The word "clear" comes from the Greek for "lot." In Christianity, this is what the clergy was called. That is, the community of parish clergy. Their appearance, duties and norms of behavior are regulated by the rules of the Ecumenical Councils.
Who are the clerics
In the broadest sense, clerics means the clergy. In accordance with the rules in force in the church, they are ordained to serve in it. In a narrow sense, a cleric is any cleric of the church. That is, those who directly perform worship. These include deacons, readers, bell ringers, sextons, chanters, and priests. The exception is bishops and church officials in certain church institutions.
The Orthodox Church distinguishes between higher and lower clerics. The first are clergy in general. The second are the clergy. The priesthood is ordained at the altar. Ordination or ordination means the conferring of the rights to perform the ordinances and rites. The bishop gives the lower clergy this right. Ordination in this case takes place in the temple outside the altar. This is called chirotesia.
In the early period of the formation of the church, the apostles enjoyed the greatest authority. It was then that the modern church hierarchy was created. To become a clergyman, it was necessary to be ordained. That is, the performance of the sacrament of joining the community of priests. Only baptized males are now accepted into the clergy. Although there are cases when women became priests. At the same time, they were forbidden to serve inside the temple. There are also age restrictions. For deacons the minimum age is 25, for a subdeacon - 20, and for a presbyter - 30. Even children from eight years old are accepted as readers, and children from three years old are accepted as singers.
Duties and rules of conduct for clerics
The position of a cleric implies certain responsibilities. They are associated with both church service and norms of behavior.
The cleric must be distinguished by a high degree of morality. On pain of excommunication, they are prohibited from drinking and gambling. It is also unacceptable to hold public office and carry out military service. It is forbidden to marry a second time in case of widowhood. Of course, their marriage must be monogamous.
Trade, especially alcohol, is also prohibited. Any entrepreneurial activity is not encouraged at all. Representatives of the church are prohibited from any activity related to the shedding of animal or human blood, including hunting. For the same reason, clerics cannot practice medicine, especially in the field of surgery.
In Byzantium, clerics who voluntarily resigned from themselves were deprived of many civil rights. According to the rule of the Council of Chalcedon, they could even be subject to anathema. In the 19th century in Russia, by a decree of the Synod, this was allowed only in exceptional cases. For example, when a priest became a widower at a young age. In this case, he could enter the civil service only after a certain time: a deacon after 6 years, and a presbyter after 10.
