Most Christian believers are parishioners of one church or another. They do not always think about why the same Russian Orthodox Church and its churches exist. And this is a very important question. There are examples in the Christian world of churches whose independence is not recognized.
These are scammers and they cannot provide spiritual care for their flock. In order not to fall into their hands and remain faithful to canonical Orthodoxy, the believer needs to know what the true Local Church is.
The local church is a branch of the Catholic Church
In theology, there are several definitions of the concept of Local Church. All of them are based on the position that the Christian Church is recognized as one or complete in its essence.
Another definition for this concept is catholicity. The Church is united in its essence, but is divided into a number of local Orthodox Churches.
Christ the Vine True. Icon. Jesus Christ spoke of Himself as a single Vine on which His disciples are branches
The Bible tells us quite a lot about the natural unity of the Church and its plurality.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself speaks of Himself as a single Vine, on which His disciples are branches (John 15.5); the Apostle Paul points to the unity of the Body of Christ and the plurality of its members (1 Cor. 12.27).
These testimonies constitute a body of theological justification for the division of the one Church of Christ into local ones.
Local Council of the Orthodox Russian Church (1917 - 1918). Typically in Orthodoxy, the Local Church refers to an autocephalous Church located on the territory of a province or state.
If we take Orthodox ecclesiology (the science of the nature and properties of the Church), then the concept of a local church is usually referred to as a private (particular) Church located on the territory of a province or state.
In addition, it is also called the autocephalous Church. Quite often this expression is found in theological literature to denote a large church community concentrated in one place or another.
Local Churches as parts of the One Church of Christ
Since its inception, the Christian religion has been actively preached in many countries and peoples. Already in the first centuries, five Local Churches were formed - Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople. The Roman Church eventually subjugated the entire Christian West and left the family of Orthodox Churches. Now it is the Roman Catholic Church, professing the Catholic version of Christianity.
The remaining Local Churches, equal among themselves, continued to follow the dogmas of Orthodoxy. Over time, the number of these Churches increased. Often their borders coincide with the state and administrative borders of the countries on whose territory they historically developed. Their rituals and customs reflect preserved national characteristics.
Currently there are 15 Local Orthodox Churches. All of them are recognized as equal and autocephalous, that is, independent of each other.
In the Orthodox world there is an approved list of Churches, which is called a diptych. In it, Local Churches are ranked according to the “rank of honor” - taking into account their origin, declaration of autocephaly and the significance of the city centers.
The Church of Constantinople is considered senior in honor and first among equal Local Churches. The Russian Orthodox Church is the fifth Local Church in the diptych. According to the order indicated in the diptych, the primates of the Local Churches stand at the throne in the altar during joint services.
All local churches represent one Church of Christ
The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is the One Church. She reveals through herself an integral mystical organism - the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ, having renewed human nature and brought it closer to God, laid the foundation for the creation of the United Church.
The Body of Christ is indivisible by nature. This is why the Christian Church is recognized as the Universal Church.
Holy Apostle Paul. Andrey Rublev. Icon around 1410. Holy Apostle Paul said that the Church is a statement of truth
The Holy Apostle Paul testifies to the unity of the Christian Church. He says that the Church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Just as there is one truth, so the Church of Christ is one.
The One Catholic and Apostolic Church was created by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The unity of Christians is the main condition for the Church to fulfill its purpose: to preach the Word of God and lead people to Christ.
All Local Churches constitute the One Body of Christ through the Eucharist.
Ecumenical Councils, establishing the joint activities of all clergy and resolving the main issues of the Christian faith and dogma, are also evidence that the Christian Church is one.
Moreover, it has the right to bear the name of the Catholic Church because its Mysteries are based on the “Trinitarian Communion.” This is Eucharistic unity because the Eucharist directly includes all the faithful into the One Body of Christ.
His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Each Local Orthodox Church has its own representative
The unity of the church by its nature does not prevent it from being divided into 15 local or autocephalous Orthodox Churches. These churches are not considered opposites to each other; on the contrary, they are identical and separated only territorially.
Each Local Orthodox Church located in one or another administrative territory has its own primate. At the same time, it contains the entirety of the One Ecumenical Orthodox Church.
There are three groups of grounds for dividing into Local Churches
In theology, there are three main groups of grounds for dividing the One Ecumenical Orthodox Church into Local Churches. This:
- Foundations in Holy Scripture. Having founded the Church, Jesus Christ instructed the holy apostles to teach the faith to all nations and to call them into it. Fulfilling his order, the apostles went to different lands to preach the Word of God. Here they founded regional or local Churches, which became part of the One Universal Church. Where one people lived, the Local Church conducted services in their language. In the same place where several peoples lived, a multinational Church was founded. The apostles placed pastors at the head of such Local Churches, giving them the right to govern these Churches.
- Administrative divisions of the Roman Empire. Initially, the basis for the division of Christian Churches was the administrative division of the Roman Empire. Therefore, the first large church regions began to be called by the names of the districts of the empire, and the small ones by the names of the provinces. They were ruled by bishops from large cities.
- Canonical bases of division. They are enshrined in the apostolic rules and rules of the Ecumenical and Local Councils. Thus, the 34th Apostolic Canon clearly allows us to say that Local Churches have administrative independence. The same idea can be found in the 9th rule of the Council of Antioch.
According to him, the affairs of the Local Church are decided by its episcopate, headed by the first bishop. Also, the independence of the Local Churches is confirmed by the 2nd and 6th canons of the Second Ecumenical Council.
At the same time, the rules of the Universal Church protect the inviolability of Local Churches and do not allow interference of one Local Church in the internal affairs of another.
Second Ecumenical Council. Dionysius. Icon. Ferapontov Monastery, Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The Second Ecumenical Council confirmed the independence of the Local Churches
Thus, Local Churches have their own hierarchy and do not depend on each other in terms of their internal structure and governance. After some time, such completely self-governing Churches received the name autocephalous.
The autocephalous Church is understood as that Church which has its own head and governing bodies, independent of other church authorities. This is a completely independent and independent Church.
ExitLOCAL CHURCH
What does a local church mean?
1 Cor. 1, 1 - 3
The Apostle Paul writes to a church located in a certain place on earth. He writes to the church of God located in Corinth. This means that each church located in a certain area can be called a local church. And as many places on the globe where there are Churches of Christ, there are so many local churches on earth.
