The head of the church is what they call it. Orthodox church hierarchy

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 in the New Testament Christian Church three degrees of priesthood: 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 can perform all the 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 klobuk) 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)

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 church, 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 some 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 not do this. on your own but by 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.

The epitrachelion is the same orarion, but only folded in half so that, bending around the neck, it descends from the front downwards with two ends, which are sewn or somehow connected to each other for convenience. 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 Divine power, which strengthens the clergy in the passage of 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 spiritual sword, 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." It is small round image 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. Mitra marks the 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

Clergymen's casual clothes 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 mountain 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 celebrated. 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 of red color used during the Liturgy of the Light Christ's Resurrection and at all divine 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 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 the blue (blue) color is used in church services 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. Holy Mother of God since childhood, she 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 accident that this is why the color yellow liturgical vestments is the most commonly used. It is in yellow robes that priests put on 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 colour 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 paid special attention to spiritual exploits. Among them - and Reverend Sergius Radonezhsky, founder of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and Reverend Mary Egyptian, 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 sufferings of the Savior 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 (Day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, etc.)
Shades of red in purple remind us of Christ's suffering on the cross. of blue color(colors 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 seventh in a row of colors of 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.

The hierarchical principle and structure must be observed in any organization, including the ROC, which has its own church hierarchy. Surely every person attending divine services or otherwise involved in the activities of the church paid attention to the fact that each clergyman has a certain rank and status. This is expressed in a different color of attire, a type of headdress, the presence or absence of jewelry, the right to conduct certain sacred rites.

Hierarchy of clergy in the Russian Orthodox Church

The clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church can be divided into two large groups:

• white clergy (those who can marry and have children);
• black clergy (those who renounced worldly life and took monastic orders).

Ranks in the white clergy

Even in the Old Testament scripture it is said that before Christmas, the prophet Moses appointed people whose task was to become an intermediate link in God's communication with people. In the modern church system, this function is performed by white priests. Inferior representatives white clergy do not have holy orders, they include: altar boy, psalmist, subdeacon.

altar boy- a person who helps the clergyman in conducting services. Also, such people are called sexton. Staying in this rank is a mandatory step before receiving the holy dignity. The person who performs the duties of an altar boy is worldly, that is, he has the right to leave the church if he changes his mind about connecting his life with the service of the Lord.

His responsibilities include:

• Timely lighting of candles and lamps, control over their safe burning;
• Preparation of robes of priests;
• Offer prosphora, Cahors and other attributes of religious rites in time;
• Light a fire in a censer;
• Bring a towel to your lips during communion;
• Maintaining internal order in church premises.

If necessary, the altar boy can ring the bells, read prayers, but he is forbidden to touch the throne and be between the altar and the Royal Doors. The altar boy wears ordinary clothes, a surplice is put on top.

Acolyte(otherwise - a reader) - another representative of the white lower clergy. His main duty: reading prayers and words from Holy Scripture (as a rule, they know 5-6 main chapters from the Gospel), explaining to people the basic postulates of the life of a true Christian. For special merits, he may be ordained a subdeacon. This procedure is carried out by a clergyman of a higher rank. The clerk is allowed to wear a cassock and a skuf.

subdeacon- Father's assistant in conducting services. His attire: surplice and orarion. With the blessing of the bishop (he can also elevate the psalm-reader or altar boy to the rank of subdeacon), the subdeacon receives the right to touch the throne, as well as enter the altar through the Royal Doors. His task is to wash the hands of the priest during divine services and give him the items necessary for the rites, for example, ripida and trikiriya.

Church orders of the Orthodox Church

The above ministers of the church do not have a holy order, and, therefore, are not clergymen. These are ordinary people living in the world, but wanting to get closer to God and church culture. They are accepted to their positions with the blessing of the clergy who are higher in rank.

