The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is also called the Moscow Patriarchate. It is the largest autocephalous local Orthodox church in the world. Are you familiar with the decoding of the term "patriarchate"? What is this, can you explain in simple terms? Believers also need to have an understanding of the structural features of the construction of the system to which they reckon themselves. Otherwise, you can get confused and fall into the traps of villains who seek to lead a person astray. Let's see, the patriarchate is what it is.
Definition
First of all, when studying an unfamiliar concept, you should look it up in dictionaries. Patriarchy is a system of hierarchical church government, it is written in them. It has its own distinctive features, they are visible from the name. The Russian Orthodox Church is headed by a patriarch. For living believers, this is a given, since people did not know a different state of affairs. However, the patriarchate is not a constant. There were times when church life was organized differently. So, Orthodoxy came to Russia from abroad. For quite a long time the temples obeyedPatriarch of Constantinople. However, the community grew. The conditions for establishing autocephaly were ripe by the end of the 16th century. It was then that the patriarchate was first established in Russia. This means that the local church has become independent. All parishes received leadership not from Constantinople, but from Moscow. Such an event cannot be overestimated.
Russian Patriarchy: Meaning
Religion has always played a huge role in the life of states. Temples unite people, contribute to the preservation of civil peace. At the same time, the church has the opportunity to influence the positioning of the country in the international arena. Now this factor is not so relevant. And at the time of the establishment of the patriarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church was the only local church associated with the Orthodox state. The separation from Constantinople was due historically. The country in those days was ruled by a king, the heir to the Roman emperors. But the separation of the church from Constantinople was problematic. The patriarch was offended by the Russian Orthodox Church for the desire for autonomy. Without his recognition, autocephaly would be considered illegal. But all obstacles were overcome by the end of the 16th century, during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. The establishment of the patriarchate made the local church more influential. It became equal to Constantinople. Now the patriarchs worked together on important decisions regarding the faith.
System internals
The ROC approved the charter, according to which, the highest church bodies are allocated. They are cathedrals:
- Local, solves general issues, choosesPatriarch.
- The Bishop's is the highest body of the hierarchical administration of the ROC. It consists only of bishops.
In addition to the indicated bodies, the system includes:
- Supreme Church Council (SCC), established in March 2011. This is the executive body headed by the patriarch. He organizes church life.
- Patriarch is the first among bishops.
Establishment history
Church separation is a slow process. The establishment of the patriarchate began with a visit to Russia by Patriarch Joachim of Antioch in 1586. At that time, Boris Godunov, the tsar's brother-in-law, was in charge of state policy. He conceived a small intrigue, as a result of which Joachim ended up in the Assumption Cathedral, where Dionisy, the then Metropolitan of Moscow, served. Godunov sought to impress the Patriarch of Antioch, which he fully succeeded. Dionysius in solemn attire, surrounded by Russian clergy, looked very impressive, as befits the rector of the largest Orthodox church. But the intrigue did not end there. As soon as he entered the temple, Joachim received a blessing from Dionysius, which was against all rules. In addition, the current patriarch was not invited to lead the service. In this way, it was shown that foreign church leaders are asking for help from the Russian Orthodox Church. This created some dissonance, because only the metropolitan was sitting in Moscow. Godunov took over further negotiations with Constantinople. As a result, a patriarchate was established in Russia.
Some historical features
According to the charter, the patriarch is elected. The first in 1589 was Job. However, the institution of the patriarchate itself lasted only until 1700. Peter the Great forbade the election of a new head of the Russian Orthodox Church after the death of Adrian. He established another governing body of the church - the Holy Synod, which worked until 1918. He was part of the state system and carried out the functions of regulating religious issues. The Synod was headed by the Emperor. He is called "extreme judge of this board." In 1917, by decision of the All-Russian Local Council, the patriarchate was restored. The then Metropolitan of Moscow Tikhon became the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Thus, the patriarchate is a special system for managing church life. Now it applies to the religious communities of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
