Church hierarchy - table of ranks of clergy. Jerey - who is this? Great Companions

In order to navigate in more detail who leads the service in the church or who speaks on television from the Russian Orthodox Church it is necessary to know exactly what ranks are in the Church and the Monastery, as well as their hierarchy. We recommend that you read

In the Orthodox world, Church ranks are divided into ranks of the white clergy (Church ranks) and black clergy ranks (Monastic ranks).

CHURCH OFFICERS OR WHITE clergy

CHURCH OFFICES - ALTAR

In the worldly understanding, in recent times, the Church rank of Altarnik began to disappear, and instead of it, the rank of Sexton or Novice is increasingly mentioned. The tasks of the altar boy include the duties to follow the instructions of the rector of the temple, as a rule, such duties include maintaining a candle fire in the temple, lighting lamps and other lighting devices in the altar and iconostasis, they also help the priests put on clothes, bring prosphora, incense to the temple and perform other draft work. The altar server can be recognized by the sign that he wears a surplice over worldly clothes. We recommend getting to know

CHURCH OFFICES - READER

This is the lowest rank of the church and the reader is not included in the degree of priesthood. The duties of the reader include reading sacred texts and prayers during worship. In case of advancement in the rank, the reader is ordained a subdeacon.

CHURCH OFFICES - SUBDEACON

It is something of an intermediate rank between the laity and the clergy. Unlike readers and altar servers, a subdeacon is allowed to touch the throne and the altar, and also to enter the altar through the royal gates, although the subdeacon is not a clergyman. It is the duty of this Church rank to assist the Bishop in Divine Services. We recommend that you read

CHURCH OFFICES - DEACON

The lowest level of clergy, as a rule, the duties of deacons include helping priests in worship, although they themselves do not have the right to perform public worship and be representatives of the church. Since the priest has the opportunity to perform rites without a deacon, the number of deacons is currently being reduced, since they are no longer needed.

CHURCH OFFICES - PROTODEACON OR PROTODEACON

This rank indicates the chief deacon in cathedrals, as a rule, such a rank is assigned to a deacon after at least 15 years of service and is a special award for service.

CHURCH OFFICES - PRIEST

Currently, this rank is worn by priests, and is marked as a junior title of a priest. Priests, receiving power from bishops, have the right to conduct church rites, teach people the Orthodox faith and perform other sacraments, but at the same time, priests are forbidden to conduct ordination to the priesthood.

CHURCH OFFICERS - ARCHPRIEST

CHURCH OFFICES - PROTOPRESBYTER

The highest Church rank in the white clergy is not, as it were, a separate rank and is assigned only as a reward for the most meritorious deeds before Orthodox faith and is appointed only by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

MONastic ranks or black clergy

CHURCH OFFICES - HIERODEACON: He is a monk in the rank of deacon.
CHURCH OFFICES - ARCHIDEACON: He is a senior hierodeacon.
CHURCH OFFICERS - HIEROMONKH: He is a monastic priest with the right to perform Orthodox sacraments.
CHURCH OFFICES - ABOUT: He is the head of an Orthodox monastery.
CHURCH OFFICES - ARCHIMADRID: The highest degree in the monastic ranks, but occupying a step lower than that of a bishop.
CHURCH OFFICES - BISHOP: This rank is supervising and has a third degree of priesthood and is possible to be called a bishop.
CHURCH OFFICES - METROPOLIT: The highest title of bishop in the church.
CHURCH OFFICES - PATRIARCH: The most senior rank of the Orthodox Church.

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A priest in the Orthodox Church is not just a "father". An uninitiated person guesses that there are many degrees of priesthood in the church: it is not in vain that one Orthodox priest wears a silver cross, another golden, and a third also adorned with beautiful stones. In addition, even a person who does not really delve into the Russian church hierarchy knows from fiction that the clergy can be black (monastic) and white (married). But when faced with such Orthodox as archimandrite, priest, protodeacon, the vast majority of people do not understand what in question, and how the listed clergymen differ from each other. Therefore, I offer a short overview of the ranks of Orthodox clergy, which will help you understand in large numbers spiritual titles.

The priest in the Orthodox Church is the black clergy

Let's start with the black clergy, since monastic Orthodox priests have many more titles than those who have chosen family life.

• The patriarch is the head of the Orthodox Church, the highest church rank. The patriarch is elected at the local council. hallmark his vestments are a white headdress (kukol) surmounted by a cross, and a panagia (decorated precious stones image of the Virgin).
• A metropolitan is the head of a large Orthodox church region (metropolis), which includes several dioceses. At present, this is an honorary (as a rule, award) rank, following immediately after the archbishop. The Metropolitan wears a white klobuk and panagia.
• An archbishop is an Orthodox clergyman who oversees several dioceses. It is currently an award. The archbishop can be distinguished by a black hood, decorated with a cross, and a panagia.
• A bishop is the head of an Orthodox diocese. It differs from the archbishop in that there is no cross on his klobuk. All patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops and bishops can be called in one word - bishops. All of them can ordain Orthodox priests and deacons, consecrate, and perform all other sacraments of the Orthodox Church. Episcopal ordination according to church rule, is always made by several bishops (cathedral).
• An archimandrite is an Orthodox priest in the highest monastic rank, preceding the hierarchal. Previously, this dignity was assigned to the abbots of large monasteries, now it often has a reward character, and there can be several archimandrites in one monastery.
• Hegumen is a monk in the rank of an Orthodox priest. Previously, this title was considered quite high, and only the abbots of the monasteries had it. Today it is no longer important.
• Hieromonk is the lowest rank of a monastic priest in the Orthodox Church. Archimandrites, abbots and hieromonks wear black vestments (cassock, cassock, mantle, black hood without a cross) and a pectoral (pectoral) cross. They may perform church sacraments, except for ordination to holy orders.
• An archdeacon is a senior deacon in an Orthodox monastery.
• A hierodeacon is a junior deacon. Arch- and hierodeacons outwardly differ from monastic priests in that they do not wear a pectoral cross. Their vestments during worship also differ. They cannot perform any church sacraments, their functions include co-serving the priest during the service: the proclamation of prayer petitions, the carrying out of the Gospel, the reading of the Apostle, the preparation of sacred vessels, etc.
• Deacons, both monastics and those belonging to the white clergy, belong to the lower level of the priesthood, Orthodox priests to the middle, and bishops to the highest.

Orthodox clergyman - white clergy

• The archpriest is the senior Orthodox priest in the church, as a rule, he is the rector, but today in one parish, especially a large one, there can be several archpriests.
• Priest - junior Orthodox priest. White priests, like monastic priests, perform all the sacraments, except for ordination. Archpriests and priests do not wear a mantle (this is part of the monastic vestment) and a hood, their headdress is a kamilavka.
• Protodeacon, deacon - respectively senior and junior deacons among the white clergy. Their functions fully correspond to the functions of monastic deacons. White clergy are not ordained as Orthodox bishops only on the condition of accepting the monastic rank (this often happens by mutual agreement in old age or in the case of widowhood, if the priest has no children or they are already adults.

all about the ranks of priests, the ranks of the Russian Orthodox Church and their vestments

Following the example of the Old Testament Church, where there was a high priest, priests, and Levites, the holy Apostles also established three degrees of priesthood in the New Testament Christian Church: bishops, presbyters (i.e., priests) and deacons. All of them are called clergymen, because through the sacrament of the priesthood they receive the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sacred service of the Church of Christ; perform worship, teach people the Christian faith and good life (piety) and manage church affairs.

