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Video: Tonsura - what is it
2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11
Tonzura is a word that refers to church vocabulary. It comes from the Latin noun tōnsūra, meaning a haircut. Catholic monks and priests shaved or cut out a place on their heads that testified to their belonging to the church. Initially, it was above the forehead, and later - on the top of the head. More details about tonsure, the photo of which is below, will be described in the article.
An old custom
The custom, according to which penitent sinners cut their heads bald, has existed since ancient times. Later, it passed to the monastic brethren, and from the 6th century it was adopted by all the clergy in Christianity. The fourth Council of Toledo, held in 633, gave legal form to this tradition.
Already by the end of the 7th century, the custom of cutting hair on the head of Christian clergy had spread almost everywhere and became generally accepted. This, among other, earlier confirmations, is evidenced, for example, by the rule of the Trullo Cathedral of 692, number 21, about a haircuthair in a special way.
According to this rule, the clergy who were deposed, but repented, were ordered to have their hair cut "in the image of the clergy." This rule does not specify exactly how the representatives of the clergy cut their hair.
Authoritative comments
A number of authoritative interpreters see here the so-called gumenzo. This is a place that was cut off at the crown of the head. Similar comments about this rule are found in the Slavic Pilot's Book, dating back to the 13th century. It speaks of a presbyter and a deacon, deposed from the dignity, who need to be shaved “on the head of the Humenets.”
The hairstyle of the clergy suggested that the hair should, firstly, be cut off at the top, on the crown, and secondly, cut from the bottom “in a circle.”
Regarding why tonsure is needed, Patriarch Sophrony of Jerusalem wrote the following: "On the head of a priest, round-shaped cutting of hair means a crown of thorns. Whereas the double crown, which is formed by hair, is an image of the honest head of the supreme Apostle (Peter). Her she was cut in mockery by those who disbelieved, and Jesus Christ blessed her."
Thus, according to one version, the purpose of tonsure is to show belonging to the Church of Christ.
Church haircut varieties
In the church tradition, there were two main types of tonsure. This is:
- Like the apostle Paul. In this case, the front of the head was shaved. This view was characteristic of the Greek church. In a slightly modified configuration, it was also used by the Irish and the British. This form was called the tonsure of the Apostle James.
- Like the Apostle Peter. It came into use after the fourth council, held in Toledo in 633. It was done at the crown, cutting the hair in the form of a circle. The second type was common among priests and monks belonging to the Western Church.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the tonsure of the Catholic clergy was usually cut off at the same time as the production in the lower rank. However, it was only the size of a small coin. For those who had the priesthood, it was the size of a host (the Eucharistic loaf in the Latin rite).
The bishops had even more tonsure. As for the popes, they left only a narrow strip of hair that was above the forehead. It should be noted that the described tradition existed for quite a long time. The abolition of tonsure is a matter of very near time. Its wearing was abolished in January 1973 by Pope Paul VI.
Russian analogue of tonsure
In Russia, the shorn head of the servants of the clergy was called "gumenets". This word comes from the Old Slavonic "goumnitse" and is associated with "threshing floor". The latter denotes a piece of land that has been leveled, cleared and intended for threshing. The Russians also called tonsure "obroschenie" - from the verb "obrosnyat", which means "bald", "bald".
In vernacular, there was such an option as "priest's baldness". in written documents,belonging to the pre-Petrine era, the word "bald" sometimes acted as an analogue of the name of a clergyman. There was another name - "haircuts", which is probably a tracing paper taken from the Latin tonsurātus.
The casting of the head was carried out during initiation into the lowest spiritual degree. After the bishop performed a cross-shaped hair cutting, that is, tonsure, one of the clergy undertook to cut the Humenets. As an external sign of a person belonging to a spiritual rank, gumenzo was required to be worn all his life or until the day he was defrocked. When this tradition was abolished in Russia, it is not known exactly. According to some sources, this happened at the end of the 17th century, according to others - at the end of the 18th.
