanent member of the Holy Synod is the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. Four more are invited from the rest of the episcopate in rotation as temporary members for six months.
In addition to the three sacred ranks in the Church, there are also lower official positions - subdeacons, psalm-readers and sextons. They are classified as clergy and are appointed to their positions not through Ordination, but by bishop’s or abbot’s blessing.
What's happened church hierarchy? This is an ordered system that determines the place of each church minister and his responsibilities. The hierarchy system in the church is very complex, and it originated in 1504 after an event that was called the “Great Church Schism" After it, we got the opportunity to develop autonomously, independently.
First of all, the church hierarchy emphasizes white and black monasticism. Representatives of the black clergy are called upon to lead the most ascetic lifestyle possible. They cannot marry or live in peace. Such ranks are doomed to lead either a wandering or isolated lifestyle.
White clergy can lead more privileged lives.
The hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church implies that (in accordance with the Code of Honor) the head is the Patriarch of Constantinople, who bears the official, symbolic title
However, the Russian Church does not formally obey him. The church hierarchy considers the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' to be its head. It occupies the highest level, but exercises power and governance in unity with the Holy Synod. It consists of 9 people who are selected on different basis. By tradition, the Metropolitans of Krutitsky, Minsk, Kiev, and St. Petersburg are its permanent members. The five remaining members of the Synod are invited, and their episcopacy should not exceed six months. The permanent member of the Synod is the Chairman of the internal church department.
The next most important level in the church hierarchy is the highest ranks who govern dioceses (territorial-administrative church districts). They bear the unifying name of bishops. These include:
- metropolitans;
- bishops;
- archimandrites.
Subordinate to the bishops are priests who are considered the main ones locally, in city or other parishes. Depending on the type of activity and duties assigned to them, priests are divided into priests and archpriests. The person entrusted with the direct leadership of the parish bears the title of Rector.
The younger clergy is already subordinate to him: deacons and priests, whose duties are to help the Superior and other, higher spiritual ranks.
Speaking about spiritual titles, we should not forget that church hierarchies (not to be confused with the church hierarchy!) allow several different interpretations spiritual titles and, accordingly, give them other names. The hierarchy of churches implies the division into Churches of the Eastern and Western rites, their smaller varieties (for example, Post-Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, etc.)
All of the above titles refer to the white clergy. The black church hierarchy is distinguished by more stringent requirements for people who have been ordained. The highest level of black monasticism is the Great Schema. It implies complete alienation from the world. In Russian monasteries, the great schema-monks live separately from everyone else, do not engage in any obedience, but spend day and night in unceasing prayer. Sometimes those who accept the Great Schema become hermits and limit their lives to many optional vows.
The Great Schema is preceded by the Small. It also implies the fulfillment of a number of obligatory and optional vows, the most important of which are: virginity and non-covetousness. Their task is to prepare the monk to accept the Great Schema, to completely cleanse him of sins.
Rassophore monks can accept the minor schema. This is the lowest level of black monasticism, which is entered immediately after tonsure.
Before each hierarchical step, monks undergo special rituals, their name is changed and they are appointed. When changing a title, the vows become stricter and the attire changes.
There are three degrees of priesthood in the Orthodox Church: deacons; elders(or priests, priests); bishops(or bishops).
The clergy in the Orthodox Church is divided into white(married) and black(monastic). Sometimes, as an exception, persons who are not married and have not taken monastic vows are ordained to the priesthood; they are called celibates. According to the canons of the Church, only monastics.
Deacon translated from Greek means minister. This is a clergyman of the first (junior) degree. He is a co-servant with priests and bishops during the celebration of the Sacraments and other sacred rites, but does not perform any divine services independently. The senior deacon is called protodeacon.
The deacon is ordained (ordained) by the bishop during the celebration of the liturgy.
During the service the deacon is dressed in surplice(long clothes with wide sleeves). A long wide ribbon called orarion. When pronouncing the litanies, the deacon holds the orarion with his right hand, raising it upward as a sign that our prayer should ascend upward to God. The orarion also symbolizes angelic wings, for, according to the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, deacons represent the image of angelic service in the Church. The deacon puts on his hands instruct- sleeves covering the wrists.
Priest (presbyter)- second degree of priesthood. He can perform all the Sacraments except the Sacrament ordination. Priests are ordained only after ordination to the diaconate. The priest is not only a performer of sacred rites, but also a shepherd, spiritual leader and teacher for his parishioners. He preaches, teaches and instructs his flock.