But what should we understand by the Church of Christ? The Church of Christ is a society of the children of God. And what (are the children of God? We will find the answer to this question in Ev. John, 1, 12: To those who received Him (Christ), to those who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God. Therefore, they are children of God all those who accepted Christ and who believe in Him as God and Savior, uniting together in any locality, they constitute a local church.
But we all know that, in addition to the local church, there is also the universal Church of Christ, called the body of Christ in the New Testament. The Universal Church, the head of which is Christ, consists of the same children of God as the local church, with the only difference that in the universal Church of Christ there is no place for false Christians, no place for the tares with which local churches are often clogged. The will of the Creator of the Church of Jesus Christ is the existence of local churches on earth, whose task is to be lamps shining brightly in the world (Rev. 1:20). Each member of the local church should love and value his church as a great gift from God given to us for our spiritual well-being.
The local church is a spiritual house, built from living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). Living stones are regenerated souls, souls born of water and the Spirit, that is, from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5). Regeneration, being born again, is the first requirement for membership in a local church. Not one dead stone should be found in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only a living church is capable of glorifying Christ on earth and fulfilling His holy covenants.
There are believers who think that it is not necessary to be a member of local churches, but, in their opinion, it is enough to be a member of the universal Church of Christ. But we must know that the Church of Christ was created for the benefit of His redeemed children. Many believers live only by criticizing the shortcomings of the church of which they are members. This spirit of criticism robs them of joy, and they walk around gloomy and dissatisfied. These critics have lost sight of themselves; they have forgotten their own countless shortcomings.
The Church must be helped not with fruitless criticism, but with the hands of love. The Church must be helped by showing in oneself a model and example for everyone, as the apostle says. Paul to Timothy: Be an example to the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Tim. 4:12). All local churches suffer from shortcomings, and there are no perfect churches on earth. The Corinthian Church was also full of shortcomings, and yet the Apostle Paul calls it the Church of God.
Local churches may differ from each other in their characteristics. Each local church has its own characteristics. From this point of view, it will be very useful for us to visit some local churches of the apostolic era.
The very first local church was the church in Jerusalem. She was born on the day of Pentecost. Its characterization is given to us in Acts. Ap. 2, 41 - 47: So those who willingly accepted his word were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added that day; and they continued continually in the teaching of the apostles, in fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayer. There was fear in every soul... yet all the believers were together and had everything in common... and every day they remained with one accord in the temple and, breaking bread from house to house, ate food with joy and simplicity of heart, praising God and being in love with all the people. The Lord daily added those who were being saved to the Church. We read about this same Jerusalem church in Acts. Ap. 4, 32 - 33: The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul... and great grace was upon them all.
Wouldn't we like for all local churches to be like such a blessed church as the church in Jerusalem? But even in that blessed church, not all was well. The composition of the members of this church was not homogeneous, which led to friction between believers. There were two kinds of Christians in the Jerusalem Church: those who believed in Christ from the Palestinian Jews adhered strictly to the Jewish Law; the Hellenic believers considered themselves freer from the Mosaic Law.
These two different views on the Old Testament law subsequently gave rise to great disagreements in the churches of the apostolic times and deprived the great servant of Christ, the Apostle Paul, of sleep. The more pagans turned to Christ, the more burning the question became: do pagan believers need to keep the Mosaic Law or are they free from it? The Jerusalem Church was a church deeply devoted to Christ, but at the same time it did not have a complete break with Judaism, and this was its peculiarity.
But here before us is another local church - the church in the city of Antioch. How did this church come about? We read about its origins in Acts. Ap. 11, 19 - 26: Meanwhile, those who were scattered from the persecution that followed Stephen went as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one except the Jews. Now there were some of them, Cypriots and Cyreneans, who came to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks, preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Rumors about this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they instructed Barnabas to go to Antioch; he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced, and convinced everyone to hold on to the Lord with a sincere heart... Then Barnabas went to Tara to look for Saul and, having found him, brought him to Antioch: for a whole year they gathered in church and taught a considerable number of people, and the disciples in Antioch in for the first time they began to be called Christians.
The Antioch Church is the second most established local church after the Jerusalem Church, and it also has its own characteristics, namely: it consists of Jews and pagans who believed in Christ, which we do not see in the Church of Jerusalem. There is peace in the Antioch Church, although it is a mixed church. But its members are Izellinist Jews and former pagans, and therefore the question of circumcision worries them little. But people come from Jerusalem to this church and tell its members: Unless you are circumcised according to the rite of Moses, you cannot be saved (Acts Apostle 15:1). And the peace in the Antiochian church was brought to an end by these brothers: a great discord occurred.
Finally, we have the local churches of Galatia. Something even worse happened here than in the Antiochian church: the preachers of the Mosaic Law not only brought strife and disagreement into the churches of Galatia, but they distracted them from grace and thereby drew them into false teaching (Gal. 4:9). The Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians enlightened the churches of Galatia and returned them to the right path of salvation. The trust of these churches in the Apostle Paul, shaken by false brothers, was restored, as can be seen from the words of the apostle in 1 Cor. 16:1: When collecting for the saints, do as I prescribed in the churches of Galatia.
Such is life in local churches. Brothers, or even false brothers, come with their own views and concepts and put an end to the world in the church. So it was in the days of the apostles, and so it is today. And only in the Church, which is with the Lord, there are no these stormy disturbances, as we sing: The voice of the earthly storm will not reach the heavenly country, the bright side...
How is a local church born?
Rom. 8, 29 — 30
Where should we begin the history of each local church? Local churches celebrate their anniversaries, that is, the years of their existence. But not all local churches know that their beginnings go back to the very distant past, that is, to the time when the visible world was not yet created by God. We read about this in Ephesus. 1, 4: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
In the eyes of God, the Church of Christ already existed, although there was not yet a single person who believed in Christ. This means that the Church of Christ, before it appeared on earth, was already in the plans of divine foreknowledge and predestination. Even before the creation of the world, God foreknew all people who would, by faith, accept the sacrifice of Christ that He would offer on Calvary. If God foreknew all His redeemed ones, He also foreknew their number.
Those whom He predestined, those He called... Foreknowledge was accomplished in eternity with God in His heavenly glory. The calling takes place on earth, day after day (Acts 2:47). The sinner is called to accept salvation through the Word of God, through the word of the cross, which is the power of God for all those who are saved (1 Cor. 1:18).
