Orthodoxy is an ancient religion with its own customs. An important part of her rituals are church sacraments. Six of them must be passed by every Orthodox. These include baptism, through which a person becomes a member of the church community. Chrismation by applying holy ointment to the body of a believer directs him to spiritual growth and self-improvement. Repentance frees from sins, communion reconciles and unites with the Lord, unction grants healing from ailments.
Mandatory for all true Orthodox believers who wish to marry is also a wedding ceremony. The seventh of the sacraments of the Church is not intended for everyone, but at the same time it is considered all the more responsible and important. Ordination is a church procedure carried out when a person is ordained to the priesthood.
Origin and meaning of the term
The very word "ordination" contains the visible meaning of the whole rite, since it is carried out by the bishop laying hands on the head of a person who wants to receive a spiritualdignity. At the same time, special prayers corresponding to this moment are read. This custom has ancient roots and has been established since the time of the Apostles. According to the teachings of Christians, it is believed that a special energy is transmitted through it - Divine fire, the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Ordination is an action that symbolizes church succession. The apostles received their authority and rights (priesthood) from Christ, and then transferred them in the indicated way to their followers. A similar ritual among Orthodox Christians is also called consecration.
Sacrament options
Ordination to the dignity is usually divided into three types. The first of these is the diaconal. The second is priestly ordination, which is also called priestly. The third type is episcopal consecration. The name of each type indicates the spiritual rank of the person over whom the rite is performed. The Russian Orthodox Church believes that the first two types of procedure, that is, the ordination of a priest or a deacon, can be carried out by one person, as long as he has the rank of a diocesan bishop.
To perform the third rite, several clergymen of this rank are required - a cathedral of bishops. Usually they are led by a patriarch or, appointed by him, an honored metropolitan. At the end, the ordained person puts on clothes corresponding to his new rank.
How the ceremony is performed
The customary procedure is performed at the time of the divine liturgy and takes place on the altar of the temple. During it, they sing in chorus corresponding to this solemnthe occasion of prayer chants. At the same time, the person ordained to the dignity goes around the holy throne three times, then kneeling on the right side in front of him. And the bishop or the cathedral of bishops performs the prescribed ritual.
According to the laws of Orthodoxy, consecration for a priest and a bishop can be performed on any of the days when a full liturgy is celebrated with the so-called Eucharistic canon. Ordination as a deacon is also permitted at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. But on each day, only one person should receive san.
Obstacles
There is a number of organic to perform this sacrament. First of all, it is carried out only for the male half of the Orthodox population. At the same time, this person must either, according to monastic vows, renounce everything worldly, or, not being a monk, have a certain marital status - be sure to be in the first marriage, concluded in accordance with church traditions.
There are other obstacles to ordination, in other words, circumstances that do not allow one to take holy orders through this rite. These are age-related organic, he alth and physical disabilities that make it difficult for this particular person to fulfill the duties assigned to him. And undoubted and very big obstacles are: lack of faith, lack of experience and knowledge, moral vices, damaged public reputation. Also, the rite of consecration cannot be performed if a person, in addition to church ones, is burdened with any otherobligations, and above all - state.
Who gives permission to the sacrament
Initiations of the first two types are made for persons who have already passed the lower levels of the church clergy. These include: subdeacons, priests (church choir singers), readers.
The decision regarding the acceptance of a certain person to the spiritual dignity and the possibility of admission to the rite of ordination to the priesthood is made by a bishop, that is, a clergyman who is at the highest level in the priestly hierarchy. It can be a patriarch, exarch, metropolitan, archbishop, bishop. They are also able to be replaced by a special examiner appointed by them. He can get the necessary information from the parishioners and learn them in a conversation with the applicant.
And on the basis of all this makes his decision. But the final word remains with the diocesan bishop. Some of the obstacles to ordination can be eliminated by the rite of baptism (if it has not been performed before) and other church sacraments. But moral deficiencies can be particularly important reasons for refusal.
Ordination as a bishop
The rite of consecration to the bishops from ancient times was considered extremely responsible and important and became possible only for ministers of presbyter dignity, that is, for persons who are on the second step of the church hierarchy. In the old days, the election and confirmation of a new bishop was carried out by all the bishops and the people, who had to consult and decide that he was worthy.
Currentlytime his candidacy is proposed and considered by the Holy Synod and the patriarchs. And on the day before the consecration, the newly elected bishop passes a test, after which the rite of consecration is performed, and the people bless the newly consecrated.
Inner side of the rite
Christians believe that in addition to the visible side, the sacrament of ordination also has an inner, that is, an essence invisible to mere mortals. The Orthodox believe that this side of the rite consists in gaining the special grace of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation of this point of view can be found in the Bible, in that part of it which tells about the deeds of the Apostles - disciples faithful to the cause of Jesus Christ. It also says that such a rite was established by the Lord himself.