Bishops constitute the highest rank in the Church. They receive the highest degree of grace. Bishops are also called bishops, i.e., the chiefs of the priests (priests). Bishops may perform all Sacraments and all church services. This means that bishops have the right not only to celebrate the usual Divine service, but also to consecrate (ordain) to the clergy, as well as to consecrate myrrh and antimensions, which is not given to priests.

According to the degree of priesthood, all bishops are equal among themselves, but the oldest and most honored of the bishops are called archbishops, while metropolitan bishops are called metropolitans, since the capital is called in Greek the metropolis. Bishops of ancient capitals, such as: Jerusalem, Constantinople (Tsargrad), Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and since the 16th century the Russian capital of Moscow, are called patriarchs. Between 1721 and 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church was governed by the Holy Synod. In 1917, the Holy Council that met in Moscow again elected "His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia" to govern the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitans

Sometimes another bishop is given to assist the bishop, who is then called vicar, i.e. viceroy. exarch- the title of the head of a separate church district. Currently, there is only one exarch - the Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, the head of the Belarusian Exarchate.

Priests, and in Greek priests or presbyters, constitute the second sacred rank after the bishop. Priests can perform, with the blessing of the bishop, all the sacraments and church services, except for those that are supposed to be performed only by the bishop, that is, except for the sacrament of the priesthood and the consecration of the world and antimensions.

The Christian community, subordinated to the conduct of the priest, is called his parish.
More worthy and honored priests are given the title archpriest, i.e. the chief priest, or the leading priest, and the chief among them is the title protopresbyter.
If the priest is at the same time a monk (black priesthood), then he is called hieromonk, i.e., a priestly monk.

In monasteries, there are up to six degrees of preparation for the angelic image:
worker / worker— lives and works in a monastery, but has not yet chosen the monastic path.
novice / novice- a worker who passed in the monastery of obedience, who received a blessing to wear a cassock and a skullcap (for women, an apostle). At the same time, the novice remains a worldly name. A seminarian or parish sexton is accepted into the monastery as a novice.
cassock novice / cassock novice- a novice who is blessed to wear some monastic clothes (for example, a cassock, a kamilavka (sometimes a hood) and a rosary). A cassock or monastic tonsure (monk / nun) is a symbolic (as at baptism) cutting of hair and naming a new name in honor of a new heavenly patron, blessed to wear a cassock, a kamilavka (sometimes a hood) and a rosary.
Robe or monastic tonsure or small angelic image or small schema ( monk / nun) - vows of obedience and renunciation of the world are given, hair is symbolically sheared, the name of the heavenly patron is changed and monastic clothes are blessed: hair shirt, cassock, slippers, paramanny cross, rosary, belt (sometimes a leather belt), cassock, hood, mantle, apostle.
Schema or great schema or great angelic image ( schema-monk / schema-monk, schema-nun) - the same vows are repeated, hair is symbolically cut, the name of the heavenly patron is changed and clothes are added: analav and cockle instead of a klobuk.

Monk

schemamonk

Hieromonks, according to their appointment as abbots of monasteries, and sometimes regardless of this, as an honorary distinction, are given the title abbot or more high rank archimandrite. Especially worthy of the archimandrites are elected to bishops.

Hegumen Roman (Zagrebnev)

Archimandrite John (Krastyankin)

Deacons (Deacons) constitute the third, lowest, sacred rank. "Deacon" is a Greek word and means "servant". Deacons serve the bishop or priest during Divine services and the celebration of the sacraments, but they themselves cannot perform them.

The participation of a deacon in Divine services is not obligatory, and therefore in many churches the service takes place without a deacon.
Some deacons are awarded the title protodeacon, i.e., the first deacon.
A monk who has received the rank of deacon is called hierodeacon, and the senior hierodeacon - archdeacon.
In addition to the three sacred ranks, there are also lower official positions in the Church: subdeacons, psalmists (clerks), and sextons. They, belonging to the ranks of the clergy, are appointed to their position not through the sacrament of the Priesthood, but only according to the hierarchical order, blessedly.
Readers It is their duty to read and sing, both during Divine services in the church on the kliros, and during the performance of spiritual services by the priest in the homes of parishioners.

Acolyte

Ponomari it is their duty to call the faithful to the service by ringing the bells, to light candles in the temple, to serve the censer, to help the psalm-readers in reading and singing, and so on.

Sexton

subdeacons participate only in hierarchical service. They dress the bishop in sacred clothes, hold lamps (trikirii and dikirii) and give them to the bishop to bless those who pray with them.

subdeacons

Priests, for the performance of Divine services, must put on special sacred clothes. sacred garments are made of brocade or any other suitable material and are decorated with crosses. The clothes of the deacon are: surplice, orarion and handrails.

Surplice there are long clothes without a cut in front and behind, with a hole for the head and with wide sleeves. A surplice is also required for subdeacons. The right to wear a surplice can be given to both psalm-readers and laity serving in the temple. The surplice marks the purity of the soul, which the persons of the holy dignity should have.

orarion there is a long wide ribbon of the same material as the surplice. It is worn by the deacon on the left shoulder, above the surplice. The orarion marks the grace of God, which the deacon received in the sacrament of the Priesthood.
Handrails are called narrow armlets, pulled together with laces. The instructions remind the clergy that when they perform the sacraments or participate in the celebration of the sacraments of the faith of Christ, they do this not with their own strength, but with the power and grace of God. The handrails also resemble the bonds (ropes) on the hands of the Savior during His suffering.

The vestments of the priest are: underdress, epitrachelion, belt, handrails and phelonion (or chasuble).

The vestment is a surplice in a slightly modified form. It differs from the surplice in that it is made of thin white matter, and its sleeves are narrow with laces at the ends, with which they are tightened on the hands. The white color of the vestment reminds the priest that he must always have a pure soul and lead a blameless life. In addition, the undershirt also reminds us of the tunic (underwear) in which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself walked on earth and in which He completed the work of our salvation.

Epitrachelion is the same orarion, but only folded in half so that, bending around the neck, it descends from front to bottom with two ends, which, for convenience, are sewn or somehow connected to each other. Epitrachelion marks a special, double compared with a deacon, grace given to a priest for the performance of the sacraments. Without an epitrachelion, a priest cannot perform a single service, just like a deacon - without an orarion.