The preaching of the Gospel is necessary for the birth of every local church. Ap. speaks about this very clearly. Paul in Rom. 10, 14 - 17: How to believe in Him of whom you have not heard? How to hear without a preacher? And how can we preach if they are not sent? as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of peace, who bring good news. But not everyone obeyed the gospel... So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. This is why the good news of the Gospel is heard in every corner of the earth. This is God's plan for establishing His churches on earth. And those whom He has predestined, He will also call, He will certainly call, for God is faithful in all His promises!
But the good news of the Gospel requires faith from those who hear it, as Christ says: Whoever believes... will be saved; and whoever does not believe will be condemned (Heb. Mark 16:16). The message of Christ acts like a magnet that extracts iron particles from a mass of sawdust. Let us understand correctly: Christ is a divine magnet, Who with irresistible power attracts sinners who thirst for fear to Himself. And He adds all those who came to Him, all who believed in Him, to His Church. This is how His Church is born and multiplied on earth.
This mystery of the birth of the Church cannot be understood without the Word of God and revelation from above. How often do we think that the fate of the Church depends on human efforts, on the abilities of preachers, on methods of spiritual work. Of course, since God’s co-workers are people, and not just sinless angels, the quality of the Lord’s co-workers has its own significance, and we cannot deny this. But at the same time, we must never forget these most important words of Scripture: Whom He foreknew, whom He predestined, them He also called... At the same time, we must always emphasize the word He, He, He! And in the matter of calling a sinner to salvation, primary importance belongs to Christ, and only Christ. This is what should be clear to all of us.
If we want to understand how the Church is born, we must understand how each of its members is born spiritually. The order of being born again is stated very clearly and definitely in the Word of God. This order is: repentance, faith, justification, receiving the Holy Spirit. Let us focus our attention on each of these great manifestations of our inner man.
Repentance is a decisive turn from darkness to light, from (sin to God, from life away from Christ to life with Christ and in Christ. Only such repentance, as a decisive turn in our life, corresponds to the teaching of the Word of God about repentance. Any other repentance is not will be true repentance. An example of true repentance should be the repentance of the prodigal son in the parable of Christ. The prodigal son says: I will arise, go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you... I arose and went to my father. (Heb. Luke 15: 18 - 20). Repentance should be just such a turn from sin to God. Repentance is followed by faith. But here we must make a reservation: we will only talk about the faith necessary for being born again and for our eternal salvation. Such faith is nothing more than looking to Christ and His great sacrifice on Calvary as the only way for our salvation. Such faith gives us a new heart and a new life, gives us the desire to live purely and holy. It is such faith that leads us to what we give our hearts to Christ and begin to live in this world for His glory.
Faith in Jesus Christ as our only Savior, who has redeemed us with His precious Blood, makes us completely justified before God. The question of justification before God was a matter of great controversy in the days of the apostles. It still causes controversy today. The essence of the question is this: is a person justified before God by faith or works, or by faith and works?
It is important for us to know what the Word of God says on this issue. In Romans 5:1 we read: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Seeking justification by works will never give our heart peace, because our works, even the best, are full of imperfections.
Our justification is only in the work of Christ, accomplished by Him on Calvary, that is, in the suffering and death of Christ for us sinners. Only justification in the name of Christ’s sacrifice, in the name of His shed Blood, brings to our hearts the deepest peace that transcends all reason. Let us firmly hold to the principle of justification by faith in the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.
What about things? We value them highly and urge all children of God to have as many of them as possible - but not for justification before God, but for the glorification of Christ, our Savior, in this world (Matt. 5:16).
We have come to the question of receiving the Holy Spirit. And there is a lot of disagreement on this issue. But what does the Word of God say? It speaks very clearly and simply in Galatians. 4, 6: And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father! This means that the Holy Spirit is sent into the heart of every son, every daughter of the Heavenly Father. And we became sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer (John 1:12). Let us have no doubt that the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of every believer.
The task of the Church on earth is to serve everyone
Ev. Mark. 10, 42 - 45
As Christ clearly speaks about one of the tasks of the Church on earth - its task to serve everyone: Whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave of all. At the time when these words were spoken by Christ, in the world of so-called classical antiquity, that is, in Greece, in Rome, terrible contempt for any kind of work reigned.
Christ, speaking about servants and slaves, that is, about the workers of that time, also speaks about princes and nobles, filled with a thirst to dominate and rule. And He does not want His Church on earth to consist of such princes and white-handed nobles.
No, Christ wants His followers on earth to be servants and slaves to all people, and for His Church to be full of the spirit of service. Let us not think that Christ, calling His disciples to be servants and slaves, is somehow defending the slave system that reigned on earth in the days of His life. No, when speaking of those who believe in Him as slaves and servants of humanity, He speaks of their great and honorable task of serving with love to all people on earth. Such service of love to all humanity and to each person individually gives the words servant or slave the most honorable meaning.
And Christ, as an example of a servant and slave to all, sets Himself. He says: For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. We know how the Son of Man, Christ, came to our earth. He left all His heavenly glory and came in the form of a baby to a poor mother on earth. He went through all the stages of our human development and even experienced death on the cross of Calvary. Thus He merged with the human race and became a true member of the human family. That is why He treated every person with such love, looking for in him the image and likeness of the Creator - God. He was ready to serve anyone and everyone, whether it was a boy or a girl who came to Him; be it a scribe or a Pharisee; be it a Roman officer or an unfortunate, rejected leper.
After contemplating such love in Christ, such His desire to help every person, with what sadness, but also shame, we should look at ourselves, at our cold and indifferent attitude towards people, at our merciless condemnation of our neighbors, at our similarities with priest and Levite, who so indifferently passed by the wounded man. After all, the task of the entire Church of Christ on earth and each of its members individually is to imitate Christ in His attitude towards people, in His love for them and in His service to them.
Perhaps we have sometimes wondered why Christ chose the life of a poor man: why Aud became a carpenter in Nazareth and had calloused hands; why He had nothing, not even his own place to sleep, while He brought His love and comfort to thousands; and why did He end His earthly life not with a royal crown, but with a crown of thorns? We must know that He became poor in this way in order to be closer to people and to have more opportunities to serve them.