According to the lines of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was sent down on his grateful followers on the day of Pentecost. And since then, this Divine fire has been operating in all the clergy ordained in the right way, instructing them, giving them the opportunity to heal people spiritually and bodily, being transmitted from the consecrated person to the consecrated person, from bishop to bishop.
And, therefore, only a person ordained in the right way, that is, who has become the receiver of the Apostles, and hence Jesus himself, can break sacred bread, hold weddings and memorial services, listen to confessions and forgive sins.
Catholic sacrament
Catholicism is, as you know, one of the ancient branches of Christianity. Church ministers are adherents of this direction, soit is believed that they received a blessing for their activities from the Apostles themselves. This means that all the priests of the Catholic Churches also accept the apostolic succession with respect and faith, being considered its heirs. Catholics believe that for many centuries of the existence of Christianity, it has not been interrupted.
However, representatives of two religious movements, Catholicism and Orthodoxy, have different views on ordination in the church. For example, persons who have entered into marriage cannot be ordained as deacons among Catholics, even if he is the first and consecrated by the church. But at the same time, the rite for bishops is more simplified, because even one bishop can perform it, while, according to the canons honored in Orthodoxy, there should be at least two or three.
On continuity in Protestantism
The harder thing with apostolic succession is Protestantism. This is a relatively young religious direction in Christianity. It arose in Europe only in the 16th century, as an opposition to Catholicism, and therefore, according to older trends, it departed from the true canons of Christianity, without receiving the proper blessing from the followers of Christ. And, consequently, ordination to the priesthood is not a rite of transmission of Divine grace from bishop to bishop, as was originally established. This gives reason to the opponents of this trend to argue that the adherents of this religion are not the heirs of the Apostles, and hence Jesus Christ.
Protestants deny such attacks, arguing that it is difficultafter more than two thousand years, to unequivocally state that the continuity through ordination among Catholics and Orthodox was not interrupted at any stage. And the reliability of records about this, available in religious archives, can be subjected to great doubts. Moreover, it is impossible to judge whether all ordained were really worthy.
From history
In general, ordination is an action that is quite common even outside a religious context in ordinary human communication. But from ancient times, in many cases, it was customary to betray a sacred meaning. It was believed that a person laying hands on another was able to convey to him not only a blessing, but also spiritual strength, power, a great destiny for religious service or a grandiose goal. Even before the advent of Christianity, ordination and rituals associated with them took place in many religions, including Judaism, as evidenced by numerous episodes of the Old Testament. It appears that Christianity, which emerged from Judaism, only adopted this custom from more ancient predecessors.
A vivid biblical example of the above is how the Lord instructs Moses to lay his hands on Joshua in front of the Jewish people, thus giving a particle of his power and glory, the spirit of wisdom, so that the whole community respects and obeys him. By the laying on of hands, Joseph and Jacob, as well as many other biblical heroes, blessed their children and successors. Not to mention that of the NewThe covenant knows that Jesus Christ himself healed by the laying on of hands, thereby transferring part of his power. It is not surprising that since ancient times they have seen a special sign in this action.
Ordination in Judaism
The rite of ordination in Judaism was called "Smicha". Also, the word itself is translated from the Hebrew language. Thus, in ancient times, not only religious, but also legal powers were transferred to the rabbis, that is, the right to conduct court, resolve financial issues, and influence people's fates with their authority. That is, it turned out that ordination is an approval for a certain responsible type of activity. It was believed that when the judges were sitting, God was invisibly present among them.
The ancients believed that a person who accepts ordination must have truthfulness, piety, wisdom, hate self-interest and have a good education. The rite of death itself was accompanied by a festive ceremony. And the hero of the occasion turned to the people with a solemn speech and received in response congratulations on the ordination.
Ordination of women
In Judaism, as in Orthodoxy, a woman did not have the right to go through the rite of ordination and take holy orders. These are age-old traditions. A woman could not lead worship, be a rabbi and a judge.
But in the second half of the last century, such a question not only began to be revised, but also gradually acquired extremely important significance. More and more opinions were expressed that the Bible itself does not give any special instructions on this matter. Whilereligious customs were often formed under the influence of prejudices and prejudices. Christianity and its customs took root in a world where there was an atmosphere of lawlessness and oppression of women. And historical conditions only exacerbated their unenviable position.
But the modern church is trying to properly re-evaluate the old traditions. Increasingly, women are being ordained in Protestant churches. And Catholics and Orthodox are leading serious discussions on this issue. But laws that change church foundations have not yet been adopted.