To serve the liturgy, the priest dresses in special clothes. Podryznik- a long shirt that resembles a surplice. White color The vestry symbolically indicates the purity of life and the spiritual joy of serving the liturgy. Stole is a symbol of the grace of the priest. Therefore, without it, the priest does not perform a single sacred rite. The epitrachelion has the appearance of an orarion folded in half. This means that a priest has greater grace than a deacon. The epitrachelion depicts six crosses - according to the number of six Sacraments that he can perform. The seventh Sacrament—ordination—can only be performed by a bishop.
The priest puts on the epitrachelion belt- as a sign of your readiness to always serve God. How can a priest receive a reward for services to the Church? legguard And club(symbol of the spiritual sword that crushes all evil).
Like the deacon, the priest puts on instruct. They symbolize the bonds by which Jesus Christ was bound. Over all other vestments, the priest puts on felonion, or chasuble. It is a long, wide garment with a cutout for the head and a large opening at the front, reminiscent of a cape. The phelonion symbolizes the scarlet robe of the suffering Savior, and the ribbons sewn on it represent the streams of blood that flowed through His clothes.
Over the chasuble the priest puts on confidant(i.e. chest) cross.
Priests may be awarded for special merits kamilavka- a cylindrical velvet headdress. As a reward, the priest may be given a yellow four-pointed cross instead of a white eight-pointed cross. A priest can also be awarded the degree of archpriest. Some especially honored archpriests are given a cross with decorations and a miter - a special headdress with icons and decorations - as a reward.
Bishop- third, highest degree of priesthood. The bishop can perform all the Sacraments and sacred rites. Bishops are also called bishops And saints(holy bishops). Also called bishop lord.
Bishops have their own degrees. Senior bishops are called archbishops, followed by metropolitans. The most senior bishop - the head, primate of the Church - has the title of patriarch.
Bishop, by church rules, ordain several bishops.
The bishop dresses in all the vestments of a priest, only instead of a phelonion he puts on a sakkos, a garment resembling a short surplice. The main sign of episcopal power is put on him - omophorion. It is a wide ribbon lying on the shoulders - it symbolizes that lost sheep that the Shepherd Christ found and took on His ramen (shoulders).
Worn on the bishop's head miter, it simultaneously depicts the royal crown and crown of thorns Savior.
On his vestments, the bishop, together with the cross, wears the image of the Mother of God, called Panagia(translated from Greek All Holy). In his hands, as a sign of hierarchal authority, the bishop holds a rod or staff. They place it under the feet of the bishop during divine services. orlets— round rugs with the image of an eagle.
Outside of worship, all clergy wear cassock(lower long clothes with narrow sleeves) and cassock (outerwear with wide sleeves). Priests usually wear skufyu(pointed cap) or kamilavka. Deacons most often wear only a cassock.
Over the cassock, priests wear a pectoral cross, bishops wear a panagia.
A common way to address a priest in everyday settings is: father. For example: “Father Peter”, “Father George”. You can also contact the priest simply: “ father", but the name is not called then. It is also customary to address the deacon: “Father Nikolai”, “Father Rodion”. The following appeal also applies to him: “ father deacon».
The bishop is addressed: “ lord" For example: “Lord, bless!”
To take a blessing from a bishop or priest, you need to fold your palms in the shape of a boat so that your right hand is on top, and bow to the blessing. When the clergyman makes the sign of the cross and blesses you, you need to kiss him right hand. Kissing the priest's hand, which occurs when he gives a cross or blesses, in contrast to a simple greeting, has a special spiritual and moral meaning. Receiving grace from God through the cross or priestly blessing, a person mentally kisses the invisible right hand of God, which gives him this grace. At the same time, kissing the hand of a priest expresses respect for the rank.
Russian Orthodox Church as part of the Universal Church, it has a three-level hierarchy, which arose at the dawn of Christianity. The clergy are divided into deacons, elders And bishops. Persons on the first two levels can belong to both the monastic (black) and the white (married) clergy. Since the 19th century, the Russian Orthodox Church has had the institution of celibacy.
In Latin celibacy(celibatus) - an unmarried (single) person; in classical Latin, the word caelebs meant “one without a spouse” (and virgin, divorced, and widower). In late antiquity, folk etymology linked it to caelum (heaven), and this is how it came to be understood in medieval Christian writing, where it was used to refer to angels, embodying an analogy between the virginal life and the angelic life. According to the Gospel, in heaven they do not marry or be given in marriage ( Mf. 22, 30; OK. 20.35).