Once they wanted to make Christ a king (John 6:15), that is, a prince and nobleman, but He chose to remain a servant to everyone. The slogan of His entire life on earth was: to serve, and He served with love
everyone - Jews and pagans, friends and enemies, big and small, rich and poor, learned and simple, righteous Pharisees and despised sinners - publicans. He served in season and out of season, everywhere he went, in cities and villages. Wherever there was a need, His hand was extended there, the hand of love and help. And His death on the cross of Calvary was the work of His greatest ministry, for it reconciled humanity with God.
The task of the Church is to follow in the blessed footsteps of Christ in serving humanity. He wants to make all His followers servants of humanity. Before they can learn to serve all people, Church members must learn to serve one another. After Christ washed the feet of His disciples, He said to them: Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you speak correctly, for I am exactly that. So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet (Ev. John 13: 12 - 14).
To wash one another's feet is to serve one another with love. This means, following the example of Christ, extending a hand of love and help to everyone. This means seeing all the wounded, no matter what they were wounded with, and not only seeing their wounds, but also bandaging them. To wash each other’s feet means to wipe away the tears of those who cry and bring peace to places where there is enmity, quarrels and divisions.
It is for such service to each and every one that we are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And it is precisely in such service to one and all that the giving of our lives for our brothers lies, as the Word of God calls us to this in 1 John. 3, 16: And we must lay down our lives for the brothers. Such Christianity requires constant filling with the spirit of Christ, the spirit of His love, for we are by nature selfish and lovers of living for ourselves, and not for others.
The church where this spirit of Christ lives, the spirit of serving people, will be the best, most blessed church. The Church that weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice will always be a model and example for all other churches on earth. A church that seeks to always bring comfort, joy and happiness to the world around it will itself be a church filled with joy and exultation, and, of course, such a church will be rich in blessings from above.
Great is the task of the Church of Christ on earth. But, alas, she often forgets about her tasks and gets busy arguing about secondary issues. Or she lives only by her traditions and rituals and is satisfied with her orthodoxy. No, the Church of Christ must truly be the Body of Christ, that is, live His life, His love and walk with Him, just as our body walks with our head. But we see something else in the life of the Church of Christ on earth, namely: the church lags behind its Head - Christ. The Head, Christ, is beautiful, but His Body, the Church, is so ugly, so wretched, so full of shortcomings that dishonor His name in our world!
Let us be like our Lord Jesus Christ in everything, including in serving all people!
The task of the Church is the ministry of the Good Samaritan
Ev. Onion. 10, 25 – 37
A certain man... fell among robbers... In Palestine at the time of Christ there were many robbers, and the reason for this was that King Herod the Great deprived, as history says, forty thousand people of the right to work, many of whom became robbers. As a result, almost all roads in Palestine became dangerous, and the road that connected Jerusalem with Jericho became especially dangerous. Perhaps the reason for this was that in Jericho, on the one hand, lived a significant number of priests and Levites, and on the other hand, there was a chief of publicans, that is, tax collectors, and on the Jerusalem-Jericho road there could always be a publican with money .
Christ says: A certain man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho and was caught by robbers... This was one of many tragic cases in Palestine, and especially difficult ones. Christ says in His parable: The robbers stripped the man of his clothes, wounded him and... left him barely alive.
Let us listen to what Christ says next: By chance, a certain priest was walking along that road and, seeing him, passed by. The priest was walking to Jerusalem - and suddenly in front of him was a man covered with wounds. But the priest hurries to the temple... a solemn service awaits him. There, in the temple, there will be hundreds of people, and here, along the road, there is one - it’s true, in need of help, but he only has wounds of the body, and there, in the temple, there may be wounds of the soul, so it is more important to be at the service than to do this unhappy person. And Christ says: The priest... passed by.
After the priest, a Levite walks along the same road; the Levites were singers in the temple, which means he was a choir member. His thoughts are also occupied with the upcoming service in the temple: after all, thanks to the participation of the Levitical choir, the services in the Jerusalem temple were especially solemn. And he has no time - he is in a hurry for an important matter. Christ says: The Levite... approached, looked (at the wounded man) and passed by. Singing was more important to him than helping a wounded, dying man, and he leaves the sufferer to bleed.
Let us delve into what Christ is telling us today. He places before us a temple, that is, a house of prayer; He sets before us worship in this temple; priest, that is, preacher; Levite, that is, choir, singing. This is on the one hand, and on the other hand, Christ shows us the road, as if the road of life, and on it there is a man with wounds. But what Christ especially wants to emphasize and what He especially wants to draw our attention to is the indifference of the servants of God in the person of the priest and the Levite to human wounds.
In his parable about the wounded man, Christ wants to tell us about one of the very large and important tasks of the Church on earth, about one very valuable, but often forgotten service, namely: the service of the Good Samaritan. In order for us to understand the essence of this ministry, we need to understand what wounds Christ wants to point out to us. We all know that on our earth there are wounds of two kinds: physical wounds and mental wounds. For bodily wounds, in our time there is first-class medical care, with the best art of desmurgy, that is, the art of dressing wounds. But excellent medical care does not exclude the need for every person to know the rules of first aid, and no doctor will blame for the correct provision of first aid before his arrival.
But the Church of Christ should be especially concerned with other wounds—spiritual wounds, heart wounds, and there are infinitely many of them all around. The road of life is crowded with wounded hearts. Wounds are caused by various life circumstances; but woe to us if we only know how to talk about the wounds of human hearts. I saw the following illustration in one magazine: a man is lying, wounded by no one knows who or what. A group of people leaned over him. One of them is a philosopher who talks about the structure of the human soul and how it perceives suffering.
Another in the group is a lawyer; he discusses the gravity of the crime committed against the unfortunate man, and the article of law under which he is obliged; would be punished.
The third is a psychologist; he began to wonder whether this man was mentally ill, and whether he had inflicted these wounds on himself. But the majority of the crowd surrounding this man in trouble are simply curious, of which there are always many on such occasions. Some of them sigh, others express their compassion... But then a girl makes her way through the crowd with a sanitary bag, on which a red reet was depicted. She will be in a hurry to help the unfortunate man. And with this wonderful illustration I read an equally wonderful inscription: Give way to the Ambulance!
Here is a picture of the Church of Christ on earth: there are many in it philosophizing, many in it discussing the causes of the suffering of this or that person, many groaning and aahing over a wounded and crying heart. But there are few in the Church of Merciful Samaritans. There are so many words, and very beautiful words, but so few deeds of love! Christ authoritatively calls His Church on earth to the ministry of the Good Samaritan.