Diaconal Degree of Churchmen

Deacon - lowest rank among all churchmen who have holy orders. His main task is to be an assistant to the priest during worship, they are mainly engaged in reading the gospel. Deacons do not have the right to conduct worship on their own. As a rule, they carry out their service in parish churches. Gradually, this church rank loses its significance, and their representativeness in the church is steadily declining. Deacon ordination (the procedure for ordination to church rank) is carried out by a bishop.

Protodeacon- chief deacon at the temple or church. In the last century, this rank was received by a deacon for special merits; at present, 20 years of service in the lower church dignity. The protodeacon has a characteristic attire - an orarion with the words “Holy! Holy! Holy." As a rule, these are people with a beautiful voice (they sing psalms and sing at divine services).

Pastoral Degree of Ministers

Priest in Greek means "priest". Junior title of the white clergy. The ordination is also carried out by the bishop (bishop). The duties of a priest include:

• Conducting sacraments, divine services and other religious rites;
• Conducting communion;
• Carry the covenants of Orthodoxy to the masses.

A priest does not have the right to consecrate antimensions (clothes of matter made of silk or linen with a particle of the relics of an Orthodox martyr sewn into it, located in the altar on the throne; a necessary attribute for holding a full liturgy) and to conduct the sacraments of ordination of the priesthood. Instead of a klobuk, he wears a kamilavka.

Archpriest- a title awarded to representatives of the white clergy for special merits. The archpriest, as a rule, is the rector of the temple. His attire during worship and church sacraments is an epitrachelion and a riza. An archpriest who has been awarded the right to wear a miter is called a mitre.

Several archpriests can serve in one cathedral. The consecration to the archpriest is carried out by the bishop with the help of chirotesia - the laying on of hands with prayer. Unlike ordination, it is held in the center of the temple, outside the altar.

Protopresbyter- the highest rank for white clergy. Assigned in exceptional cases as an award for special services to the church and society.

The highest church ranks belong to the black clergy, that is, such dignitaries are forbidden to have a family. A representative of the white clergy can also take this path if he renounces worldly life, and his wife supports her husband and becomes a nun.

Also on this path are dignitaries who have become widowers, since they do not have the right to remarry.

The ranks of the black clergy

These are people who have taken monastic vows. They are forbidden to marry and have children. They completely renounce worldly life, giving vows of chastity, obedience and non-possession (voluntary renunciation of wealth).

The lower ranks of the black clergy have many similarities with the corresponding ranks of the white. Hierarchy and responsibilities can be compared using the following table:

Episcopal degree of clergy

Bishop belongs to the category of bishops. In the process of ordination, they received the highest Lord's grace and therefore have the right to conduct any sacred actions, including the ordination of deacons. All bishops have the same rights, the eldest of them is the archbishop (has the same functions as the bishop; raising to the rank is carried out by the patriarch). Only the bishop has the right to bless the service with the antimis.

He wears a red robe and a black hood. The following appeal is accepted to the bishop: "Vladyka" or "Your Eminence."

He is the head of the local church - the diocese. Chief pastor of the district. Elected Holy Synod by order of the patriarch. If necessary, a vicar bishop is appointed to assist the diocesan bishop. Bishops wear a title that includes the name of the cathedral city. A candidate for bishopric must be a member of the black clergy and over 30 years of age.

Metropolitan is the highest title of a bishop. Reports directly to the patriarch. He has a characteristic attire: a blue mantle and a white hood with a cross made of precious stones.

San is given for high services to society and the church, is the oldest, if you start counting from the formation of Orthodox culture.

Performs the same functions as the bishop, differing from him in the advantage of honor. Before the restoration of the patriarchate in 1917, there were only three episcopal sees in Russia, with which the rank of metropolitan was usually associated: St. Petersburg, Kyiv and Moscow. There are currently over 30 metropolitans in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch- the highest rank of the Orthodox Church, the chief priest of the country. Official representative ROC. From the Greek patriarch is translated as "the power of the father." He is elected at the Bishops' Council, to which the patriarch reports. This is a life-long dignity, the deposition and excommunication of the person who received it, is possible only in the most exceptional cases. When the place of the patriarch is not occupied (the period between the death of the previous patriarch and the election of a new one), his duties are temporarily performed by the appointed locum tenens.

