How has the appointment of certain persons for the sacred hierarchy been performed since Apostolic times?
It is performed through the sacred rite of the laying on of hands, called in Greek "cheirotonia."
From where is it evident that the right to sacred ministry was conferred through the laying on of hands?
This is evident from the actions of the holy Apostles, which have come down unchanged to our days.
The Apostle Timothy was appointed bishop "with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (i.e., of bishops) (1 Tim. 4:14). The Apostle Paul also took part in this sacred rite, which he reminds the Apostle Timothy of: "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6).
Furthermore, when the Apostle Paul instructs Bishop Timothy to appoint presbyters, he indicates that this sacred rite of appointment is performed with the laying on of hands: "Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins" (1 Tim. 5:22).
Finally, from the book of Acts, it is evident that by the sacred rite of appointment to the work of sacred ministry in some cities of Asia Minor, the Apostles joined many believers to the Church, "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed" (Acts 14:23; cf. v. 21-22).
How many degrees of sacred ministry were and are in the Church from the days of the Apostles?
There were and are three: episcopal, presbyteral, and diaconal.
Where in the Word of God are these three degrees mentioned?
Bishops and deacons are mentioned in 1 Timothy, chapter 3.
Presbyters, i.e., priests, are mentioned in Acts 14:23 and in the epistle to Titus (Titus 1:5). The Apostle Paul writes that he should "appoint elders in every city."
How is the appointment of bishops performed?
A bishop is consecrated by several bishops. For example, Bishop Timothy was appointed "with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. 4:14), that is, with the laying on of hands of bishops, and as the Fathers of the Church interpreted (e.g., St. John Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others). The Apostolic Canon 1 reads: "Let a bishop be ordained by two or three bishops."
How are presbyters and deacons ordained?
They are ordained by one bishop.
Thus, the Apostle Paul writes to Bishop Titus that he should appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5). And here are the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy: "Do not lay hands on anyone hastily" (1 Tim. 5:22); therefore, Bishop Timothy individually ordained presbyters.
And Apostolic Canon 2 says: "Let a presbyter and a deacon and the rest of the clergy be ordained by one bishop."
Is the sacred hierarchy not a human invention?
No, it is not from men, but from God. He (Christ) "Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12). And in 1 Corinthians we read: "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers" (1 Cor. 12:28-29).
Also, in the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul, addressing the Ephesian presbyters, says: "the Holy Spirit has made you overseers" (Acts 20:17-28).
Is self-appointed assumption of the duties of Church sacred ministry permissible?
It is completely impermissible. No one can become a bishop, presbyter, deacon, or teacher by himself, because "no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was" (Heb. 5:4).
And to the Apostles the Lord said: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you" (John 15:16).
Do lay Christians have the right to appoint anyone to the duties of Church sacred ministry?
No, they do not, because this right belongs only to lawful bishops, as grace-filled successors of the Apostles.
Bishop Timothy was not appointed by laymen, but "with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. 4:14). The Apostle Paul entrusted the ordination of presbyters to the same Bishop Timothy—his disciple, not to laymen (1 Tim. 5:22).
Likewise, on the island of Crete, to appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5), it was Bishop Titus, by the command of the Apostle Paul, who was to do so, not the Cretan lay Christians. And the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, having gained disciples through their preaching in the cities of Asia Minor—Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe—themselves ordained elders for them, and did not entrust this to the believers (Acts 14:23).
Do sectarians have a lawful sacred hierarchy?
They do not, because they are all self-appointed.
The Pashkovites (Evangelicals) completely reject the sacred hierarchy, while Baptists and Adventists accept self-appointed presbyters.
How do they justify their self-appointment?
They claim that the first Jerusalem lay Christians themselves appointed deacons for themselves (Acts 6).
Is this judgment of the sectarians well-founded?
No, it is not well-founded, and first of all because in the 6th chapter of Acts it speaks "not of the third degree of church sacred ministry"—the diaconate, but "of deacons—persons who were entrusted with the administration of the common needs of the community gathered there."³ Then, one must keep in mind that the Apostles, to avoid disorders, commanded the Jerusalem Christians to choose "from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:2-3, 6). When the Christians chose the seven, "they set them before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them." It was not laymen, as the sectarians falsely reason, but "the Apostles appointed" the chosen persons to the service. So often among us, especially in the Edinoverie parishes, the parishioners elect, and the bishop ordains the chosen to the priestly or diaconal rank, if he deems them worthy.
Can sectarians really never have a true sacred hierarchy?