What is this glorious service? Christ says: The Samaritan... approached (the wounded man), bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine... And then brought him to the inn, that is, to a safe refuge. In his mercy, he does not stop halfway, as happens with us, but brings the work of love to the end.
We all meet heartbroken people. But we are so similar to the priest and Levite in Christ’s parable. We see the task of the Church in the services of the house of worship, in sermons and chants. But dealing with the wounds of human souls is a service that attracts us little.
We often want to love Christ without loving our neighbors; we want to admire the beauty of Christ, and yet we are so inattentive to the wounds of the hearts of our neighbors. But Christ wants to correct us. He wants to make all His disciples and disciples on earth merciful Samaritans.
He Himself carried out this wonderful ministry. The entire earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ is the healing of human wounds. That is why He calls all His followers to this service.
Oh, if His Church on earth consisted of good and merciful Samaritans, attentive to the wounds of human hearts! Oh, that the Church of Christ would understand that its duty is not only to preach the Gospel, but also to bind up the wounds of human souls!
To heal the wounds of human hearts, you need to know the Word of God! A kind human word can do a lot; but the true medicine is the Word of God. The Word of God is a universal divine remedy that has the power to heal all the countless wounds of the human soul. The Bible is truly a panacea, an all-healing remedy, but we must know it, its glory must be in our hearts, - only then can we carry out the ministry of the Good Samaritan.
The purpose of the local church is to show Christ to the world
Ev. Mark. 5, 18 — 20
There are people in the world who thirst for Christ and people who are indifferent to Christ. As an example of people thirsting for Christ, we can take the Greeks who came to Jerusalem for the Easter holiday. Let's read about these Hellenes in Ev. John 12, 20 - 21: Of those who came to worship on the holiday, there were some Greeks. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying: Master! we want to see Jesus. There is a great celebration in Jerusalem: the people celebrate their biggest holiday - Easter. Solemn services are held in the temple.
But among these celebrations, the Hellenes who came to the holiday are looking for something else. They ask people: Don't you know Jesus? Can't you tell us where He is now? Where could we find Him? Finally, someone pointed out to them Philip as one of Christ’s disciples. And these souls, thirsty for Khrist, turned to Philip with the words: Master! we want to see Jesus.
We must never forget about the people who are hungry for Christ. They were, are and will be on our land. This thirst for Christ can appear in the hearts of people dressed in Greek cloaks, that is, where it is difficult to imagine the possibility of such a thirst, as we see among the Hellenes, who were looking for the quiet Christ in noisy Jerusalem. One could rather assume such a thirst for Christ in the hearts of the priests who performed solemn services in the temple. But, alas, the priests, on the contrary, could be a model of indifference to Christ.
By the way, we often complain about people’s indifference to Christ. But it seems to me that there would be less indifference to Christ on earth if Christians were at the height of their Christianity. What we call indifference to Christ is rather the indifference of people to our pitiful Christianity, to our dry formal words about Christ, to our spiritually empty and dead services. But how can there be indifference to Christ in all His beauty? Is it possible to remain indifferent when you find yourself among wonderful roses with their enchanting scent? Our Christ is the daffodil of Sarov (Song of Songs 2:1), and it is difficult to remain indifferent, looking at His beauty.
Now we will understand the task of the local church: to show Christ to the world and show Him in all His inexpressible beauty! It is to fulfill this highest task that the Church was sent into the world by Christ! Christ says to the Father: As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world (Heb. John 17, 18). Christ was sent into the world to reveal to the world God the Father in His infinite love, power and wisdom, as stated in Heb. John 1, 18: No one has ever seen God: the only begotten Son... revealed (Him). And now we, who love Christ, have been sent into the world to show Christ to people. What a great task and who is capable of performing it?!
Where can people see Christ? First of all, of course, in the pages of the Holy Bible. In the stories about Christ of the Old and New Testaments! There are many names in the Bible - the list of them would be very long, but just as there were six people on the Mount of Transfiguration, but five of them seemed to disappear so that only Christ was visible - so for those who long to see Christ, all the personalities of the Bible seem to disappear and remain Christ alone. Yes, the Bible reveals Christ to the world, but who has the opportunity to read it and who reads it in such a way as to truly see Christ in it? The task of every local church is to show Christ to the world in its sermons and songs.
We have come to a very important question, namely: what place does Christ have in the sermons and songs of our local churches? In other words: it is not the number of meetings that matters, but their quality. If preaching in our churches is to reveal Christ to the hearers, then how important it is that every sermon be a living message of Christ. Oh, if only our sermons were like the sermons of the Apostle Paul, in which Christ was portrayed as living and active. Such sermons about Christ were heard from the lips of St. Paul to the Galatian churches, and in these sermons to the Galatians a wonderful image of Christ was really outlined, so one can be surprised how, after such sermons, the chambers could deviate from the truth (Gal. 3:1).
There was a preacher whose sermons were so full of Christ that the listeners, leaving the house of worship, saw nothing and no one but Christ. Let us listen to the impression of one listener of this preacher after he heard one of his sermons: I left the house of worship, and Christ stood before me; I had to turn back, and there I saw Christ; I looked to the right - and there was Christ; I looked to the left - and there was Christ. Now it will become clear to us what it means to preach Christ to people.
But our hymns should also show Christ to people. Our spiritual hymns must also be full of Christ! And then each of our gospel songs will reveal Christ to the world. But let us not only expect from the sermon the glorification of Christ and the good news about Him. Let us not forget that the local church does not consist only of preachers. Most church members are not preachers, but all of God's children are ambassadors of Christ in this world.
We read about the demonic Aryan demon: When He (Christ) entered the boat, the demoniac asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus did not allow him, but said: go home to your people and tell them what the Lord has done to you and how he has had mercy on you. What a wonderful desire the healed demoniac had: not to be separated from Christ! But Christ did not allow him to leave his land. And why? Christ left the Gadarene land at the request of its inhabitants. But instead of Him, the healed demoniac had to remain; and the task of the former demoniac was great and responsible: to live in the Gadarene land and show its inhabitants the departed Christ. What must have been the life of this demoniac among the people around him for Christ to be revealed to them!
Christ left our land, but left us, His disciples, in His place. And the task of each of us believers is very great: to show Christ to people, and not only in words of testimony about Him, but also in our behavior and character. We love the song Wonderful Lake of Gennesaret with clear crystal water, you reflected Christ of Nazareth, His whole living image... But in this song there are words that well show our true spiritual state: Why is it not clear that He is reflected in us... Christ is poorly visible in us ?