He has the primacy of honor among all the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Carries out the management of the church together with the Holy Synod. Contacts with representatives catholic church and the highest dignitaries of other confessions, as well as with state authorities. Issues decrees on the election and appointment of bishops, directs the institutions of the Synod. Accepts complaints against bishops, giving them a move, rewards clerics and laity with church awards.

A candidate for the patriarchal throne must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, be at least 40 years of age, and enjoy a good reputation and the trust of the church and people.

Chapter:
CHURCH PROTOCOL
3rd page

HIERARCHY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Spiritual guidance for those truly established in the holy Orthodox faith:
- questions of believers and answers of the holy righteous.

The Russian Orthodox Church, as part of the Universal Church, has the same three-tier hierarchy that arose at the dawn of Christianity.

The clergy are divided into deacons, presbyters and bishops.

Persons in the first two sacred degrees may belong to both the monastic (black) and white (married) clergy.

Since the 19th century, our Church has had an institution of celibacy borrowed from the Catholic West, but in practice it is extremely rare. In this case, the clergyman remains celibate, but does not take monastic vows and does not take tonsure. Priests can marry only before taking the ordination.

[In Latin, "celibacy" (caelibalis, caelibaris, celibatus) is an unmarried (single) person; in classical Latin the word caelebs meant "unmarried" (both virgin, and divorcee, and widower), but in the Late Antique period, folk etymology associated it with caelum (sky), and so it began to be understood in medieval Christian writing, where it was used in speech about angels, embodying an analogy between virgin life and angelic life; according to the Gospel, in heaven they do not marry and are not given in marriage (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:35).]

In a schematic form, the priestly hierarchy can be represented as follows:

A monk (Greek μονος - solitary) is a person who has devoted himself to serving God and made vows (promises) of obedience, non-possessiveness and celibacy. Monasticism has three degrees.

The probation (its duration, as a rule, is three years), or the degree of novice, serves as an introduction to the monastic life, so that those who wish it would first test their strength and only after that make irrevocable vows.

A novice (in other words, a novice) does not wear the full attire of a monk, but only a cassock and a kamilavka, and therefore this degree is also called a cassock, that is, wearing a cassock, so that in anticipation of taking monastic vows, the novice is established on the chosen path.

A cassock is a garment of repentance (Greek ρασον - worn, shabby clothes, sackcloth).

Actually, monasticism is divided into two degrees: a small angelic image and a great angelic image, or schema. Devotion to monastic vows is called tonsure.

A clergyman can be tonsured only by a bishop, a layman can also be tonsured by a hieromonk, abbot or archimandrite (but in any case, monastic tonsure is performed only with the permission of the diocesan bishop).

In the Greek monasteries of Mount Athos, tonsure is performed immediately into the great schema.

When tonsured into the small schema (Greek το μικρον σχημα - small image), the cassock monk becomes mantle: he receives a new name (his choice depends on the tonsurer, for it is given as a sign that the monk who renounces the world completely submits to the will of the abbot) and puts on a mantle that marks the “betrothal of the great and angelic image”: it has no sleeves, reminding the monk that he should not do the deeds of the old man; freely fluttering when walking, the mantle is likened to the wings of an angel, in accordance with the monastic image, the monk also puts on a “helmet of salvation” (Is. 59, 17; Eph. 6, 17; 1 Thess. 5, 8) - klobuk: like a warrior covers himself with a helmet, going to battle, so the monk puts on a hood as a sign that he seeks to turn his eyes away and close his ears so as not to see and not hear the vanity of the world.

More stringent vows of complete renunciation of the world are pronounced upon assuming the great angelic image (Greek: το μεγα αγγελικον σχημα). When tonsured into the great schema, the monk is once again given a new name. The clothes in which the great schema is put on are partly the same as those worn by the monks of the small schema: a cassock, a mantle, but instead of a hood, the great schema is put on a cockle: a pointed hat covering the head and shoulders all around and decorated with five crosses located on the forehead, on the chest, on both shoulders and on the back. A hieromonk who has accepted the great schema may perform divine services.

