Holy Orders
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The term Holy Orders comes from the Latin Ordo (order) and the word Holy referring to the church. Historically, an order refers to an established civil body or organization with a hierarchy. Thus the term Holy order refers to a group with a hierarchy that is engaged in Ministry in the church. In this article however, the term is referring more specifically to the Holy Order as a Holy Sacrament/Mystery instituted by Jesus Christ as a tenet of faith of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church.
Members of Holy Orders, the appointed and ordained leaders of their religious communities hold the power to make their respective religious communities thrive or founder. They are charged, by virtue of their offices, with the responsibility to lead the members of their communities of faith in the right direction, toward God, toward mutual service and prosperity, toward spiritual health.
Origin
He appointed twelve, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14-15, TNIV
Early in his ministry, Jesus Christ called several individuals, most of them fishermen, to follow him and be his disciples, and they came to be known as the twelve Apostles. These were his assistants and close aides. They were even given the authority to perform miracles, such as casting out demons as Jesus did. Before leaving this world, Jesus sent them to spread his gospel throughout the world, to make new disciples (John 20:21) and to be his representatives on earth. As the Apostles started their mission, the need to get help and assistant and even to nurture successors arose. They needed to ordain new converts. The ordination ritual was characterized by the laying of hands on the appointee (Acts 6:1-7). According to the theory of Apostolic succession, that ritual of appointing successors and assistants is the key element of the legitimacy of the Holy Order of each church. As a member of the Holy Order, one must be ordained by someone who was himself ordained. The chain of ordination links each member of the Order back in a direct line of succession to one of the Apostle. Thus, there exist a historical and spiritual connection between each member of the Holy Order, the Apostles, and the Christ.
The effect of being ordained
Being ordained in the Holy order allows one to partake in special grace as God’s minister and to receive spiritual power. That power conferred at ordination is permanent and cannot be revoked, in contrast to the power given to office holders such as archbishops or deans that is revoked immediately when the person leaves office. In the Roman Catholic church, it is a doctrine of a sacramental nature.
The hierarchy
Three levels are widely recognized as member of the Holy Order,
Members of the Holy orders are divided into three levels, the order of Bishop, the order of Priest and the order of Deacon. The Bishop occupies the highest rank and is said to have the 'fullness of the order'. He is followed in the hierarchy by the priest, also known as presbyter. The lowest in the hierarchy, bearing the mission of servant is the Deacon. These three levels are described as the major orders in the Catholics and Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church recognizes another group of orders known as the minor orders. Minor orders are composed of the Reader and the Subdeacon.
Who can be ordained
To be ordained, an individual should have feel a vocation to serve for the sake of God’s honor and the sanctification of service. Generally however, appointment to the Holy orders is reserved for seminary graduates. In the Roman Catholic Church, the seminarian is often ordained as a deacon in his final year. Those who intend to continue and seek ordination as priests are referred as "transitional deacons." In the Orthodox Church, before entering the seminary, students are tonsured as Readers, and may later be ordained as Deacons or Subdeacons. In the Anglican Church, ordination as Deacons is given after graduation from the theological college. It is important to note that as the elder and leader of the church, the Bishop has the last say in any ordination and often will make further inquiries about a candidate's life to ascertain his moral, intellectual and physical fitness.
The Priest
The word "Priest" is a translation of a derivation of the Latin sacerdos, meaning sacrifice. The priesthood is a sacrificial ministry and the priest is the official celebrant of the Eucharist, a rite following the commandment of Jesus at the Last Supper, “Do this in remembrance of me.” In ancient Israel, priests were chosen among the tribe of Levi. They were the ones in charge of the altar and the temple. However, the central priests who were allowed to offer sacrifices, and instruct the people about the laws of Moses were male descendant from the line of Aaron. This structure the priesthood in Israel continued until the destruction of Jerusalem, in 70 C.E., almost 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. From that time, the position of priest disappeared from Israel and Judaism. According to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, the Christians are the priests of the new Israel. This interpretation extends to the Roman Catholics who indicate that while all Christians are priests, the one who are ordained, in the position of successor to the Apostles and as stewards of the Church have a higher status of priesthood and thus receive special grace. Starting from the third century, the term priest was applied to bishops who were the celebrants of the Eucharist. In the fourth century, the term was given to presbyters because of their newly granted new authority to officiate the Eucharistic. In the Catholic Church, priests hold only slightly less authority than Bishops, and may confer all the sacraments except the sacrament ordaining persons with Holy orders. In the Orthodox Church, the Priest serve at the direction of the Bishop who may confer to the priests, the authority to minister in his diocese, or withdraw it, as he desires.