In our houses of worship there can be heard wonderful sermons and hymns in which Christ is so clearly visible; and at the same time, in the lives of individual members of the church outside the meetinghouse, very little of Christ may be visible. How then can the churches of Christ on earth fulfill their most sacred task - to show Christ to people?
The independence of Local Orthodox Churches has its limits
It must be remembered that autocephaly, or the independence of the Local Orthodox Churches as parts of the One Ecumenical Church of Christ, has its limits. It directly depends on the field of activity that is typical for them.
There are 2 provisions common to all Local Orthodox Churches.
As for the general provisions, for the Local Churches these are:
- Dogmatic teaching. Jesus Christ brought the truth of Orthodox doctrine to earth. That is why His Church is endowed with the right to preserve, express and interpret God-revealed truth, which should not change the essence of faith and truth.
- Canonical teaching. It follows from the doctrinal foundations. It includes: the apostolic canons, the canons of the Ecumenical Councils, the canons of ten Local Councils, the canons of the holy fathers. At the same time, you need to know that dogmas are not recognized as canons. That is why each Local Orthodox Church, while maintaining the unity of dogmatic teaching, issues its own laws. They are aimed at determining its structure and control.
Video: On May 2, 2013, on Thursday of Holy Week, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
During the service, the Primate of the Russian Church performed the rite of consecration of the world. Patriarch Kirill is shown in it as the primate of the Local Orthodox Church, sanctifying the World.
Thus, it can be noted that the canons are aimed at preserving the unity of the Local Churches in matters of faith and dogma. In the administrative sphere they give them complete freedom of action.
This is expressed in the fact that Local Orthodox Churches are free to question their worship. Such freedom is expressed in the canonization of saints, the consecration of the Holy World for oneself, etc.
Poloznev D.F. Church court in Russia in the 17th century. Each Local Church has the privilege of its own church court
In addition, the court of each Local Church is independent. Local Churches can convene their Local Councils. The privilege of each Local Church is the opportunity to initiate the convening of an Ecumenical Council.
Russian Orthodox Church: history from the Baptism of Rus' to Peter I
The Kiev Metropolis was formed by the Church of Constantinople immediately after the Baptism of Rus in 988. After the destruction of Kyiv by the Mongols in the 13th century, the see of the Metropolitan of Kyiv was moved to Moscow. A new round in the history of the Russian Church began in 1448 after the convening of the first Moscow Council. At it, the Russian hierarchs independently (without the intervention of the Church of Constantinople) decided to elect the Ryazan Bishop Jonah as the primate of the Russian Church. The reason was that the Patriarchate of Constantinople concluded the Ferraro-Florentine Union (1438-1445) with Rome. This step meant the death of the Byzantine Empire as a stronghold of Orthodoxy.
In 1589-1593, Moscow metropolitans received the right to be called patriarchs. The Russian Church became independent in governance from other Local Orthodox Churches.
In the mid-17th century, a split occurred in the Russian Orthodox Church due to the church reforms carried out by Patriarch Nikon (1605-1681). Believers who did not recognize these reforms were declared heretics. This is how various Old Believer (schismatic) movements arose.
Synodal period
In 1700, Tsar Peter I prohibited the election of a patriarch. Church-wide governance was carried out by the Spiritual College, which was later renamed the Holy Governing Synod. The actual administration of the Church belonged to the emperor. Church institutions received their contents from the state treasury.
In 1764, Empress Catherine II closed many monasteries, which were mostly empty. The state seized part of the church property for its own benefit.
During the First World War (1914-1918), the Russian Orthodox Church actively provided assistance to the army and navy. Many monasteries opened hospitals for the wounded and shelters for orphans of dead soldiers.
By this time, many problems had accumulated in the internal church life. It was necessary to change the existing Synodal management system. The question arose about the revival of the patriarchate.
Revival of the Patriarchate and the Soviet period
In August 1917, the All-Russian Local Council was held in Moscow, which decided to revive the Russian patriarchate. Metropolitan Tikhon (Bellavin) of Moscow was elected Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, after his death in 1925, the Soviet authorities did their best to prevent the election of a new primate of the Church. This is how a locum tenens (that is, temporarily acting) of the patriarchal throne appeared in the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodoxy suffered severe trials in the 20-30s of the last century. The policy of the state was to destroy Orthodoxy as a religion. A large number of clergy and believers were shot or exiled to camps. In 1937-1938 alone, 46,820 “ministers of religious cults” were arrested. All religious education was prohibited.
The situation changed somewhat during the Great Patriotic War. With the permission of Stalin, a Council was held in 1943, which elected the Primate of the Church, Sergius of Stragorodsky. In 1944-1947, with the knowledge of the authorities, 1,270 Orthodox churches were opened throughout the country.
In 1965, there were 16 operating in the USSR (in 1914 there were 1025). With the beginning of the Perestroika era (mid-1980s), the state's attitude towards the Russian Orthodox Church began to change. Many former church buildings began to be returned to the use of dioceses. So, in 1988, there were 8,500 active parishes in 76 dioceses throughout the USSR.
Russian Orthodox Church in our time
Today, the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate extends beyond the state borders of Russia. Parishes and dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church are registered in many countries around the world. The largest denominations in terms of the number of believers are in five countries: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Latvia.
The Belarusian Exarchate (Belarusian Orthodox Church) is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. An exarchate (from the Greek “ἔξαρχος” - “external power”) is a large church region located outside the country. Her viceroy is located outside the metropolis. The election of the head of the exarchate is carried out by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and is appointed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
The Churches of Latvia, Estonia and Moldova have their own authorities and primates, whose candidates are approved by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Decision-making on the establishment of dioceses, defining their boundaries and electing bishops in self-governing Churches is also carried out by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (abbreviated UOC-MP) has the right of broad autonomy in the Russian Orthodox Church. It has its own primate and Charter, subject to approval by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
The Russian Orthodox Church includes the Japanese and Chinese Autonomous Churches.
Autocephaly and autonomy are not the same thing
Often studying materials about Local Churches, one can come across terms such as autocephaly and autonomy. The right to found a new autocephalous Church is available only to a church organization that has the highest ecclesiastical authority.