The belt is put on over the stole and vestment and signifies readiness to serve the Lord. The belt also marks the Divine power, which strengthens the clergy in their ministry. The belt also resembles the towel with which the Savior girded himself when washing the feet of His disciples at the Mystery

The robe, or phelonion, is worn by the priest over other garments. This garment is long, wide, sleeveless, with a hole for the head at the top and with a large opening in front for free hand action. In its appearance, the riza resembles the purple robe in which the suffering Savior was clothed. The ribbons sewn on the robe are reminiscent of the streams of blood that flowed over His garments. At the same time, the riza also reminds the priests of the clothes of truth, in which they should be clothed as servants of Christ.

On top of the chasuble, on the chest of the priest is a pectoral cross.

For diligent, long-term service, the priests are rewarded with a gaiter, that is, a quadrangular board, hung on a ribbon over the shoulder and two corners on the right thigh, meaning the sword of the spirit, as well as head ornaments - skufya and kamilavka.

Kamilavka.

The bishop (bishop) puts on all the clothes of a priest: a vestment, epitrachelion, belt, handrails, only his riza is replaced with a sakkos, and a cuisse with a club. In addition, the bishop puts on the omophorion and miter.

The sakkos is the bishop's outer garment, similar to a deacon's surplice shortened from the bottom and in the sleeves, so that from under the sakkos the bishop can see both the vestment and the stole. Sakkos, like the priest's robe, marks the Savior's scarlet.

Mace, this is a quadrangular board, hung at one corner, over the sakkos on the right thigh. As a reward for excellent diligent service, the right to wear a club is sometimes received from the ruling bishop and honored archpriests, who also wear it on the right side, and in this case the cuisse is placed on the left. For archimandrites, as well as for bishops, the club serves as a necessary accessory of their vestments. The club, like the legguard, means the spiritual sword, that is, the word of God, with which clerics must be armed to fight unbelief and wickedness.

On their shoulders, over the sakkos, bishops wear an omophorion. omophorion there is a long wide ribbon-like board decorated with crosses. It is placed on the bishop's shoulders in such a way that, wrapping around the neck, one end descends in front, and the other behind. Omophorus is a Greek word and means pauldron. The omophorion belongs exclusively to the bishops. Without an omophorion, a bishop, like a priest without an stole, cannot perform any service. The omophorion reminds the bishop that he must take care of the salvation of the erring, like the gospel good shepherd, who, having found the lost sheep, carries it home on his shoulders.

On the chest, on top of the sakkos, in addition to the cross, the bishop also has a panagia, which means "All-holy." This is a small round image of the Savior or Mother of God, decorated with colored stones.

A miter, adorned with small images and colored stones, is placed on the bishop's head. Mithra stands for crown of thorns, which was placed on the head of the suffering Savior. The archimandrites also have a miter. In exceptional cases, the ruling bishop gives the right to the most deserving archpriests during Divine Services to wear a miter instead of a kamilavka.

During Divine services, bishops use a rod or staff as a sign of the highest pastoral authority. The staff is also given to archimandrites and abbots, as heads of monasteries. During Divine services, eagles are placed under the feet of the bishop. These are small round rugs depicting an eagle flying over the city. Eaglets mean that the bishop must, like an eagle, ascend from the earthly to the heavenly.

The home clothes of a bishop, priest and deacon are made up of a cassock (half-caftan) and a cassock. Over the cassock, on the chest, the bishop wears a cross and a panagia, and the priest wears a cross

Everyday clothes of the clergy of the Orthodox Church, cassocks and cassocks, as a rule, are made of fabric black color, which expresses the humility and unpretentiousness of a Christian, neglect of external beauty, attention to the inner world.

During divine services, church vestments are worn over everyday clothes, which come in various colors.

Vestments white color are used when performing divine services on holidays dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ (with the exception of Palm Sunday and the Trinity), angels, apostles and prophets. The white color of these vestments symbolizes holiness, permeation with uncreated Divine Energies, belonging to the heavenly world. At the same time, the white color is a memory of the Light of Tabor, the dazzling light of Divine glory. In white vestments, the Liturgy of Great Saturday and Easter Matins are performed. In this case, the white color symbolizes the glory of the Risen Savior. It is customary to perform burial and all funeral services in white vestments. In this case, this color expresses the hope for the repose of the deceased in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Vestments Red are used during the liturgy of the Holy Resurrection of Christ and at all services of the forty-day Easter period. The red color in this case is a symbol of the all-conquering Divine Love. In addition, red vestments are used on holidays dedicated to the memory of the martyrs and on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist. In this case, the red color of the vestments is a memory of the blood shed by the martyrs for the Christian faith.

Vestments blue color , symbolizing virginity, are used exclusively for the services of the Mother of God holidays. Blue is the color of Heaven from which the Holy Spirit descends upon us. Therefore, the blue color is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This is a symbol of purity.
That is why cyan (blue) color is used in church service on holidays associated with the name of the Mother of God.
The Holy Church calls the Most Holy Theotokos the vessel of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended on her and She became the Mother of the Savior. The Most Holy Theotokos from childhood was distinguished by a special purity of soul. Therefore, the blue (blue) color became the Mother of God color. We see the clergy in blue (blue) vestments on holidays:
Nativity of the Mother of God
On the day of Her Entry into the Temple
On the day of the Presentation of the Lord
On the day of her Assumption
In the days of the glorification of the icons of the Mother of God

vestments h golden (yellow) color used at services dedicated to the memory of saints. The golden color is a symbol of the Church, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which was affirmed by the labors of the holy bishops. Sunday services are performed in the same vestments. Sometimes divine services are performed in golden vestments on the days of commemoration of the apostles, who created the first church communities by preaching the Gospel. It is no coincidence therefore yellow liturgical vestments is the most commonly used. It is in the yellow robes that the priests in Sundays(when Christ is glorified, his victory over the forces of hell).
In addition, yellow vestments are also relied on in the days of memory of the apostles, prophets, saints - that is, those saints who, by their service in the Church, resembled Christ the Savior: they enlightened people, called to repentance, revealed Divine truths, performed the sacraments, being priests.

Vestments green color used at the services of Palm Sunday and Trinity. In the first case, the green color is associated with the memory of palm branches, a symbol of royal dignity, with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem met Jesus Christ. In the second case, the green color is a symbol of the renewal of the earth, cleansed by the grace of the hypostatically appeared and always abiding in the Church of the Holy Spirit. For the same reason, green vestments are worn at divine services dedicated to the memory of the reverend, holy ascetic monks, who were more than other people transfigured by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Green vestments are used on the days of remembrance of the saints - that is, saints leading an ascetic, monastic lifestyle, who devoted Special attention spiritual exploits. Among them - and Reverend Sergius Radonezhsky, founder of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and St. Mary of Egypt, who spent many years in the desert, and St. Seraphim of Sarov and many, many others.
This is due to the fact that the ascetic life that these saints led changed their human nature - it became different, it was renewed - it was sanctified by Divine grace. In their lives, they have united with Christ (Which is symbolized by the yellow color) and with the Holy Spirit (Who is symbolized by the second color - blue).