The Bishop
According to the tradition of Apostolic succession, the order of bishop has its root in apostolic times. Apostles appointed their successors as bishops through prayer and the laying of hands, giving them the apostolic authority and priority of rank. The Bishop holds the fullness of the order and can administer all of the sacrament/mysteries. Bishops have the power to ordain Priests and Deacons. Under ordinary circumstances, the ordination of a Bishop is usually officiated by three other Bishops; only in some exceptional circumstances can a Bishop be ordained by a single Bishop. A Bishop is ordained for leadership, and has the spirit of governance. He is the Chief priest, ruler and teacher of one or a number of churches, usually in a specific geographic area. In the Roman Catholic and the Anglican Church, this area is called diocese and the place the Bishop is officiating from is called a cathedral. In the Orthodox Church, a Bishop governs over an autocephalous (independent) Church.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18-19, TNIV
The Petrine doctrine, based on Matthew 16:18-19 and other Biblical references, is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic church, which holds since Peter was appointed by Christ as the head of the church, and then martyred in Rome, that the seat of the church from that time on remained in Rome. On this basis, the Roman Catholics argue that the Bishop of Rome, as the official spiritual successor of Peter, is the head of the church. The Bishop of Rome has the title of Pope, the head of the Roman Catholics Church. However, in the Orthodox Church as well as the Anglican Church, all Bishops are equals and patriarchs or synods of Bishops exercise only an “oversight of care” among the body of coequal Bishops. It is also interesting to note that while Bishops are appointed by the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church, in the Orthodox and Anglican Communions, they are elected. The Anglican Church of England however, the Bishops are appointed by the reigning monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The Deacon
From Christian tradition, the order of deacon started when the apostles ordained seven men to wait on them at table (Acts 6 1-7). Deacons serve as assistants to the bishop and the minister of service. In the early days, this meant taking care of the property of the diocese, a function that was terminated during the middle ages. In the Roman Catholic church, the liturgical function of the deacon consists in helping and serving the celebrant. Many protestant churches have deacons as lay officers with no sacramental or liturgical functions.
Holy orders and women
In some traditions women may theoretically be ordained to the same orders as men. In others women are restricted from certain offices. The Church of England (in the Anglican Communion), for example, does not permit the consecration of women as bishops, though the Episcopal Church USA (the United States denomination that is part of the Anglican Communion) does. In some denominations women can be ordained as elders or deacons. Some denominations allow for the ordination of women for certain religious orders. Within certain traditions, such as the Anglican and Lutheran, there is a diversity of theology and practice regarding ordination of women. The Roman Catholic Church, in accordance with its understanding of the theological tradition on the issue, and the definitive clarification of the issue found in the encyclical letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (1994) written by Pope John Paul II in 1994, officially teaches that it has no authority to ordain women as priests and thus there is no possibility of female priests at any time in the future.
Holy orders and Marriage
Historically the issue of marriage was a matter of personnel choice. As exemplified by the letters of St. Paul, that choice is personal. Celibacy is not a sacrament, and St. Peter was recorded as doing his mission along with his wife. Roman Catholics, in the council Vatican II restated the position of the Church on the issue of marriage for the priest and bishop. Celibacy was not demanded by the early Church and “It permanently exhorts all those who have received the priesthood and marriage to persevere in their holy vocation “. However, the Roman Catholic Church commends ecclesiastical celibacy. This turned into a requirement after the early time of the Latin Church, a requirement that is still practiced by the Priests and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. In the Orthodox Church, marriage is allowed to members of the Deaconate and Priesthood before they are ordained. However Bishops are required to live in celibacy.
See also
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Campbell, Dennis M. The yoke of obedience: the meaning of ordination in Methodism. United Methodist studies. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988. ISBN 9780687466603
- Oden, Thomas C. Pastoral theology: essentials of ministry. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983. ISBN 9780060663537
- Willimon, William H. Calling & character: virtues of the ordained life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000. ISBN 9780687090334
- Willimon, William H. Pastor: the theology and practice of ordained ministry. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002. ISBN 9780687045327
External links
- Old Catholic Vocations Website. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
- Priesthood - Catholic Sacrament of Holy Orders - Ordination. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
- Vatican II Council. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
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