A bishop who has taken the vows of the great schema must renounce episcopal power and administration and remain a schema-bearer (schiebishop) until the end of his days.

A deacon (Greek διακονος - a servant) does not have the right to independently perform divine services and church sacraments, he is an assistant to the priest and bishop. A deacon may be elevated to the rank of protodeacon or archdeacon.

The rank of archdeacon is extremely rare. It is held by a deacon who constantly serves with His Holiness the Patriarch, as well as by the deacons of some stavropegial monasteries.

A deacon-monk is called a hierodeacon.

There are also subdeacons who are assistants to bishops, but are not among the clergy (they belong to the lower degrees of the clergy, along with readers and singers).

Presbyter (from the Greek πρεσβυτερος - senior) is a clergyman who has the right to perform church sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of the Priesthood (ordination), that is, the elevation to the holy rank of another person.

In the white clergy - this is a priest, in monasticism - hieromonks. A priest may be elevated to the rank of archpriest and protopresbyter, and a hieromonk to the rank of abbot and archimandrite.

Bishops, also called bishops (from the Greek prefix αρχι - senior, chief), are diocesan and vicar.

The diocesan bishop, by succession of power from the holy Apostles, is the primate of the local Church - the diocese, canonically governing it with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity. He is elected by the Holy Synod. Bishops bear a title that usually includes the names of the two cathedral cities of the diocese.

As needed, to assist the diocesan bishop, the Holy Synod appoints vicar bishops, whose title includes the naming of only one of major cities diocese.

A bishop may be elevated to the rank of archbishop or metropolitan.

After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia, only bishops of certain ancient and large dioceses could be metropolitans and archbishops.

Now the rank of metropolitan, just like the rank of archbishop, is only a reward for the bishop, which makes it possible for even titular metropolitans to appear.

Bishops hallmark of their dignity have a mantle - a long cape fastened at the neck, reminiscent of a monastic mantle. Ahead, on two of her front sides, top and bottom, tablets are sewn - rectangular boards made of fabric. On the upper tablets are usually placed images of evangelists, crosses, seraphim; on the lower tablet on the right side - the letters: e, a, m or P, meaning the rank of bishop - bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch; on the left is the first letter of his name.

Only in the Russian Church does the patriarch wear a green mantle, the metropolitan - blue, archbishops, bishops - lilac or dark red.

During Great Lent, members of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church wear a black robe. The tradition of using colored hierarchal robes in Russia is quite ancient; the image of the first Russian Patriarch Job in a blue metropolitan robe has been preserved.

Archimandrites have a black robe with tablets, but without sacred images and letters denoting rank and name. The tablets of archimandric robes usually have a smooth red field surrounded by gold lace.

During worship, all bishops use a richly decorated staff, called a staff, which is a symbol of spiritual authority over the flock.

Only the Patriarch has the right to enter the temple altar with a rod. The rest of the bishops in front of the royal doors give the baton to the subdeacon-assistant, standing behind the service to the right of the royal doors.

According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2000 by the Jubilee Council of Bishops, a man of the Orthodox confession at the age of at least 30 from monastics or unmarried persons of the white clergy with obligatory tonsure to monasticism can become a bishop.

The tradition of electing bishops from among the monastic ranks developed in Russia already in the pre-Mongolian period. This canonical norm has been preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church to this day, although in a number of Local Orthodox Churches, for example, in the Georgian Church, monasticism is not considered a prerequisite for placing on a bishopric. In the Church of Constantinople, on the contrary, a person who has accepted monasticism cannot become a bishop: there is a provision according to which a person who has renounced the world and taken a vow of obedience cannot lead other people.

All the hierarchs of the Church of Constantinople are not mantle, but cassock monks.

Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church may also be widowed or divorced persons who have accepted monasticism. The candidate to be elected must correspond to the high rank of bishop according to moral character and have a theological background.

