|
Ordination,
means "to set in place" or "to select by the outreached
hand," It is extended specifically to bishops,
presbyters (priests) and deacons, and generally to all
through Holy Baptism. In His ministry Christ ordained or "set
in place" the Twelve, assuring them,
"You did not
choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John
15:16).
Bishop
When Judas had
fallen away and the disciples were considering his successor, Peter
said, "Let another take his office" (Gr. Episkopen, lit.
"Bishopric"; Acts 1:20). This bishopric was given to Matthias
(Acts 1:26). The apostles - these first bishops - in turn ordained
presbyters and deacons.
Presbyter
The word presbyter
derives from Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), the
comparative form of πρέσβυς (presbus), "elder"
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local
Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos (which
has now come to mean bishop). In modern usage, it is distinct
from bishop and synonymous with priest, pastor,
elder, or minister in various Christian denominations.
Pastor
The usage of pastor
comes from the symbolism Shepherd and Sheep being fed in a
pasture. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word רעה
(ra’ah)
is used. The word is used 173 times and can describe the feeding of
sheep as in Genesis 29:7 or the spiritual feeding of human beings as
in Jeremiah 3:15, "And I will give you pastors according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" .
In five New Testament
passages though, the words are refer to any of the church workers
from Apostles to people who help in the ministry.
-
John 21:16 - Jesus told
Peter: "Feed [shepherd] my sheep"
-
Acts 20:17 - the
Apostle Paul summons the
elders or presbyters of the
church in Ephesus to give a last
discourse to them; in the process, in Acts 20:28, he tells them
that the Holy Spirit has made
them bishops, and that their job is to shepherd the
flock of God among them.
-
1 Corinthians 9:7 - Paul
says, of himself and the apostles: "Who feedeth [shepherds] a
flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"
-
Ephesians 4:11 - Paul wrote
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastor(s) and teachers"
-
1 Peter 5:1-2 - Peter tells
the elders among his readers that they are to, "Feed
[shepherd] the flock of God which is among you..."
Deacon
The
word deacon (and deaconess) is probably derived from
the Greek word diakonos (διάκονος), which is a standard
ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiting-man," "minister" or
"messenger.
1 Timothy 3:8-13
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to
much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the
faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved;
then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful
in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling
their children and their own houses well. For they that have used
the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree,
and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Bible mentions the first deacons
through the election of
seven men, to assist in serving the tables and other the
charitable work of the early church is recorded in Acts 6.
Stephen was the
first Christian martyr (the "protomartyr") and Philip was a
powerful the Evangelist, whose baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch is
recounted in Acts 8:26-40;
Thus there
are essentially three orders of service within the organized church
from its early stages. These are
In
contrast with the secular system of authority, Christian system is
based on Servanthood.
Mat 20:25-28
But Jesus called them and said, You know that the rulers of the
nations exercise dominion over them, and they who are great exercise
authority over them. However, it shall not be so among you. But
whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And
whoever desires to be chief among you, let him be your servant;
even as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give His life a ransom for many.
The greatest
among the Kingdom of God are those who serve. We have
been given the ultimate examples in Christ and the Apostles.
We are
ordained to be servants not to ruler
Ordination is a
bond servanthood. It is self immolation where we become a living
sacrifice.
Serving at the
table during the Communal meal was the general job of the Bishops,
Pastors and Deacon. Remember Communal meal became the Communion.
The Pastors still serve them.
Ordination
of Deacons
In Catholic and
Orthodox Churches, Deacons are ordained, and bestowed with proper attires for the office.
Roman Catholic deacon wearing a
dalmatic
Greek Orthodox
deacon wearing an orarion over his sticharion.
On
his head he wears the clerical kamilavka
An Anglican deacon wearing an alb and a stole over his left shoulder.
Deacons are appointed or elected in
other Protestant denominations, though this is less commonly seen as
a step towards the clerical ministry.
In Malankara
Churches deacons are appointed or elected. They are essentially lay
men.
The whole
Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share
in the priesthood of Christ. Baptism is an act of agreeing with the
submission as a living sacrifice.
1Pe 2:9 -10
But you are
a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
God's own people,
that you may
declare
the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light.
Once you were no people
but now you are God's people;
As such every
Christian is a royal priest. This participation is called the
"common priesthood of the faithful."
Then who are
the Achens (Clergy) and the Thirumenies (Bishops). This is the
definition my father has given me:
“One of the
Brethren
set apart
for the service of the Church.”
The clerical dress worn by the
Malakara Churches is a typical dress of the servants in the Middle
East and Palestine. They are girded with a black cord ready to
serve. The Bishops on the other hand wear Svetambara, a dress
indicating the washing with blood.
The Consecration of
His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Bishops
in the Eastern Churches are celibates. Celibacy is a discipline
in the Eastern Churches, not a doctrine. It is a church
tradition, but not an integral part of Church teaching. All the
Apostles with Jesus, later bishops, and priests during the
church's first 270 years were in fact married men.
“Clerical
celibacy was not a requirement in Christendom until 1274….
In fact, it
was enforced for relatively practical reasons:
•
First to ensure that
clergy would not be hindered by following a call to ministry with
respect to the responsibility of a family; and
•
Second, to prevent
the threat of hereditary claims placed upon church property, by the
children of clergy.”
Charles A.
Frazee, “The Origins of Clerical Celibacy in the Western Church”
Church History, Vol. 57, Supplement: Centennial Issue (1988), pp.
108-126
In the Indian
Tantric view of life, there are two ways of living life.
The first is
the Pravriti Marga, which is the normal route given to man with a
life of sensual living and keeping the Way till the Yuga comes to a
close.
The second is
nivritti marga where the person withdraws from the sensual world
into the self. Celebacy is practical only with Non-attachment. It
is not the way for every one. “Service
Before Self”
is the key for this life. In ancient India they were called Jinas
– the victorious ones who realized the Unity of all beings and
therefore can sacrifice willingly for others with joy.
When Adam was
created he was supposed to be living this way. However as it did
not work for Adam.
Hence God
recreated man as Male and Female starting the Pravriti marga. This
process of separation from the Passive to Active is also seen in the
process of the Unknowable God revealing himself in three person.
1Co 7:7 Yet I
would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his
own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that
(Mat 19:12)
For there are eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s
womb:and there are eunuchs, which were made eunuchs by men: and
there are eunuchs, which made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of
Heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
(Mat 22:30)
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as angels in heaven.
The
practical significance of this can be seen in the fact that
monasteries were the mainstay of retaining values and faith in times
of upheavals in history.
The Ethiopian
monastery in Axum is said have kept the ark of the covenant through centuries.
The
Ark of the Covenant at Axum
cannot be seen
by anyone but the
High Priest
of Axum, an elderly and especially holy monk who is charged with its
care and preservation for life. He cannot leave the small yard that
surrounds the chapel, and he is expected to name his successor on
his deathbed. The present custodian with this privilege and burden
is named Abba Tesfa Mariam.
Some
of the Ethiopian monasteries are perched on rockcliffs that are
accessable only by ropes
The Scripture
itself was preserved in pristine form because of the selfless life
of the monks through the ages. They copied the scriptures letter by
letter so that the bible we have can be trusted to an extent no
other book on earth could. In India Christavashrams served the
country in ways that no one else could. Christianity came to
popularity because of the selfless service of these great men.
| 