Vestments purple or crimson (dark burgundy) colors are worn on holidays dedicated to the Honest and Life-Giving Cross. They are also used in the Sunday services of Great Lent. This color is a symbol of the Savior's suffering on the Cross and is associated with the memories of the scarlet dress in which Christ was dressed, the Roman soldiers who laughed at him (Matt. 27, 28). On the days of remembrance of the Savior's suffering on the Cross and His death on the Cross (Sundays of Great Lent, Holy Week - the last week before Easter, on the days of veneration of the Cross of Christ (the Day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, etc.)
Shades of red in purple remind us of the sufferings of Christ on the cross. A shade of blue (the color of the Holy Spirit) means that Christ is God, He is inextricably linked with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of God, He is one of the hypostases of the Holy Trinity. Purple is the seventh color in the rainbow. This corresponds to the seventh day of the creation of the world. The Lord created the world for six days, and the seventh day became a day of rest. After suffering on the Cross, the earthly path of the Savior ended, Christ conquered death, conquered the forces of hell and rested from earthly affairs.

White clergy are married clergy. Black - these are monks in the priesthood. There are three hierarchical levels of the priesthood and each of them has its own hierarchy: deacon, priest, bishop. A deacon and a priest can be either a married priest or a monk. A bishop can only become a monk.

The Sacrament of the Priesthood is performed only when the candidate is raised to the next of the three steps. As for the hierarchy of ranks within these levels, in ancient times they were associated with special church obediences, and now they are associated with administrative power, special merits, or simply the term of service to the Church.

I. Bishops (bishops) - the highest sacred order

Bishop - supervising bishop

Archbishop - Most Honored Bishop

Metropolitan - bishop, head of the metropolis

Vicar - an assistant to another bishop or his vicar

Patriarch - chief bishop in the Local Church

II. Hierei- second holy order

The word "priest" has several Greek synonyms:

For white priesthood:

1) Priest(priest; from Greek hieros - sacred) / Presbyter (from Greek presbyteros, literally - elder).

2) Archpriest(first priest) / Protopresbyter (first elder).

For black priesthood:

1) Hieromonk- a monk in the rank of priest.

2) Archimandrite- (from the Greek arshon - head, senior and mandra - sheepfold; literally - senior over the sheepfold), that is, senior over the monastery. The word "mandra" in Greece called the monasteries. In ancient times, only the abbot of one of the largest monasteries (in the modern Church of Constantinople and Greece, this practice is preserved, however, an employee of the Patriarchate and an assistant to the bishop can be an archimandrite). In the modern practice of the Russian Church, the title can be given to the abbot of any monastery and even just to abbots for special merits and after a certain period of service to the Church.

! hegumen- (from the Greek. hegumenos, literally - walking in front, leader, commander), currently the abbot of the monastery (he can be a hieromonk, and an archimandrite and a bishop). Until 2011 in the Russian Orthodox Church - Honored Hieromonk. When leaving the post of rector, the title of hegumen is retained. Also, this title remains with those who received it as an award until 2011 and are not abbots of monasteries.

III. Deacon - the lowest sacred rank

For the white priesthood:

1. deacon
2. protodeacon

For the black priesthood:

1. hierodeacon
2. archdeacon

Words stand out pop and protopop. In Russia, these words had no negative meaning. Apparently, they come from the Greek “pappas”, which means “daddy”, “father”. In Russian, this word (due to its prevalence among the Western Slavs) probably came from Old High German: pfaffo - priest. In all ancient Russian liturgical and other books, the name "priest" is constantly found as a synonym for the words "priest", "priest" and "presbyter". Archpriest - the same as a protopresbyter or archpriest.

Appeal to the clergy:

As for appeals to priests, they exist official and unofficial. Informally, priests and deacons are usually called fathers: “Father George”, “Father Nikolai”, etc. Or simply “father”. On official occasions, a deacon is called “Your Reverence”, a presbyter is “Your Reverence”, a protopresbyter is “Your Reverence”. When addressing a bishop, they say “Vladyka” (Vladyka George, Vladyka Nikolai). In the Russian Orthodox Church, when officially addressing a bishop, he is called “Your Eminence”, the archbishop and metropolitan is “Your Eminence”. The Patriarch is always addressed: “Your Holiness.” All these appeals do not refer to the personality of a person, but to his ministry.

(who first used this term), continued heavenly hierarchy: a three-stage sacred system, whose representatives communicate divine grace to the church people through worship. At present, the hierarchy is a “estate” of clergy (clergy) divided into three degrees (“rank”) and in broad sense corresponds to the concept of clear.

The structure of the modern hierarchical ladder of the Russian Orthodox Church for greater clarity can be represented by the following table:

Hierarchical degrees	White clergy (married or celibate)	Black clergy (monastic)
episcopate (bishopric)		patriarch metropolitan archbishop bishop
Presbytery (priest)	protopresbyter archpriest priest (presbyter, priest)	archimandrite hegumen hieromonk
diaconate	protodeacon deacon	archdeacon hierodeacon

The lower clerics (clerks) are outside this three-stage structure: subdeacons, readers, singers, altar servers, sexton, church watchmen and others.

Orthodox, Catholics, as well as representatives of the ancient Eastern (“pre-Chalcedonian”) Churches (Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, etc.) base their hierarchy on the concept of “apostolic succession”. The latter is understood as a retrospective continuous (!) sequence of a long chain of episcopal consecrations, going back to the apostles themselves, who ordained the first bishops as their sovereign successors. Thus, "apostolic succession" is a concrete ("material") succession of episcopal ordination. Therefore, the bearers and custodians of the internal "apostolic grace" and the external hierarchical authority in the Church are the bishops (hierarchs). Based on this criterion, Protestant confessions and sects, as well as our non-priest Old Believers, do not have a hierarchy, since representatives of their “clergy” (leaders of communities and liturgical meetings) are only elected (appointed) for church administrative service, but not possess an inner gift of grace communicated in the sacrament of the priesthood and alone giving the right to perform the sacraments. (A special issue is the legitimacy of the Anglican hierarchy, which has long been debated by theologians.)

Representatives of each of the three degrees of priesthood differ among themselves "by grace" granted to them during the elevation (consecration) to a specific degree, or "impersonal holiness", which is not related to the subjective qualities of the clergyman. The bishop, as the successor of the apostles, has full liturgical and administrative powers within his diocese. (The head of a local Orthodox Church, whether autonomous or autocephalous, is an archbishop, metropolitan or patriarch, but only “first among equals” within the episcopate of his Church). He has the right to perform all the sacraments, including successively raising to the sacred degrees (ordaining) representatives of his clergy and clergy. Only the consecration of a bishop is performed by a "sobor" or at least two other bishops, as determined by the head of the Church and the synod that is under him. A representative of the second degree of the priesthood (priest) has the right to perform all the sacraments, except for any ordination or ordination (even as a reader). His complete dependence on the bishop, who in the Ancient Church was the predominant performer of all the sacraments, is also expressed in the fact that he performs the sacrament of chrismation when he has the chrism previously consecrated by the patriarch (replacing the laying on of hands by the bishop on the head of a person), and the Eucharist only when the presence of an antimension received by him from the ruling bishop. The representative of the lowest degree of the hierarchy, the deacon, is only a co-servant and assistant to the bishop or priest, who does not have the right to perform a single sacrament and divine service according to the “priestly order”. In case of emergency, he can only baptize according to the "worldly order"; and his cell (home) prayer rule and performs the services of the daily cycle (Hours) according to the Book of Hours or the "worldly" Prayer Book, without priestly exclamations and prayers.