The Diocesan Bishop is entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities. He ordains and appoints clerics to their place of service, appoints employees of diocesan institutions, and blesses monastic tonsure. Without his consent, not a single decision of the diocesan administration can be carried out.

In his activities, the bishop is accountable to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The local ruling bishops are authorized representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church before state authorities and administrations.

The Primate Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church is its Primate, bearing the title - His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and all Russia. The Patriarch is accountable to the Local and Bishops' Councils. His name is ascended at divine services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church according to the following formula: "O our Great Lord and Father (name), His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia."

A candidate for the Patriarchate must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, sufficient experience in diocesan administration, be distinguished by adherence to the canonical legal order, enjoy a good reputation and the trust of hierarchs, clergy and people, “have a good witness from outside” (1 Tim. 3, 7) be at least 40 years old.

The dignity of the Patriarch is for life. The Patriarch is entrusted with a wide range of duties related to the care of the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church. The patriarch and diocesan bishops have a stamp and a round seal with their name and title.

According to clause 1U.9 of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia is the diocesan bishop of the Moscow diocese, consisting of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region. In managing this diocese, His Holiness the Patriarch is assisted by the Patriarchal Vicar as a diocesan bishop, with the title of Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna. Territorial boundaries management exercised by the Patriarchal Vicar, are determined by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (at present, the Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna governs the churches and monasteries of the Moscow region, minus the stavropegic ones).

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia is also the Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, a number of other monasteries with a special historical meaning, and governs all church stauropegia (the word stauropegia is derived from the Greek σταυρος - cross and πηγνυμι - erect: the cross established by the Patriarch at the foundation of a temple or monastery in any diocese means their inclusion in the Patriarchal jurisdiction).

[Therefore, His Holiness the Patriarch is called the Hieroabbot of stavropegial monasteries (for example, Valaam). The ruling bishops in relation to their diocesan cloisters may also be called Holy Archimandrites and Holy Patrons.
In general, it should be noted that the prefix "sacred-" is sometimes added to the name of the rank of clergy (priest archimandrite, priest hegumen, priest deacon, priest monk); however, this prefix should not be applied to all, without exception, words denoting a spiritual title, in particular, to words that are already compound (protodeacon, archpriest).]

His Holiness the Patriarch, in accordance with secular ideas, is often called the head of the Church. However, according to Orthodox doctrine, the Head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ; The patriarch is the Primate of the Church, that is, the bishop who prayerfully stands before God for all his flock. Often the Patriarch is also called the First Hierarch or the First Hierarch, since he is the first in honor among other hierarchs equal to him by grace.

What an Orthodox Christian Should Know:

THE MOST NEEDED ABOUT THE ORTHODOX FAITH OF CHRIST
He who calls himself a Christian must, with his entire Christian spirit, fully and without any doubt accept Symbol of faith and truth.
Accordingly, he must know them firmly, because you cannot accept or not accept what you do not know.
Through laziness, ignorance, or unbelief, trampling and rejecting due knowledge Orthodox truths cannot be a Christian.

Symbol of faith

The Symbol of Faith is a brief and accurate statement of all the truths of the Christian faith, compiled and approved on the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils. And whoever does not accept these truths can no longer be an Orthodox Christian.
The entire Creed consists of twelve members, and each of them contains a special truth, or, as they also call it, dogma Orthodox faith.

The creed reads like this:

“Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, and say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you; ()

Sim By His Word Christ gave people a way to test the truth of the Christian faith of everyone who calls himself a believing Christian.

If this Word of Christ or as otherwise stated in Holy Scripture, you question or try to interpret allegorically - you have not yet accepted truth Holy Scripture And you are not yet a Christian.
If, according to your word, the mountains do not move, you have not yet believed enough, and the true Christian faith is not even in your soul. with mustard seed. With very little faith, you can try to move something much smaller than a mountain with your word - a small hillock or a pile of sand. If this fails, you must make many, many efforts to acquire the faith of Christ, while absent in your soul.

