Holiness is Orders of Holiness in Orthodoxy

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The gifts that the Lord endows his chosen ones are very diverse, and since holiness is primarily their manifestation in people, this concept itself includes many forms. In view of the fact that historically Christianity was divided into several directions, in each of them canonization, that is, the glorification of one or another saint of God in the face of saints, has certain features.

Saints and Holiness

The concept of holiness came into use at the very dawn of Christianity. Then this category included the Old Testament forefathers, prophets, as well as the apostles and martyrs who accepted suffering and death in the name of Christ. In a later period, when Christianity became the state religion, they included pious rulers, kings, princes, and many others.

Orthodox holiness is a system borrowed from Byzantium and further developed in Russia, according to which the saints of God, most clearly marked by His Gifts and deserved canonization by their deeds, are divided into several categories, or ranks. Such a division is very arbitrary, since during the days of earthly life the saint could become famous for the mostvarious feats.

Christ's disciples who acquired holiness

Priority in this honorary row is traditionally assigned to the apostles - the closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, endowed by Him with special gifts of preaching the Word of God, healing the afflicted, casting out demons, and even resurrecting the dead. Having taken on the great mission of spreading Christianity, almost all of them ended their lives with martyrdom.

From the Gospel we learn that Jesus called His twelve closest disciples to the service of the Church He created, but later seventy more chosen ones joined them, as well as the Apostle Paul. All of them are canonized in the rank of holy apostles. The holiness of the apostles is of a special nature, since it was certified by Jesus Christ Himself. It is known that in the middle of the 3rd century, that is, even before the victory of Christianity over paganism, services were held in their honor, and in the 6th century a universal holiday was established.

The history of Christianity also knows the names of a number of ascetics who gained fame by spreading Christianity among tribes mired in paganism. Since in their service they in many ways became like the apostles, they were glorified by the Church in the rank of Equal-to-the-Apostles and thus constituted a separate category. Their holiness is a feat of enlightening the nations with the light of Christ's truth.

Pre-Christian Saints

The next two categories of saints - prophets and forefathers, which have already been mentioned in this article, came to us from Old Testament times. The first are the electedon whom the Lord has entrusted a special mission to reveal His will to people, or, in other words, to prophesy. In the Orthodox Church, a certain order of their veneration has been established, and several days a year (mainly in December) are dedicated to the memory of each of them.

The Old Testament includes several books of the prophets, the special value of which lies in the fact that they contain a prediction about the inevitable appearance of the Messiah in the world, sent to deliver people from the curse of original sin. The significance of these saints is so great that one of them, the prophet Isaiah, who lived in the 8th century BC, is even called the “fifth evangelist.”

The forefathers include the pious patriarchs who lived in the Old Testament times, as well as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called the Godfathers, the righteous Joachim and Anna. Their holiness is the result of deeds that contributed to the coming into the world of the Messiah, who brought people salvation from eternal death.

The holy successors of the apostles

The appearance on earth of the Son of God gave impetus to the emergence of a large host of saints who became the successors of the apostles and led the Christian communities. Those bishops who, being at the highest levels of pastoral service, set an example of high piety and selflessness, the church has been glorifying in the rank of saints for two millennia.

They included a large number of bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs, who contributed to the strengthening of the faith and steadily opposed schisms and heresy. The most striking example of such churchhierarchs are Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian and a number of others.

It is known that righteousness and piety, manifested by the servants of God, are often rewarded with gifts sent down from above, one of which is the ability to work miracles. That is why, when reading the lives of many saints, one can come across descriptions of the miracles they performed. As a rule, these are the healing of the sick, the resurrection of the dead, the prediction of the future and the pacification of the natural elements.

Victory Martyrs of Christ

A special category is the rites of holiness associated with suffering for Christ. Among them are those who, by their willingness to accept torment and death, testified to faith in the victory of the Son of God over eternal death. Saints belonging to this very large group fall into several categories.