Today, such power belongs to the episcopate of the entire Church or to the episcopate of a separate already existing autocephalous Church.
Certificate of the Council of Constantinople on the granting of autocephaly to the Russian Church. Autocephaly can only be granted by the episcopate of the entire Church or by the episcopate of a separate already existing autocephalous Church.
Thus, the new Church is granted autocephaly:
- Ecumenical Council. This is a very rare occurrence in the history of the Church.
- The will of the episcopate or the Local Council of an already existing Church that has autocephaly.
This is the most common method of obtaining autocephaly in history. At the same time, it is necessary to remember that the Local Council can either provide it for part of its church or abolish it.
There are exceptional cases of granting temporary autocephaly by individual bishops.
There are exceptional cases when individual bishops can grant temporary autocephaly to a Church that already has it without the permission of such a Church. This usually applies to cases where the central authority of such a Church deviates into heresy or when it breaks away from the Mother Church.
Autocephaly is not granted if the part of the Church claiming it is under the jurisdiction of another Autocephalous Church. To obtain autocephaly, there must be at least three bishops.
Council of the Japanese Clergy 1882. The Autonomous Orthodox Church of Japan is part of the Moscow Patriarchate and is completely dependent on it
The term “autonomy” is borrowed from civil law and is not recognized by the church. Autonomy is self-government within the framework of the already existing Autocephalous Church.
The Autonomous Church elects the head of the Church at its Local Council, but he will have to be approved by the Patriarch of the Autocephalous Church.
And for the rest, such a Church is completely dependent on the Mother Church, but it manages its internal life independently. It does not have apostolic succession.
SECTION I. THE PHENOMENON OF LOCAL CHURCHES IN ORTHODOXY. STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL CHURCHES
Thus, the rules of the Universal Church protect the inviolability of local Churches and do not allow one local Church to interfere in the internal affairs of another.
In early Christian times, local Churches, having their own hierarchy, did not depend on each other in terms of their internal structure and governance. Over time, such independent Churches began to be called autocephalous.
An autocephalous Church is a Church that has its own primate, its own governing bodies, independent of other authorities. In other words, it is an independent, self-governing Church [1].
Autocephaly (independence) of local Orthodox Churches as parts of the One Ecumenical Church of Christ is not absolute, but depends on the nature of their spheres of activity. Therefore, let us consider what is common, unified, connecting for all local Churches, and in what local Churches can be independent.
What is common (common) for all local Churches is:
1. Dogmatic teaching. Christ the Savior brought the truth of Orthodox doctrine to earth. Hence, it is the Church who has the right to sacredly preserve, express and interpret the revealed truth, without in any way changing the essence of faith and truth;
2. Canonical teaching, arising from the fundamentals of the faith. The area of canonical teaching includes: the apostolic rules, the rules of the Ecumenical Councils, the rules of the ten Local Councils and the rules of the holy fathers.
At the same time, the canons are not dogmas. Consequently, each local Orthodox Church, without violating the single dogmatic teaching, can issue its own laws in determining its structure and governance (for example, these are the Statutes (Regulations) of local Orthodox Churches).
Demanding complete unity in matters of faith and dogma, the canons provide local Churches with complete freedom in the administrative sphere. The independence of local Churches is expressed in the following:
1. Churches are free in the sphere of worship (in the consecration of the Holy Myra for themselves, in the canonization of their saints, in the composition and introduction of new hymns, etc.);
2. Local Churches have complete independence in the area of justice;
3. Local Churches have the right to convene their own Councils (Local Councils);
4. Each local Church can initiate the convening of an Ecumenical Council.
Granting autocephaly
Only such a church organization that has supreme power has the right to found a new autocephalous Church. Currently, such power is exercised by the episcopate of the entire Orthodox Church or the episcopate of a separate existing autocephalous Church.
According to church canonical norms, autocephaly of any new Church can be granted by the three highest church administrative authorities:
— Ecumenical Council (but an Ecumenical Council is an extremely rare phenomenon in the history of the Church);
— Historically, it turned out that the traditional factor in the proclamation of autocephaly was the will of the episcopate (Local Council) of the already existing autocephalous Church. Moreover, the Local Council of any existing autocephalous Church can not only grant autocephaly to part of its Church, but also abolish it;
- in exceptional cases, individual bishops have the right to grant temporary autocephaly to part of any existing autocephalous Church without a decision of this autocephalous Church. There are two such cases: 1) if the central power of the kyriarchal Church (i.e. the Church from which some of the bishops separated) deviated into heresy (15th rule of the Double Council); 2) if this part of the Church for some reason turns out to be completely separated from the Mother Church, or when the central authority of the kyriarchal Church is inactive (37th rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council). At the same time, in order for temporary autocephaly to become permanent, consent to this is necessary from the kyriarchal Church.
No Church has the right to grant autocephaly to any part of the Church (for example, an ecclesiastical region) that is under the jurisdiction of another autocephalous Church. Otherwise, this will constitute anti-canonical interference in the internal affairs of the autocephalous Church under whose jurisdiction this part of the Church (ecclesiastical region) is located.
According to the 12th rule of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the state (secular power in general) does not have the right to proclaim church autocephaly.
It should be noted that autocephaly is given only to that Church that has grown to independent life and has the internal capabilities to exist independently of other church authorities.
Historically, the essence of the autocephaly of the Church lies in the fact that both its first bishop and others must be elected and ordained by the council of their bishops, and not by bishops of other Churches. In order to ordain a bishop, at least two bishops are required (1st Apostolic Canon). Consequently, for the autocephaly of the Church there must be at least three bishops.
As for the criteria for autocephaly (i.e., the legality of the administrative-territorial separation of one Church from another), then, taking into account the historical experience of the development of Churches, two such criteria can be distinguished. Firstly, the desire to create an independent Church can always be traced in an independent state, i.e. the political independence of the state determines church independence within its framework. A striking example of such a process can be seen in the events of church life in Ukraine in the early 1990s. in connection with the formation of the sovereign Republic of Ukraine. Secondly, every people that has a national identity and its own culture strives to have its own independent Church. It was on this basis that autocephalous Orthodox Churches arose in a number of Balkan states (Greece, Serbia, Romania).
But in fact, the Church may not consider either state or national principles obligatory for itself, and is often guided by only one motive - the good of the Church. Therefore, in order to receive autocephaly, the Church must not only have a sufficient number of pastors and flocks, but also have the unanimous opinion of its entirety (both clergy and laity) that the declaration of autocephaly is required for the benefit of the Church itself and will be a condition for its more successful development.
