О лицах, совершающих богослужения

The Lord God Himself appointed special persons to perform church services. Persons appointed to perform divine services were dedicated for this purpose; in the Old Testament, by command of God, church services were performed by the high priest, the priest and the Levites. The Lord God indicated to Moses how the dedication of the Levites should be carried out (Num. 8:5 et seq.), priests (Ex. 29:1, etc.), and the high priest (Lev. ch. 8; Exod. ch. 29). When people who were not called and were not dedicated to perform church services decided to perform it themselves, then they angered God and were punished. Thus, when two hundred and fifty Jews rebelled along with Korah, Dathan and Abiron and, not being ordained priests, took censers and wanted to perform divine services in front of the tabernacle, then for this they were struck by fire that fell from heaven (Num. ch. 16). Also, King Uzziah, who wanted to do the work of the priests in the church, was punished for this with leprosy, from which he later died (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). In the New Testament, the apostles were chosen by the Lord and received from Him the command to teach the people, perform the sacraments, govern the Church (Matthew 28:18, 19; John 20:21, etc.) and then were dedicated to this work of service, on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of the Lord, by the outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit on them in the form of tongues of fire (Acts 2:1–4). The Apostles communicated the grace of the Holy Spirit they received through the laying on of hands to the persons they had chosen, and commanded these successors to pass on, through the sacramental laying on of hands, the grace they received to subsequent chosen persons (Tit. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:22). Thus the will of our Lord Jesus Christ is being fulfilled and will be fulfilled until the end of the century. The Lord said to the apostles: “Go and teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit... and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19:20). The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until it comes” (1 Cor. 11:26) - and inspired persons who are not dedicated to performing church services not to dare to perform it. The apostle wrote: “Food for all the apostles, food for all the prophets, food for all the teachers (1 Cor. 12:29). No one accepts honor to himself, but he who is called of God, as Aaron was (Heb. 5:4).” And since the times of the apostles, there have been three degrees of priesthood for the performance of church services - bishop (bishop), priest (priest, presbyter), deacon. Consecration to all these degrees since the time of the apostles has been accomplished through episcopal ordination (ordination). The apostles, through the laying on of hands, ordained deacons (Acts 6:6), ordained elders (Acts 14:23) and bishops (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). The bishop is the main celebrant and performer of the sacraments. Only he has the power to perform the sacrament of the priesthood, to consecrate the chrism and antimension. The priest performs the sacraments and church services in general, depending on the bishop, who allows and can prohibit the priest from serving. The priest anoints with myrrh, already consecrated by the bishop; during the consecration of the church, performed by the priest, he places on the altar the antimension, already consecrated by the bishop. The bishop and the priest are the imparters of the gifts of grace, therefore they bless people. The bishop blesses with one hand, with two hands, with a dikiri and trikiri, having a staff in his hand. The priest blesses with one hand. The deacon is not given the right to perform the sacraments and therefore to bless the people. He serves at the sacraments. Among all bishops, all priests, all deacons, there are seniors and juniors, there are special ones who are honored with a special honor, title over others, there are those who have a special duty, a special right, a special position in government, there are superiors and there are subordinates. Hence, in the degree of bishop there is the title of bishop, vicar, archbishop, exarch, metropolitan, and in the east, patriarch; in the degree of priest there is the title of priest, archpriest, protopresbyter, abbot, archimandrite; in the degree of deacon there is the title of protodeacon, archdeacon. In monasticism there is the title of hieromonk, hierodeacon. But according to the priesthood, according to the message of God's grace, all patriarchs, all metropolitans, and exarchs, archbishops, bishops are equal to each other. Likewise, by grace, protopresbyters, archpriests, priests, etc. are equal to each other. During church services, the so-called clergy take part - the priest, the reader, the singer. All their duties can be performed by one person. When serving as a bishop, the rank of clergyman is a subdeacon. Clergymen are also consecrated by the bishop.