All representatives within the same hierarchical degree are equal to each other “by grace”, which gives them the right to a strictly defined circle of liturgical powers and actions (in this aspect, a newly ordained village priest is no different from an honored protopresbyter - rector of the main parish church of the Russian Church). The difference is only in administrative seniority and honor. This is emphasized by the ceremony of successive elevation to the ranks of one degree of priesthood (deacon - to protodeacon, hieromonk - to abbot, etc.). It occurs at the Liturgy during the entrance with the Gospel outside the altar, in the middle of the temple, as when rewarding with some element of vestment (gaiter, club, miter), which symbolizes the preservation of the level of "impersonal holiness" given to him during ordination. At the same time, the elevation (consecration) to each of the three degrees of the priesthood takes place only inside the altar, which means the transition of the ordained to a qualitatively new ontological level of liturgical existence.

The history of the development of the hierarchy in ancient period Christianity has not been fully elucidated, only the firm formation of the modern three degrees of priesthood by the 3rd century is indisputable. with the simultaneous disappearance of the early Christian archaic degrees (prophets, didaskalov- "charismatic teachers", etc.). It took much longer to form modern order"ranks" (ranks, or gradations) within each of the three degrees of the hierarchy. The meaning of their original names, reflecting a specific activity, has changed significantly. So, hegumen (gr. egu? menos- letters. ruling,leading, - of the same root as "hegemon" and "hegemon"!), Initially - the head of a monastic community or monastery, whose power is based on personal authority, a spiritually experienced person, but the same monk as the rest of the "brotherhood", who does not have any sacred degree. At present, the term "abbot" indicates only a representative of the second rank of the second degree of priesthood. At the same time, he can be the rector of a monastery, a parish church (or an ordinary priest of this church), but also just a staff member of a theological educational institution or an economic (or other) department of the Moscow Patriarchate, whose official duties Dont Have direct relation to his holy order. Therefore, in this case, promotion to the next rank (rank) is simply an increase in rank, an official award “for length of service”, for an anniversary or for another reason (similar to the assignment of another military degree not for participation in military campaigns or maneuvers).

3) In scientific and general speech usage, the word "hierarchy" means:
a) the arrangement of parts or elements of the whole (any construction or logically complete structure) in descending order - from the highest to the lowest (or vice versa);
b) a strict arrangement of service ranks and ranks in the order of their subordination, both civil and military ("hierarchical ladder"). The latter are typologically the closest to the sacred hierarchy and also a three-degree structure (rank and file - officers - generals).

Lit.: Clergy of ancient universal Church from apostolic times to the ninth century. M., 1905; Zom R. Lebedev A.P. On the Origin of the Early Christian Hierarchy. Sergiev Posad, 1907; Mirkovich L. Orthodox Liturgy. Prvi opshti deo. Another edition. Beograd, 1965 (in Aserb.); Felmi K. H. Introduction to Modern Orthodox Theology. M., 1999. S. 254-271; Afanasiev N., prot. Holy Spirit. K., 2005; The Study of Liturgy: Revised edition / Ed. by C. Jones, G. Wainwright, E. Yarnold S. J., P. Bradshaw. – 2nd ed. London-New York, 1993 (Chap. IV: Ordination. P. 339-398).

BISHOP

ARCHIER (gr. archiereus) - in pagan religions - " High priest”(this is the literal meaning of this term), in Rome - Pontifex maximus; in the Septuagint - the highest representative of the Old Testament priesthood - the high priest (). In the New Testament - the naming of Jesus Christ (), who did not belong to the Aaronic priesthood (see Melchizedek). In the modern Orthodox Greek-Slavic tradition, a generic name for all representatives of the highest degree of hierarchy, or “episcopate” (that is, bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs proper). See Episcopate, Clergy, Hierarchy, Clergy.

DEACON

DEACON, DEACON (gr. diakonos- "servant", "servant") - in the ancient Christian communities - an assistant to the bishop heading the Eucharistic meeting. The first mention of D. - in the messages of St. Paul (and). His closeness to a representative of the highest degree of priesthood was expressed in the fact that the administrative powers of D. (actually - the archdeacon) often placed him above the priest (especially in the West). The church tradition, genetically elevating the modern diaconate to the "seven men" of the book of the Acts of the Apostles (6:2-6, - not named at all here by D.!), is very vulnerable in scientific terms.

Currently, D. is a representative of the lowest, first degree church hierarchy, "a minister of the word of God", whose liturgical duties consist mainly in the loud reading of the Holy Scriptures ("evangelization"), the proclamation on behalf of the praying litanies, the incense of the temple. The church charter provides for his assistance to the priest performing the proskomedia. D. does not have the right to perform a single divine service and even independently put on his liturgical clothes, but must each time ask for this "blessing" of the clergyman. The purely auxiliary liturgical function of D. is emphasized by his elevation to this rank at the Liturgy after the Eucharistic canon (and even at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which does not contain the Eucharistic canon). (At the request of the ruling bishop, this can also happen at other times.) He is only a “servant (servant) during the priesthood” or “Levite” (). A priest can do without D. at all (this takes place mainly in poor rural parishes). liturgical vestments D .: surplice, orarion and handrails. Out-of-service clothing, like that of a priest, is a cassock and a cassock (but without a cross over the cassock worn by the latter). The official address to D., found in the old literature, “Your good news” or “Your blessing” (now not used). The appeal “Your Reverend” can be considered competent only in relation to the monastic D. The everyday appeal is “Father D.” or "father name", or simply by name and patronymic.

The term "D.", without specification ("simply" D.), indicates his belonging to the white clergy. A representative of the same lower rank in the black clergy (monastic D.) is called a “hierodeacon” (lit. “priest deacon”). He has the same vestments as D. from the white clergy; but outside of worship he wears clothes common to all monks. The representative of the second (and last) rank of the deaconate among the white clergy is the “protodeacon” (“first D.”), historically the eldest (in the liturgical aspect) among several D. serving together in big temple(cathedral). It is distinguished by a "double orarion" and a purple kamilavka (given as a reward). The rank of protodeacon itself is currently a reward, so there can be more than one protodeacon in one cathedral. The first among several hierodeacons (in a monastery) is called an “archdeacon” (“senior D.”). A hierodeacon who constantly serves with a bishop is also usually elevated to the rank of archdeacon. Like the protodeacon, he has a double orarion and a kamilavka (the latter is black); non-liturgical clothes - the same as those of a hierodeacon.