The concept of church autonomy
The term “autonomy” entered the church lexicon from civil law. In secular law, this term denoted a local organization that has the right to self-government within the boundaries of the fundamental provisions (constitution) of the state.
An autonomous Church is a Church that independently elects a primate at its Local Council with his subsequent approval by the Patriarch of the autocephalous Church within which the autonomous Church exists. Archpriest V. Tsypin defines an autonomous Church as a local one, “possessing very broad, but not complete independence” [2].
The dependence of the autonomous Church on the autocephalous one is manifested in the fact that the daughter Church (i.e., the autonomous Church) must take from its mother Church the St. chrism, submit to her judgment, turn to her for resolution of the most important issues of church life. The Autonomous Church receives from the Mother Church a Charter that defines the boundaries of its competence. The Charter indicates the obligation of the first bishop of the Autonomous Church or all its bishops to remember the name of the Primate of the Mother Church, which is an expression of the dependence of the Autonomous Church. Within its borders, the autonomous Church itself controls its own internal life.
Unlike an autocephalous Church, an autonomous Church does not have its own independent chain of apostolic succession, since its first bishop or all bishops receive consecration from the Mother Church. Therefore, an autonomous Church is not required to have a certain minimum number of bishops. An autonomous Church can be a metropolitan district, a separate diocese, a parish community, or even a monastery.
Currently, the autonomous Churches are Finnish, Cretan (subordinate to the Orthodox Church of Constantinople), Japanese (subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church). An autonomous Church, represented by one monastery, is currently the Sinai Monastery of St. Great Martyr Catherine, dependent on the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Church receives canonical autonomy only from the Mother Church, of which it continues to remain a part.
Test questions and assignments
1. What are the grounds for the division into Local Churches in Orthodoxy?
2. Define the concept of “autocephalous church.”
3. What is common to all local Orthodox Churches?
4. What is the independence of autocephalous churches?
5. How does an autonomous church differ from an autocephalous one? What are the characteristics of an autonomous church?
Bibliography
Bessonov M. N.
Orthodoxy today. M., 1990.
Local Orthodox Churches: Sat. M., 2004.
Skurat K. E.
History of Local Orthodox Churches: Textbook. In 2 vols. M., 1994.
Tsypin V., prot.
Church autocephaly // Orthodox Encyclopedia. T. 1. M., 2000. P. 199 – 202.
Tsypin V., prot.
Autonomous Church // Orthodox Encyclopedia. T. 1. M., 2000. S. 203 – 204.
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The hierarchy of local churches is generated by apostolic succession
After Jesus Christ established the Church, he sent the holy apostles to preach his faith to different nations. Over time, the number of Christians increased and therefore the apostles themselves could no longer participate in the life of the communities.
In order for their local life to continue, they began to appoint spiritual leaders of Christian communities - elders - from among the converts. And over those who decided to devote themselves to serving God, they performed a special prayer (ordination), calling upon them the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Video: On June 9, 2013, the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was led by the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Ambrose of Peterhof.
After the Great Entrance, Bishop Ambrose ordained a 4th-year undergraduate student, Deacon Konstantin Aristov, to the rank of presbyter, and at the end of the Eucharistic canon, he performed diaconal ordination over a 2nd-year master’s student of the Central Educational Institution, subdeacon Kirill Dashevsky.
At 14 seconds, the commentator says that ordination is possible only on the basis of receiving the Gifts of Grace.
As a result, a three-tier hierarchy of clergy emerged. It consists of deacons (auxiliary ministers, assistant presbyters), presbyters and bishops, who occupy a dominant position, representing the highest spiritual authority.
Bishops are charged with instructing the people in the faith, performing divine services, and governing the Church.
For ordination to the rank of bishop, a minimum of 2 bishops is required.
To effect consecration to the rank of archbishop, three or two bishops are required. One bishopric was under the authority of one bishop. Large Christian communities created in the administrative centers of the Roman Empire began to be called metropolises.
Their bishops were called metropolitans. Priests and believers of one diocese formed Small Local Churches.
Hierarchical ladder of the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Local Orthodox Churches have a similar structure
Local Orthodox Churches grew out of Small Local Churches. The largest church regions were headed by Patriarchs. This happened in the 5th century. The canonical territories of the Patriarchates began to be divided into diocenzas.
At the same time, bishops began to submit to the metropolitans, and metropolitans to the Patriarchs. In many Local Churches such a hierarchy has been preserved to this day.
The title of Ecumenical Patriarchs was appropriated to themselves by the First Hierarchs of Constantinople
In the 6th century (under Holy Patriarch Menas, 536 - 552) the First Hierarchs of Constantinople acquired the title of Ecumenical Patriarchs. In 691-692 the Council of Trullci took place. He adopted the 36th rule, which established the “order of honor” of the first five Patriarchates: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch.
After the Western Church fell away, their number was reduced to four. Later they were joined by the primates of other Local Orthodox Churches.
Composition of Local Orthodox Churches as of 2016
The position of each Local Orthodox Church is determined on the basis of a diptych - a list in which the First Hierarchs of the Churches are indicated by the importance of their departments. Changes cannot occur in the order of the hierarchy, since it depends on the time of receipt of autocephaly by the Local Orthodox Church.
Currently, the Ecumenical Orthodox Church includes nine Patriarchates, six Autocephalous and three Autonomous Churches. The fifth place in the diptych since the 16th century has been occupied by the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
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What is the ROC?
The largest number of believers among the Local Orthodox Churches is the Russian Orthodox Church (abbreviated as ROC, another name is the Moscow Patriarchate). Until the 20th century, it was also called the “Russian Orthodox Church”, “Greek-Eastern Russian Church”, “Greek-Russian Church” and so on. It is important for every Orthodox Christian to know what the Russian Orthodox Church is.
St. Basil's Cathedral is the most famous temple of Russian Orthodoxy
“Studying the history of the Russian Church helps us, firstly, to remain in the Church, to be faithful to its Tradition; secondly, to live in the Church, that is, to grow spiritually ourselves, and also to teach the people of God.
There is always interest in the object of love, you want to know more and in more detail about it. If we love our Church, then we will study its history not out of duty, but out of love” (hieromonk Tikhon Vasiliev).