No, sectarians, if they do not unite with the Orthodox Church, cannot have a true sacred hierarchy, because the sects appeared recently, and the sacred hierarchy must proceed uninterruptedly from the days of the Apostles. That the priesthood in the Church of Christ is continuous is evident from the words of the Savior to the holy Apostles and their successors: "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).
Therefore, the Apostle Paul also says: "But He (Christ), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood" (Heb. 7:24).
The New Testament priesthood is called unchangeable in contrast to the Old Testament Aaronic priesthood, which ended on the day of the creation of the Church of Christ.
What should we think of sectarians who deny the significance of the successive priesthood and arrogate to themselves free leadership in prayer and sacred rites?
To them apply the reproofs of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Jude, directed against dreamers who "despise authority and speak evil of dignitaries. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah" (Jude 1:8, 11; cf. 2 Pet. 2:10).
Can the true priesthood, proceeding from the days of the Apostles, really never be interrupted or destroyed, and therefore never require the re-establishment of the sacred hierarchy in the Church of Christ?
No, the true sacred hierarchy is not only continuous, but also indestructible, invincible, and will exist until the very end of time.
1. The Savior Himself said to the Apostles and their lawful successors: "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).
2. The Savior also said: "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house" (Matt. 12:29). The Strong One is the Almighty Christ, the Head of the Church; His house is the Church (1 Tim. 3:15); and the goods in the house are all that is in the Church of Christ, that is: the true grace-filled sacred hierarchy, the grace-filled sacred rites, and so on.
Therefore, to overcome and destroy the church sacred hierarchy of Christ, one must first bind Christ Himself—the Strong One—and this can never be achieved, even by the entire demonic kingdom, headed by satan. The demonic minions—sectarians—will not destroy the true sacred hierarchy either.
1. The Holy Spirit abides continuously with the Church's sacred hierarchy, for the word of the Savior to the holy Apostles and their successors is not false: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit does not and will not allow the entire sacred hierarchy to fall into error.
2. And the Apostle speaks of the invincibility of the priesthood: "But He (Christ), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood" (Heb. 7:24); and this unchangeable priesthood of Christ in the earthly, militant Church was manifested, is manifested, and will be manifested until the end of the age in the person of faithful clergy.
For what purpose did Christ establish the sacred hierarchy in the Church?
The Apostle says that "Christ the Savior Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints (Christians) for the work of ministry, for the edifying (i.e., building up) of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. 4:11-16).
Thus, those in sacred authority teach believers the truths of God, impart to them Divine grace, and govern them, and by all this, lead believers to perfection.
From where is it evident that the teaching office in the Church belongs to those in sacred authority?
Christ the Savior said not to all believers, but only to the Apostles and their successors: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:16, 19-20).
"To the eleven themselves" and their successors, and not to all Christians, the Lord said: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:14-15), "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20).
For preaching and teaching, the Lord Himself appointed special persons (i.e., ordained that there be special persons): "He Himself gave some to be apostles... some pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11).
How then do sectarians say that all of them and, in general, all people have a command and the right to preach from the Lord?
Sectarians speak thus out of delusion, and they are deluded out of envy towards those holding sacred authority in the Church who have the right to preach and teach.
The Apostle Paul does not think as the sectarians do. He asks: "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?" (1 Cor. 12:29).
To preach and teach, one must have the right and authority: "And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:15). "No man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was" (Heb. 5:4).
And the sectarians, having taken up the work of preaching which is not theirs, are more guilty than the ancient self-willed ones—Korah, Dathan, and Abiram with their associates (Num. 16:10).
From where is it evident that only those in sacred authority were entrusted with performing the sacred rites?
The Lord, sending the Apostles to preach, entrusted only them and their substitutes and successors with performing the sacred rite of baptism (Matt. 28:19).
Thus, indeed, it was (Acts 8:38; 1 Cor. 1:14, 16; Acts 10:48). Furthermore, only the Apostles conferred the Holy Spirit on the baptized, while ordinary believers could not do this. And "Simon," it is said in the book of Acts, "saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 8:18-19), but was condemned for this. And the sectarians have themselves arrogated this right and prove themselves more guilty than Simon, because the latter wanted to buy the right for money, while the sectarians have dared, as it were, to steal the right to perform sacred rites from those holding sacred authority in the Church.
Further, the Apostle James says that for the performance of the Sacrament of Holy Unction, one must call for "the elders of the church" (James 5:14).