In ancient times, there was an institution of deaconesses ("servants"), whose duties consisted mainly in caring for sick women, in preparing women for baptism, and in ministering to priests at their baptism "for the sake of propriety." St. (+403) explains in detail the special position of deaconesses in connection with their participation in this sacrament, while decisively excluding them from participation in the Eucharist. But, according to the Byzantine tradition, the deaconesses received a special ordination (similar to the deacon's) and participated in the communion of women; at the same time, they had the right to enter the altar and take St. bowl directly from the throne (!). The revival of the institution of deaconesses in Western Christianity has been observed since the 19th century. In 1911, the first community of deaconesses in Moscow was supposed to be opened. The issue of the revival of this institution was discussed at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917-18, but, due to the circumstances of the time, no decision was made.

Lit.: Zom R. Church system in the first centuries of Christianity. M., 1906, p. 196-207; Kirill (Gundyaev), archim. To the question of the origin of the diaconate // Theological works. M., 1975. Sat. 13, p. 201-207; IN. Deaconesses in the Orthodox Church. SPb., 1912.

DIACONATE

DIACONATE (DIACONATE) - lowest degree church Orthodox hierarchy, including 1) deacon and protodeacon (representatives of the "white clergy") and 2) hierodeacon and archdeacon (representatives of the "black clergy". See Deacon, Hierarchy.

EPISCOPATH

EPISCOPATH is the collective name of the highest (third) degree of priesthood of the Orthodox church hierarchy. Representatives of E., also collectively referred to as bishops or hierarchs, are currently distributed, in order of administrative seniority, into the following ranks.

Bishop(Greek episkopos - lit. overseer, guardian) - an independent and authorized representative of the "local church" - the diocese headed by him, therefore called the "diocese". His distinctive non-liturgical clothing is the cassock. black hood and staff. Appeal - Your Eminence. A special variety - the so-called. vicar bishop (lat. vicarius- deputy, governor), who is only an assistant to the ruling bishop of a large diocese (metropolis). He is in his direct jurisdiction, executing orders for the affairs of the diocese, and bears the title of one of the cities in its territory. There may be one vicar bishop in a diocese (in the St. Petersburg Metropolis, with the title of "Tikhvinsky") or several (in the Moscow Metropolis).

Archbishop("senior bishop") - a representative of the second rank E. The ruling bishop is usually elevated to this rank for some merit or after a certain time (as a reward). He differs from the bishop only in the presence of a pearl cross sewn on a black klobuk (above the forehead). Appeal - Your Eminence.

Metropolitan(from Greek. meter- "mother" and polis- "city"), in the Christian Roman Empire - the bishop of the metropolis ("mother of cities"), the main city of a region or province (diocese). A metropolitan can also be the head of a Church that does not have the status of a patriarchate (until 1589 the Russian Church was ruled by a metropolitan with the title first of Kyiv and then of Moscow). The rank of metropolitan is currently bestowed on a bishop either as a reward (after the rank of archbishop) or in the case of transfer to a cathedra with the status of a metropolia (St. Petersburg, Krutitskaya). A distinctive feature is a white hood with a pearl cross. Appeal - Your Eminence.

exarch(Greek head, leader) - the name of the church-hierarchical degree, dating from the 4th century. Initially, this title was borne by representatives of only the most prominent metropolises (some later turned into patriarchates), as well as by extraordinary representatives of the patriarchs of Constantinople, who were sent by them to the dioceses on special assignments. In Russia, this title was first adopted in 1700, after the death of Patr. Adrian, locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. The head of the Georgian Church (since 1811) was also called an exarch during the period of its entry into the Russian Orthodox Church. In the 60s - 80s. 20th century some parishes abroad of the Russian Church were united on a territorial basis into the exarchates "Western European", "Central European", "Central and South American". The governing hierarchs could be in rank below the metropolitan. A special position was occupied by the Metropolitan of Kyiv, who bore the title "Patriarchal Exarch of Ukraine". Currently, only the Metropolitan of Minsk (“Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus”) bears the title of exarch.

Patriarch(lit. "ancestor") - a representative of the highest administrative rank E., - the head, otherwise the primate ("standing in front"), of the Autocephalous Church. A characteristic distinguishing feature is a white headdress with a pearl cross fixed above it. The official title of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is "His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia". Appeal - Your Holiness.

Lit.: Charter on the administration of the Russian Orthodox Church. M., 1989; see article Hierarchy.

PRIEST

JEREY (gr. hiereus) - in a broad sense - "sacrificer" ("priest"), "clergyman" (from hiereuo - "sacrifice"). In Greek language is used both to refer to the servants of pagan (mythological) gods, and the true One God, i.e., Old Testament and Christian priests. (In the Russian tradition, pagan priests are called "priests".) In the narrow sense, in Orthodox liturgical terminology, I. is a representative of the lowest rank of the second degree of the Orthodox priesthood (see table). Synonyms: priest, presbyter, priest (obsolete).

IPODEACON

SUBDEACON, SUBDEACON (from the Greek. hupo- "under" and diakonos- "deacon", "servant") - an Orthodox clergyman, occupying a position in the hierarchy of the lower clergy below the deacon, his assistant (which fixes the naming), but above the reader. At the initiation into I., the initiate (reader) is dressed over the surplice in a cross-shaped orarion, and the bishop reads a prayer with the laying of his hand on his head. In ancient times, I. was ranked among the clergy and no longer had the right to marry (if he was single before being elevated to this rank).

Traditionally, I.'s duties included taking care of sacred vessels and altar covers, guarding the altar, taking catechumens out of the church during the Liturgy, and others. and are associated with the custom of the Roman Church not to exceed the number of deacons in one city above seven (see). At present, subdeacon service can only be seen during the bishop's service. Subdeacons are not in the clergy of one church, but are assigned to the staff of a certain bishop. They accompany him on his obligatory trips to the temples of the diocese, serve during the divine service – they dress him before the start of the service, supply water for washing his hands, participate in specific ceremonies and activities that are absent from the regular divine service, and also perform various extra-church assignments. Most often I. are students of spiritual educational institutions for whom this service becomes a necessary step towards further ascent along the hierarchical ladder. The bishop himself tonsures his I. into monasticism, ordains them to the holy order, preparing them for further independent service. An important succession can be traced in this: many modern hierarchs have passed through the “subdeacon schools” of prominent bishops of the older generation (sometimes even pre-revolutionary ordination), inheriting their rich liturgical culture, system of church theological views and manner of communication. See Deacon, Hierarchy, Consecration.

Lit.: Zom R. Church system in the first centuries of Christianity. M., 1906; Veniamin (Rumovsky-Krasnopevkov V. F.), archbishop. The New Tablet, or the Explanation of the Church, the Liturgy, and all services and church utensils. M., 1992. T. 2. S. 266-269; The writings of the blessed Simeon, archbishop Thessalonian. M., 1994. S. 213-218.

CLERGY

CLIR (Greek - “lot”, “share inherited by lot”) - in a broad sense - a set of clergy (clergy) and clergy (subdeacons, readers, singers, sexton, altars). “Clerics are so called because they are elected to church degrees in the same way that Matthias, appointed by the apostles, was chosen by lot” (Bless Augustine). In relation to the temple (church) ministry, people are divided into the following categories.