Those who were honored to endure the most difficult and prolonged torment are usually called great martyrs (saints - Panteleimon, George the Victorious, Great Martyr Barbara). If a bishop or priest turned out to be such a voluntary sufferer, then he is called a holy martyr (Hermogenes, Ignatius the God-bearer). A monk who accepted torment and death for the faith of Christ is glorified in the rank of martyrs (Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna). There is also a category of passion-bearers. It includes those who accepted death and torment at the hands of their own brothers in faith (the holy princes Boris and Gleb).

Holiness born in the storms of the 20th century

The host of Orthodox martyrs significantlyreplenished in the 20th century, most of which became a period of persecution of the church, surpassing in its cruelty what she had to endure in the first centuries of Christianity. This period revealed to the world a whole galaxy of new martyrs and confessors who suffered as a result of mass repressions, but did not renounce their faith.

The confessors are those who continued to openly proclaim (profess) the faith, despite the threat of prison and even death. Unlike the martyrs, these people did not die a violent death, but nevertheless suffered severe persecution. Their holiness is a manifestation of their readiness for self-sacrifice.

Examples of such feats are filled with almost all decades of the godless regime in Russia. The above categories can also be described as ranks of holiness, directly related to the suffering of Christ, since the saints glorified in them, enduring suffering, were likened to the Savior.

Saints who became like angels during their lifetime

Further mentioning the ranks of holiness, one should name a very broad category, which includes those whose monastic service has become a feat in life. Having completed their earthly journey, they are glorified as saints.

This high title is a testament to the fact that, having renounced the vain world and extorted the movement of passions in themselves, they became like, even during their lifetime, that is, they became like the angels of God. Their host is adorned with the names of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Theophan the Recluse and many others.

A host of faithful rulers

The Orthodox Church also honors the memory of those of its children who, being at the pinnacle of power, used it to strengthen faith and works of mercy. At the end of their life path, they are ranked among the faithful. This category includes kings, queens, princes and princesses.

This tradition came to Russia from Byzantium, where the emperors were actively involved in the life of the church and had broad powers in resolving the most important religious issues. Nowadays, many are familiar with icons depicting the noble princes Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky and Daniil of Moscow, whose forehead is adorned with a halo - a symbol of holiness.

The righteous and the unmercenaries who shone in the rank of angels

Righteousness is an integral part of the life of every saint, but even among them there are those who especially excelled in this virtue and set an example for posterity. They are included in a separate rank and glorified in the face of the righteous. The Russian Church knows many such names - these are the righteous John of Kronstadt, Stefan of Omsk and Alexy (Mechev). Lay people can also belong to them, for example, Admiral Ushakov and Simeon Verkhotursky.

One of the consequences of righteousness is the need for selfless service to people. Saints who have adorned their lives with this feat are called unmercenaries and also constitute an independent group. These include mainly doctors who professed the principle every talent is given by God, and must be used in Hisglorification.”

Their host is innumerable, and there is hardly a person who has not heard the names of such saints as the unmercenaries Panteleimon or Cosmas and Demyan. They are also canonized in the rank of great martyrs, which is a fairly common occurrence when the same saint glorifies God with various deeds.

Despised and beaten bearers of the truth of God

And finally, one more rank, which for many centuries enjoyed special honor in Russia - the blessed. This form of holiness is very unusual and in many ways paradoxical. From ancient times, those who, under the guise of outward madness, trampled on all generally accepted worldly values, including ostentatious external piety, were called blessed, or, in other words, holy fools, in Russia from ancient times.

Often their behavior was so provocative that they were not only insulted and humiliated, but also beaten by those around them. Ultimately, however, such self-abasement and voluntary suffering were seen as following the example of Christ. Among the Russian saints, more than twenty people have been glorified as the blessed, the most famous of which are St. Basil the Blessed, Xenia of Petersburg and Andrei of Constantinople.

The very word "holiness", in addition to a purely religious meaning, in worldly life is often used to refer to objects and concepts that require a particularly respectful and even reverent attitude. It is unlikely, for example, that anyone will dispute the validity of such expressions as "the sanctity of motherhood" or "the holy memory of fallen heroes." These examples do notreligious overtones, but nevertheless, the mention of holiness is always associated with manifestations of spiritual greatness and purity.