Those in sacred authority preside in the Church (1 Thess. 5:12) and perform the Sacrament of the Eucharist, i.e., the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ (Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11:24-25).
What especially high sacred work has been entrusted by the Lord to those in sacred authority—bishops and presbyters?
They have been entrusted by the Lord with the right to forgive the sins of believers. The Savior said to the Apostles and their successors: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18). On another occasion, after His resurrection from the dead, the Lord, appearing to the Apostles, breathed on them and said to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).
How is this command of the Savior fulfilled among the sectarians?
It is not fulfilled at all. No one forgives them their sins. So they die, the unfortunate ones, with their sins.
From where is it evident that the right to govern the Church belongs to those in sacred authority?
The Savior Himself said to the Apostles and their successors that they should teach believers "to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20).
And the Apostle Paul thus spoke to the presbyters of the Ephesian Church about their duty to govern believers: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God" (Acts 20:28).
He who shepherds the flock, of course, governs it. Also, the Apostle Peter exhorts the shepherds to shepherd the flock of God, and says to the believers: "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders" (1 Pet. 5:1-5). To Bishop Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives the commission to govern the Ephesian Church, teaching him by epistle "how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).
How should all relate to those in sacred authority?
Must all believers submit to the authority of those holding sacred authority?
Yes, this was required by the Apostle Peter: "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders" (1 Pet. 5:5). And the Apostle Paul writes: "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account" (Heb. 13:17).
And the Savior, concerning obedience to those in sacred authority, directly said: "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me" (Luke 10:16).
What should be done with those who do not wish to obey those holding sacred authority in the Church?
Such persons, by the command of Christ, should be cast out of the Church. "And if he refuses to hear the church," says the Savior, "let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector" (Matt. 18:17).
To whom is the right to cast out of the Church given?
This right was given to the Apostles and their successors—the bishops.
From where is this evident?
This is evident from the very life of the Church of Christ. Grave, unrepentant sinners were excommunicated from the Church by the Apostle Paul.
For what sins is excommunication from the Church permissible?
For perverting the God-delivered teaching of the Church and for grave sins against morality.
Are there examples in Holy Scripture of excommunication from the Church for perverting its teaching?
Yes. The Apostle Paul excommunicated many for this. "Some," the Apostle writes, "having suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith... of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to satan that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Tim. 1:19-20). And such must certainly be cast out of the Church, otherwise "their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some" (2 Tim. 2:17-18).
Who, according to Holy Scripture, was excommunicated for immorality?
The Corinthian incestuous man was excommunicated by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 5).
What was the casting out of the Church called?
It is called anathematization, that is, excommunication from the community of Christ—the Church.
From where is this word "anathematization" taken?
From Holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul says that whoever "perverts the gospel of Christ, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:6-9).
Do the bishops of the Church of Christ excommunicate in our days?
They do. Thus they anathematized Leo Tolstoy, the "brothers" Ivan Koloskov and Dmitry Grigoriev in Moscow, and also many of those who turned aside into the heresy of Baptism, Adventism, Latinism (Catholicism), and others.
Why are not all drunkards and fornicators cast out of the Church among us, since the Apostle Paul wrote "not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person" (1 Cor. 5:11)?
All drunkards are not cast out among us because the Apostle also did not cast out all grave sinners, but only the incestuous man, and that only until his repentance (2 Cor. 2:7). Many of the Christians of the Corinthian Church got drunk at the love feasts (1 Cor. 11:21), yet the Apostle did not excommunicate them, but only did not praise them (v. 22). So now, the Church of Christ neither praises nor approves anyone for sins, commanding all Orthodox thus: "Depart from evil and do good" (Ps. 34:14), and good Christians depart, e.g., from drunken and debauched associations.
Do laymen have the right to excommunicate from the Church?
No one has the right to excommunicate from the Church except those in sacred authority.
How should one relate to those in sacred authority in the Church?
The Apostle Paul writes: "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake" (1 Thess. 5:12-13).
How do sectarians relate to the true (i.e., Orthodox) Christian sacred hierarchy?
They revile the Christian, Orthodox priesthood, slander it, mock it.
What end will they have from the Lord for this mockery?
The Lord has determined "to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries" (2 Pet. 2:9-10).
And the Apostle Jude says that, as Sodom and Gomorrah perished, "so also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries" (Jude 1:7-8).
What to say when sectarians, in their revilings against the true Christian sacred hierarchy, justify themselves by saying that our shepherds have certain human shortcomings?
One should point to the example of the Apostle Paul.