In practice, celibacy is rare. In this case, the clergyman remains celibate, but does not bring monastic vows and does not take tonsure. Priests can marry only before taking holy orders. For the clergy of the Orthodox Church, monogamy is mandatory; divorces and remarriages are not allowed (including for widowers).
The priestly hierarchy is presented schematically in the table and figure below.
stage | White clergy (married priests and non-monastic celibate priests) | Black clergy (monks) |
---|---|---|
1st: Diaconate | Deacon | Hierodeacon |
Protodeacon | ||
Archdeacon (usually the title of chief deacon serving with the Patriarch) | ||
2nd: Priesthood | Priest (priest, presbyter) | Hieromonk |
Archpriest | Abbot | |
Protopresbyter | Archimandrite | |
3rd: Episcopate | A married priest can be a bishop only after becoming a monk. This is possible in the event of the death of a spouse or her simultaneous departure to a monastery in another diocese. | Bishop |
Archbishop | ||
Metropolitan | ||
Patriarch |
1. Diaconate
Deacon (from Greek – minister) does not have the right to independently perform divine services and church sacraments, he is an assistant priest And bishop. A deacon can be ordained protodeacon or archdeacon. Deacon-monk is called hierodeacon.
San archdeacon is extremely rare. It has a deacon who constantly serves To His Holiness the Patriarch , as well as some deacons stauropegial monasteries. There are also subdeacons, who are assistants to bishops, but are not among the clergy (they belong to the lower degrees of clergy along with readers And singers).
2. Priesthood.
Presbyter (from Greek – senior) - a clergyman who has the right to perform church sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of Priesthood (ordination), i.e., the elevation to the priesthood of another person. In the white clergy - this priest, in monasticism - hieromonk. A priest can be elevated to the rank archpriest And protopresbyter, hieromonk - ordained abbot And archimandrite.
Sanu archimandrite in the white clergy correspond hierarchically mitred archpriest And protopresbyter(senior priest in cathedral).
3. Episcopate.
Bishops, also called bishops (from Greek consoles archi- senior, chief). Bishops are either diocesan or suffragan. Diocesan bishop, by succession of power from the holy Apostles, is the primate of the local Church - dioceses, canonically governing the diocese with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity. Diocesan bishop elected Holy Synod. Bishops bear a title that usually includes the names of the two cathedral cities of the diocese. As needed, the Holy Synod appoints to assist the diocesan bishop suffragan bishops, the title of which includes the name of only one of the major cities of the diocese. A bishop can 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.
On diocesan bishop
assigned 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 governing bodies can be implemented. In his activities bishop accountable His Holiness 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.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
The first bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church is its Primate, who bears the title - His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. 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: “ About the Great Lord and Our Father (name), His Holiness 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. San Patriarch islifelong. 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 clause IV.9 of the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia 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 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 Russia (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 stauropegies ( word stauropegy derived from Greek. -cross and – erect: a cross installed by the Patriarch at the founding of a church or monastery in any diocese means their inclusion in the Patriarchal jurisdiction).
His Holiness the Patriarch, in accordance with worldly ideas, is often called the head of the Church. However, according to Orthodox dogma The Head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ; The Patriarch is the Primate of the Church, that is, a bishop who stands before God in prayer for his entire flock. Often the Patriarch is also called First Hierarch or High Priest, since he is first in honor among other hierarchs equal to him in grace.
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.
Robes of bishops.
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Bishops have as a distinctive sign of their dignity 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 - e piskop, A archbishop, m Metropolitan, P atriarch; on the left is the first letter of his name. Only in the Russian Church does the Patriarch wear a robe Green colour, Metropolitan - blue, archbishops, bishops - lilac or dark red. IN Lent members of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church wear a robe black color.
The tradition of using colored bishop's robes in Russia 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.
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During divine services, all bishops use 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 rod. 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.
Election of bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted by the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, 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 position 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 a theological education.
Prefix "sacred"
The prefix “sacred-” is sometimes added to the name of the rank of clergy (holy archimandrite, holy abbot, holy deacon, holy monk). This prefix is not attached to words denoting a spiritual title and which are already compound words, that is, protodeacon, archpriest...