Metropolitan Hilarion focuses on the mystery of holy ordination, of which there are several ranks, and its history. Three basic sacred rites exist in Orthodoxy: the deaconate or servers, the priesthood, or the presbyters (elders), and the bishops who overseer a local church. There are a handful of other important ordinations also discussed in this chapter. One of the major criteria for determining if a church is authentic or apostolic in succession is to look at its ordination history from the Old Testament through the successive Church.
The Jewish people practiced the “laying on of hands” (Gen.48, Num.27, Deut. 34, Num. 8). The Orthodox Church has been fulfilling this covenant as “a gesture of healing” and it is how the Holy Spirit is imparted to holy men who are given the power to heal, pray, and forgive sins as we learned in the previous chapter. Like a procession, God the Father sent His Son and His Holy Spirit, and He sent his disciples as apostles, and the apostles sent priests, bishops, deacons to us in the Church for our benefit. This spiritual power isn’t bought or sold like a company. Holy ordination isn’t exactly like the worldly institutions that many people criticize. One of the earliest forms of ordination was mentioned in the Apostolic Tradition by Hippolytus of Rome who said that they were “elected by all the people.” The laity were involved as well as other positions of responsibility in the Church. It continues, “when his candidacy has been declared and accepted by all, he must come to the church on a Sunday together with the attending bishops and presbyters.” Because the Church operates out of love, consensus and agreement are key marks of expressing unity, while maintaining that there still exists a level of seniority that is wise to observe to maintain order – another expression of spiritual unity and love. It’s popular in some conservative circles to say that “the Church is monarchy, not a democracy.” But the Church operates in the system of the mysteries. Worldly rulers use fear and ideology; they use rationalism or individual sentiments. The situation wasn’t exactly an absolute monarchy since the candidates for ordination are also “named and approved” by “the whole people.” Then, the assembly would give their agreement to the candidate for ordination. The laity’s amen was required at that time and that was the situation in the 4th c. AD.
Metropolitan Hilarion points out that the prayers of the Church read by the holy orders speak of the Holy Spirit coming to purify, give the next generation of hierarchs “exact knowledge of things” and unity with the brother of bishops. The Holy Spirit comes in the Orthodox Church to fulfill authority to heal, forgive, power to change, to fulfill unity of mankind, and to rule over the evil creatures. He mentions that the priesthood is a divine calling, not that someone approaches “by one’s own favor.” Holy ordination is a divine institution of the ministry of opposing the oppressing forces of evil. The brotherhood of the clergy is a ministry that is based on love for each other and the people.
There are other appointed ranks such as reader and subdeacon. The reader is the keeper of “sacred books and lighting oil lamps.” This rank was usually put in charge of teaching and catechetical functions, and the bishop appointed him also with the cheirotonia (the laying on of hands). So, the liturgical functions and responsibilities as well as the history of the hierarchy in Orthodoxy isn’t merely passed on by books, by word of mouth, or empty customs but by the physical touch of hands and the power of the Holy Spirit comes, which ought to cause Pentecostals and transcendentalists intense envy because of the confidence and blessings we have in such divine rites. What’s the reason for hierarchy? At the ordination of the rank of bishop, the pray read, “… the Grace Divine, which always health that which is infirm, and supplieth that which is wanting …” If God doesn’t act directly through our actions in faith, who could rightly claim to have the truth? The Holy Spirit gives us the abilities and endurance we need to accomplish our pilgrimage to paradise. The rite of tonsure is done to ordain a reader, and it’s a sign of spiritual service. Another rank that literally means “service” in Greek is the deaconate. Like the bishops and priests, deacons too are ordained inside the altar. Their ordination takes one of the greatest mysteries of the Church – holy marriage. They become “betrothed to the Church” and they become Christ’s bride. Men are called to love and serve first the women in integrity, fidelity, dedication, and martyrdom. This is the love of the apostles and of Christ. So, all authority is ministry, all of this is founded on the rock of Christ and His sacrifice.
There is a “naming rite” in the ordination of bishop and presbyter as well as a hierarchical oath that is taken that harken to a time when the people used to be more involved in elections. This naming is important because it tied a bishop to a specific city that is also named. Every church is linked to a city or place of habitation. That is another wise gift from the Holy Trinity that each bishop has its own area of service and focuses on ministering to one’s own people to avoid disunity and strife, but also so that each place can receive the attention and care that they need with some level of human stability to gain spiritual nourishment. The Holy Spirit is again intimately involved in the ordination of the clergy. The prayers of ordination read, “Blessed are thou, … sending down upon them thy Holy Spirit, and thereby catching the universe as in a net.” The Orthodox Church fulfills the Old Testament promise that all nations will be gathered under God’s blessings and that the confusion of tongues will be reversed by calling all nations to unity under one the authority of the Church through the bishops’ inter-communal love. The hierarchy of the Orthodox Church transmits the mysteries to the world, and it’s an office and ministry that is like the soul of the world who loves the body of the world. Many today in our culture search for transcendence. Some call it more traditionally mother earth, the world soul, and scientists are now calling it the universal mind or consciousness. Orthodox Christians and the clergy are the mind, heart, and body of the Holy Spirit working in the world toward a new creation. The incarnation makes ordination supernatural every time it happens. The next mystery to be discussed that takes hands on application is called Holy Unction that can heal the pain and the penitent of heart in these times.