The Jewish High Priest Ananias was a very unworthy man and unlawfully commanded the Apostle Paul to be struck on the mouth. The Apostle Paul called him a "whitewashed wall," but when he learned of his high priestly dignity, he said: "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people'" (Acts 23:1-5). Therefore, no one lawfully holding sacred authority in the Church may be reviled.
Can it be proven to sectarians that our sacred hierarchy is true and lawful?
It can, because the true priesthood must proceed continuously and successively from the holy Apostles, and such is our, Orthodox, priesthood.
Does our priesthood indeed proceed continuously from the holy Apostles?
In the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic (Orthodox) Church of Christ, there are lists of bishops proceeding uninterruptedly from the holy Apostles. At the end of this chapter, such a list of bishops of the Russian and Greek Church is appended for the assurance of all in the continuity of our priesthood from the days of the Apostles.
How, then, do sectarians explain their non-recognition of the Orthodox sacred hierarchy?
The sectarians say that our shepherds are sinful, and therefore they do not recognize them.
What answer should be given to sectarians for this?
It must be explained to the proud sectarians that there are no sinless people in the world, because, as the Apostle James says, "we all stumble in many things" (James 3:2).
Also, the Apostle John writes: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Of course, it would be gratifying if our priests were holy angels, but the Lord has ordained that His grace in the Church He created should operate even through sinful people.
Do the sins of shepherds destroy the grace of the priesthood?
No, they do not, because if grace were destroyed by sins, then there would be no lawful priesthood at all, since there is not a single sinless person. Judas was, according to the Evangelist's testimony, a thief (John 12:6), yet the Lord also sent him to preach, and he performed miracles in the Lord's name (Matt. 10:1-4). The Apostles Paul and Barnabas had a sharp dispute between themselves (Acts 15:37-41), yet for this sin they were not deprived of the grace of the priesthood.
The Apostles Peter and Barnabas "played the hypocrite, and when the Apostle Paul saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel," he reproved Peter. Yet the sinning Apostles Peter and Barnabas were not deprived of the grace of the priesthood (Gal. 2:9-14).
It is also known that many shepherds contemporary with the Apostle Paul were covetous; therefore, sending Bishop Timothy to the Philippians, he says: "For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:20-21). Yet the shepherds of that time, suffering from the ailment of covetousness, were not deprived of the grace of the priesthood.
Our shepherds are not deprived of the grace of the priesthood for having human shortcomings either.
What other accusations do sectarians bring against the shepherds?
Sectarians accuse the shepherds of taking payment for performing rites.
Is this accusation well-founded?
No, it is not well-founded, because remuneration for performing rites has always existed in Christianity.
Christ the Savior and the Apostles had a "money box," and donors "put" their offerings into it (John 12:6). Also, many women served Christ the Savior with their possessions (Luke 8:3).
And the Apostle Paul taught thus: "Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches" (Gal. 6:6). Elsewhere he writes: "My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we have no right to eat and drink?... Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.'⁴ Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:3-4, 6-14).
How do sectarians justify their lack of a pastorate?
Sectarians usually refer to the words of the Apostle Peter to Christians: "you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people..." (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; similar passage from Rev. 1:6).
What should be said to sectarians for this self-justification?
What was said in the epistle of the Apostle Peter and in Revelation was said also to the Old Testament Israelites (Ex. 19:6); but the words of the book of Exodus in no way abolished the Old Testament priesthood. True, there were even then people like our sectarians who wanted to abolish the Levitical priesthood established by God. These were Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their 250 associates. They had in mind the Lord's words to the Israelites about the universal holiness of the chosen people, and said to Moses and Aaron: "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" And for this opposition, "the ground split apart... and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly... And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense" (Num. 16:3, 32-33, 35. Read the whole chapter about this). The Lord punished the ancient rebels against the sacred hierarchy immediately, but has reserved ours "under punishment for the day of judgment" (2 Pet. 2:9).
How can it be proven to sectarians that they are deluded when they reject the true shepherds?
If the sectarians, in their rejection of shepherds, refer to (1 Pet. 2:5, 9), then they should be made to read the same epistle, chapter 5 from verse 1, where the Apostle Peter writes to Christians: "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away" (1 Pet. 5:1-4). If shepherds existed in the time of the Apostle Peter, then they should exist among us as well, and the sectarians, having rejected the shepherds, do not belong to the flock of Christ.
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[List of Bishops – extensive chronological lists from Apostle Andrew to 1903 are included here in the original, omitted for brevity in this translation, as they are primarily lists of names and dates.]
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