By this the true Word of Christ check the Christian faith of your priest, so that he does not turn out to be a seductive servant of the insidious Satan, who does not have the faith of Christ at all and falsely dressed in an Orthodox cassock.

Christ Himself warned people about many false church deceivers:

“Jesus answered and said to them, Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come under my name and say, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many.” (

In the Christian New Testament Church, there are three degrees of priesthood established by the holy Apostles. Bishops occupy the dominant position, followed by presbyters - priests - and deacons. This system repeats the structure of the Old Testament church, where the following degrees existed: high priest, priests and Levites.

Priests to serve the Church of Christ through the sacrament of the priesthood acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. This allows you to perform divine services, manage the affairs of the Church, teach people through the Christian faith a good life and piety.

The highest rank in the Church is bishops receiving the highest degree grace. They are also called bishops - chiefs of priests (that is, priests). Bishops have the right to perform all Sacraments and church services without exception. It is the bishops who have the right not only to celebrate the usual Divine service, but also to ordain (or consecrate) other Orthodox clergy. Also, bishops, unlike other priests, can consecrate myrrh and antimensions.

All bishops are equal to each other in the degree of priesthood, but the most honored, the oldest of them are called archbishops. Metropolitans are called metropolitan bishops - translated into Greek language"capital" will sound like "metropolis". Bishops of the most ancient Christian capitals are called patriarchs. These are the bishops of Jerusalem and Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome.

Sometimes one bishop is assisted by another bishop. The second of the named clergy in this case is called the vicar (viceroy).

The sacred rank after the bishops is occupied priests. In Greek they may be called presbyters or priests. These clergy, with the bishop's blessing, can perform almost all church sacraments and services. However, it is not without exceptions, which are rites that are accessible only to the highest sacred rank - the bishops. Such exceptions, first of all, include the following sacraments: ordination to the dignity, as well as the sacraments of the consecration of antimensions and the world. The Christian community headed by a priest bears the name of his parish.

The most meritorious and worthy priests can be called archpriests, in other words, chief priests, leading priests. The chief archpriest is awarded the title of archpriest.

When a priest is also a monk, he is called hieromonk - priest-monk, translated into modern Russian. Hieromonks who are abbots of monasteries bear the title of abbots. Sometimes a hieromonk can be called abbot regardless of this, simply as an honorary distinction. Archimandrite is an even higher rank than hegumen. The most worthy of the archimandrites may subsequently be elected as bishops.

The lowest, third sacred rank is deacons. This Greek name translates as "servant". When church sacraments or services are celebrated, deacons serve bishops or priests. However, the deacons themselves cannot perform them. The participation or presence of a deacon during the Divine Service is not obligatory. Accordingly, often church services can take place without a deacon.

Individual deacons, the most worthy and merited, receive the title of protodeacon - the first deacon, to put it in modern language.

If a monk receives the rank of deacon, they begin to call him a hierodeacon, of which the archdeacon is the eldest.

In addition to these three sacred ranks, there are other, lower official positions in the Church. These are subdeacons, sextons and psalmists (deacons). Although they are clergymen, however, they can be appointed to office without the sacrament of the Priesthood, but only with the blessing of a bishop.

Psalm Readers Reading and singing are charged with the obligation both during Divine services in the temple and when the priest performs spiritual services in the homes of parishioners.

Ponomari should call the faithful to Divine service by means of a bell ringing. In addition, they are required to light candles in the temple, assist the psalm-readers during singing and reading, serve the censer, and so on.

subdeacons take part only in the service of bishops. They dress the bishop in church vestments, and also hold lamps (which are called dikiriy and trikiriy), giving them to the bishop, who blesses the worshipers.

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 (Orders of the Church) and ranks of the black clergy (Monastic ranks).

CHURCH OFFICERS OR WHITE clergy

CHURCH OFFICES - ALTAR

In the worldly sense lately Church rank The altar boy began to disappear, and instead of him 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. Reader's duties 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, the 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 conduct 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