I. In the Old Testament: 1) "clergy" (high priests, priests and "Levites" (lower ministers) and 2) the people. The principle of hierarchy here is “tribal”, therefore, “clerics” are only representatives of the “tribe” (tribe) of Levi: the high priests are direct representatives of the Aaron clan; priests - representatives of the same kind, but not necessarily direct; Levites are representatives of other genera of the same tribe. "People" - representatives of all other tribes of Israel (as well as non-Israelis who accepted the religion of Moses).

II. In the New Testament: 1) "clergy" (priests and clergy) and 2) the people. The national criterion is abolished. All male Christians who meet certain canonical standards can become priests and clergymen. The participation of women is allowed (auxiliary positions: “deaconesses” in the Ancient Church, singers, servants in the temple, etc.), while they are not considered “clerics” (see Deacon). The “people” (laity) are all other Christians. In the Ancient Church, the "people", in turn, was divided into 1) laymen and 2) monks (when this institution arose). The latter differed from the "laity" only in their way of life, occupying the same position in relation to the clergy (taking holy orders was considered incompatible with the monastic ideal). However, this criterion was not absolute, and soon the monks began to occupy the highest church positions. The content of the concept of K. has changed over the centuries, acquiring rather contradictory meanings. So, in the broadest sense, the concept of K. includes, along with priests and deacons, the higher clergy (episcopate, or bishopric), - so for: clergy (ordo) and laity (plebs). On the contrary, in a narrow sense, also recorded in the first centuries of Christianity, K. are only clergy below the deacon (our clerks). In the Old Russian Church, the clergy is a combination of altar and non-altar ministers, with the exception of the bishop. Modern K. in a broad sense includes both clergy (ordained clergy) and clergy, or clerks (see Pritch).

Lit.: On the Old Testament Priesthood // Christ. Reading. 1879. Part 2; Titov G., priest. Controversy on the question of the Old Testament priesthood and the essence of priestly ministry in general. SPb., 1882; and under the article Hierarchy.

LOCAL tenens

LOCAL tenens - a person temporarily acting as a high-ranking state or church figure (synonyms: governor, exarch, vicar). In the Russian church tradition, only “M. patriarchal throne,” a bishop who governs the Church after the death of one patriarch until the election of another. The best known in this capacity are Mr. , mitp. Peter (Polyansky) and Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky), who became Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in 1943.

PATRIARCH

PATRIARCH (PATRIARCHI) (gr. patriarches-"ancestor", "forefather") - important term biblical christian religious tradition, which is used mainly in the following meanings.

1. The Bible calls P.-mi, firstly, the ancestors of all mankind (“antediluvian P.-i”), and secondly, the ancestors of the people of Israel (“forefathers of the people of God”). They all lived before the Mosaic Law (cf. Old Testament) and therefore were the exclusive guardians of the true religion. The first ten P., from Adam to Noah, whose symbolic genealogy is represented by the book of Genesis (Chapter 5), were endowed with extraordinary longevity, necessary for the preservation of the promises entrusted to them on this first earthly history after the fall. Of these, Enoch stands out, who lived “only” 365 years, “because God took him” (), and his son Methuselah, on the contrary, lived longer than others, 969 years, and died, according to Jewish tradition, in the year of the flood (hence the expression “ Methuselah, or Methuselah, age"). The second category of biblical P. begins with Abraham, the founder of a new generation of believers.

2. P. - representative highest rank Christian church hierarchy. The title of P. in a strict canonical sense was established by the Fourth Ecumenical (Chalcedon) Council of 451, which assigned it to the bishops of the five main Christian centers, defining their order in diptychs according to the "seniority of honor". The first place belonged to the bishop of Rome, followed by the bishops of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Later, the title of P. was also given to the heads of other Churches, moreover, the P. of Constantinople, after breaking with Rome (1054), received primacy in the Orthodox world.

In Russia, the patriarchate (as a form of government by the Church) was established in 1589. (before that, the Church was ruled by metropolitans with the title first "of Kyiv", and then "of Moscow and all Russia"). Later, the Russian patriarch was approved by the eastern patriarchs as the fifth in seniority (after Jerusalem). The first period of patriarchy lasted 111 years and actually ended with the death of the tenth Patriarch Adrian (1700), and legally - in 1721, with the abolition of the very institution of patriarchy and its replacement by a collective body of church government - the Holy Governing Synod. (From 1700 to 1721 the Church was ruled by Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky of Ryazan with the title of "locum tenens of the patriarchal throne".) The second patriarchal period, which began with the restoration of the patriarchate in 1917, continues to the present.

Currently, there are the following Orthodox patriarchates: Constantinople (Turkey), Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (Syria), Jerusalem, Moscow, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian and Bulgarian.

In addition, the heads of some other Christian (Eastern) Churches have the title of P. - the Armenian (P.-Catholicos), Maronite, Nestorian, Ethiopian, and others. "Latin patriarchs" who are in the canonical subordination of the Roman Church. The same title, in the form of an honorary distinction, has some Western Catholic bishops (Venetian, Lisbon).

Lit.: Old Testament doctrine in the time of the patriarchs. SPb., 1886; Roberson R. Oriental Christian Churches. SPb., 1999.

SEXTON

SEXTON (or "paramonar" - Greek. paramonarios,- from paramone, lat. mansio - "stay", "finding“) is a church clerk, a lower servant (“deacon”), who originally performed the function of a watchman of sacred places and monasteries (outside and inside the fence). P. is mentioned in the 2nd rule IV Ecumenical Council(451). In the Latin translation of church rules - "mansionary" (mansionarius), the gatekeeper in the temple. considers it his duty to light the lamps during worship and calls him "the guardian of the church." Perhaps, in ancient times, Byzantine P. corresponded to the Western villicus (“manager”, “manager”) - a person who controlled the choice and use of church things during worship (our later sacristan or sakellarium). According to the “Instructive News” of the Slavic Missal (calling P. “servant of the altar”), his duties are to “... bring prosphora, wine, water, incense and fire into the altar, light and extinguish candles, prepare and serve the priest a censer and warmth, often and with reverence to clean and clean the entire altar, as well as the floors from all dirt and the walls and ceiling from dust and cobwebs ”(Missile. Part II. M., 1977. S. 544-545). In the Typicon, P. is called "paraecclesiarch" or "candilo-igniter" (from kandela, lampas - "lamp", "lamp"). The northern (left) doors of the iconostasis, leading to that part of the altar where the indicated ponomari accessories are located and which are mainly used by P., are therefore called “ponomarskie”. Currently, in the Orthodox Church, there is no special position of P.: in monasteries, the duties of P. mainly lie with novices and ordinary monks (who do not have ordination), and in parish practice they are distributed among readers, altar servers, watchmen and cleaners. Hence the expression "read like a sexton" and the name of the watchman's room at the temple - "office mark".

PRESBYTER

presbyter (gr. presbuteros-"elder", "elder") - in the liturgical. terminology - a representative of the lowest rank of the second degree of the Orthodox hierarchy (see table). Synonyms: priest, priest, priest (obsolete).

presbytery

PRIEST (priest, priesthood) - the common (generic) name of representatives of the second degree of the Orthodox hierarchy (see table)

PRIT

PRICHT, or CHURCH RECEPTION (Glory. pricht- "composition", "assembly", from Ch. wail- "rank", "attach") - in the narrow sense - the totality of the lower clergy, outside the three-level hierarchy. In a broad sense - a combination of both clergy, or clergy (see clergy), and actually clerks, together making up the staff of one orthodox. temple (church). The latter include a psalmist (reader), sexton, or deacon, priest-bearer, and singers. In prerev. In Russia, the composition of the P. was determined by the states approved by the consistory and the bishop, and depended on the size of the parish. A parish with a population of up to 700 souls, male. the floor relied on P. from the priest and psalmist, coming with large population- P. from the priest, deacon and psalmist. P. populous and wealthy parishes could consist of several. priests, deacons and clerks. The bishop requested the permission of the Synod to establish a new P. or change states. Incomes P. developed ch. arr. from the payment for the commission of P. rural churches were provided with land (at least 33 tithes per P.), some of them lived in the church. houses, that is. part with ser. 19th century received a government salary. According to the church The charter of 1988 defines P. as a priest, a deacon, and a psalmist. The number of members of the P. changes at the request of the parish and in accordance with its needs, but cannot be less than 2 people. - a priest and a psalmist. The head of P. is the rector of the temple: a priest or archpriest.

PRIEST - see Priest, Presbyter, Hierarchy, Clear, Consecration

CHIROTESIA - see Chirotonia

HIROTONIA

HIROTONY - the external form of the sacrament of the priesthood, in fact, its culminating moment - the action of the laying on of hands on the rightly chosen protege being elevated to the priesthood.

In ancient Greek language word cheirotonia means giving votes in the popular assembly through a show of hands, i.e. elections. In modern Greek language (and church usage) we find two close terms: cheirotonia, consecration - "ordination" and cheirothesia, chirothesia - "laying on of hands". The Greek Euchologion refers to each appointment (ascension) - from reader to bishop (see Hierarchy) - X. In the Russian Official and liturgical manuals, they are used as Greek left without translation. terms, as well as their glory. equivalents, which are artificially distinguished, although not completely strictly.

Appointment 1) of a bishop: ordination and H.; 2) presbyter (priest) and deacon: ordination and H.; 3) subdeacon: H., initiation and ordination; 4) reader and singer: initiation and chirothesia. In practice, one usually speaks of the "ordination" of a bishop and the "ordination" of a priest and a deacon, although both words have an identical meaning, going back to the same Greek. term.

T. arr., X. communicates the grace of the priesthood and is the elevation ("ordination") to one of the three degrees of the priesthood; it is performed in the altar and at the same time the prayer "Divine grace ..." is read. Hirotesia, however, is not “ordination” in the proper sense, but only serves as a sign of the admission of a person (clerk, - see) to the performance of some lower church service. Therefore, it is performed in the middle of the temple and without reading the prayer “Divine grace ...” An exception to this terminological differentiation is allowed only in relation to the subdeacon, which for the present time is an anachronism, a reminder of his place in the ancient church hierarchy.

In the ancient Byzantine manuscript Euchologies, the rank of Ch. deaconess, once widespread in the Orthodox world, is preserved, similar to Ch. deacon (also in front of the holy throne and with the reading of the prayer “Divine grace ...”). Printed books no longer contain it. Euchologion J. Goar gives this order not in the main text, but among the variants of the manuscripts, the so-called. variae lectiones (Goar J. Eucologion sive Rituale Graecorum. Ed. secunda. Venetiis, 1730, pp. 218-222).

In addition to these terms for designating ordination to fundamentally different hierarchical degrees - actually priestly and lower "clerical", there are also others that indicate the elevation to various "church ranks" (ranks, "positions") within one degree of priesthood. “The work of the archdeacon, ... abbot, ... archimandrite”; "Following the hedgehog to create a protopresbyter"; "The Elevation of an Archdeacon or Protodeacon, Protopresbyter or Archpriest, Hegumen or Archimandrite".

Lit.: Protege. Kyiv, 1904; Neselovsky A. Orders of ordinations and ordinations. Kamenetz-Podolsk, 1906; A guide to the study of the Rule of Divine Services of the Orthodox Church. M., 1995. S. 701-721; Vagaggini C. L" ordinazione delle diaconesse nella tradizione greca e bizantina // Orientalia Christiana Periodica. Roma, 1974. No. 41; or T. under the articles Bishop, Hierarchy, Deacon, Priest, Priesthood.

APPENDIX

ENOCH

INOK - Old Russian. the name of a monk, otherwise - black. Well. R. - a monk, we are modern. - nun (nun, blueberry).

The origin of the name is explained in two ways. 1. I. - "lonely" (as a translation of the Greek monos - "one", "lonely"; monachos - "hermit", "monk"). “A monk will be called, one who converses with God day and night” (“Pandekty” by Nikon Chernogorets, 36). 2. Another interpretation derives the name of I. from a different way of life who has become a monk: he “otherwise must lead his life from worldly behavior” ( , holy Complete Church Slavonic Dictionary. M., 1993, p. 223).

In modern Russian Orthodox church usage, “monk” is not called a monk in the proper sense, but cassock(Greek “wearing a cassock”) of a novice, until he is tonsured into the “small schema” (due to the final acceptance of monastic vows and the naming of a new name). I. - as if "novice monk"; in addition to the cassock, he also receives a kamilavka. I. retains a worldly name and is free to stop his obedience at any time and return to his former life, which, according to Orthodox laws, is no longer possible for a monk.

Monasticism (in the old sense) - monasticism, blueberry. To be monastic is to lead a monastic life.

LAYMAN

LAYER - one who lives in the world, a secular ("worldly") person who does not belong to the clergy and to monasticism.

M. is a representative of the church people, who takes part in prayer in church services. At home, he can perform all the services listed in the Book of Hours, Prayer Book or other liturgical collection, omitting priestly exclamations and prayers, as well as deacon litanies (if they are contained in the liturgical text). In case of emergency (in the absence of a clergyman and mortal danger), M. can perform the sacrament of baptism. In the first centuries of Christianity, the rights of the laity incomparably surpassed modern ones, extending to the election not only of the rector of the parish church, but even of the diocesan bishop. In ancient and medieval Russia, M. were subject to the general princely judicial administration. institutions, in contrast to the people of the church, who were under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan and bishop.

Lit.: Afanasiev N. Ministry of the Laity in the Church. M., 1995; Filatov S."Anarchism" of the Laity in Russian Orthodoxy: Traditions and Perspectives // Pages: Journal of Bibl.-Bogosl. in-ta ap. Andrew. M., 1999. N 4: 1; Minney R. Lay Participation in Religious Education in Russia // Ibid.; Laity in the Church: Proceedings of the International. theological conf. M., 1999.

SACRISTAN

PRINTER (Greek sakellarium, sakellarios):
1) head of royal clothes, royal bodyguard; 2) in monasteries and cathedrals - the custodian of church utensils, the dean.