The first rules and canons of the organization began to take shape. About the current moment. Laws of the Russian Empire in defense of the Holy

When a parishioner of the temple has a question, he addresses it to the parish priest. But there are times when a conciliar decision is required to answer it. About the canons by which the Church lives, about the solution of complex issues related to remarriage and funeral services, we talk with the chairman of the disciplinary canonical commission, Archpriest Alexander Pislar.

- Father Alexander, if the activities of the other departments of the diocesan administration are clear from the name, then the range of issues that the disciplinary canonical commission decides is not always clear even to church people. Please tell us about it.

– Since the ancient apostolic times, the Church has always been guided by the canons in the organization of her inner life and in her relations with the outside world. In secular terms, the canon is the law. These laws have been developed since ancient times, the main body of the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church was already established by the end of the 9th century. The canons govern the diversity of the internal and external life of the Church.

More specifically, the canonical commission, which exists in all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, deals with those canonical issues that cannot be resolved at the parish level. They include two broad categories of questions. The first category concerns the blessing of remarriages, the second category - the funeral of those people who arbitrarily ended their life.

Every parish priest, when confronted with such questions, having listened to the request of the people who turned to him, for example, to perform the wedding of their second or third marriage, must tell them that he cannot resolve such an issue and that they need to contact the canonical commission, explain where it is.

After that, applicants can come to the commission on the reception day. At this time, the priest on duty, who is a member of the canonical commission, listens to those who apply and helps them correctly write a petition addressed to the ruling Bishop. It reflects all the basic information on their problem. If it concerns the wedding, then this is the history of the first marriages: when they were concluded, when they were terminated and for what reason, about the intention to enter into a second marriage. Having registered the petition, the priest explains to these people when they need to come to the commission meeting, where it will be considered. A full meeting of the commission takes place once a month, at which all petitions are considered in the presence of people who have applied to it.

- Where is the priest on duty, who is a member of the canonical commission of the Intercession diocese?

– Today, in view of the fact that our newly formed diocese is experiencing difficulties with the premises where its services could normally be located, our commission shares the premises with the Sunday school of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

- What documents should the people who wrote the petition bring with them to the meeting of the commission?

- This applies mainly to the second category of applicants - those who want to get permission for the funeral of suicides. As for remarriages, there are practically no documents required, because the legal side of marriage in our country is handled by the registry office. Before the revolution, these questions were the responsibility of the spiritual consistories. For each issue of church divorce, an investigation was conducted with the involvement of the parties, with a questioning under oath, etc. Because the majority of subjects of the Russian Empire were of the Orthodox faith, they were all assigned to a particular parish. And therefore, if necessary, according to the agenda of the church court, they were simply obliged to appear. Now, for obvious reasons, the Church cannot conduct such investigations. For example, this is a typical situation: the spouse is a church person, and she will come according to this agenda, and the husband will say: “I do not obey the church court.”

- When we talk about permission to marry a second marriage, do we mean that the first marriage was a crowned union or only fixed by civil authorities?

– This point was even explained by Vladyka in a circular letter that the rectors of all churches in our diocese received. It emphasizes that not only those people who were married in their first marriage, but also those who were registered in accordance with all the rules of our legislation, are considered second marriages.

- It turns out that people who have not registered their relationship and are in a so-called civil marriage (or, more simply, in fornication) are in a more advantageous position. If they want to marry another person, before the Church and the law they are like first-married.

I agree that there is some temptation in this. Formally, indeed, such a person is considered a first-marriage. “Civil” marriage is a very serious evil that today embraces not only our society, but the whole world. If a cohabitant has even the slightest concern about his spiritual life, about his salvation, then sooner or later he will definitely hear terrible words from the priest: “You cannot take Communion until you legitimize your relationship.” And excommunication from Communion is equal to excommunication from the Church, and the priest must explain this to the person. Such a punishment will make him think. And if he does not think, it means that he is still too far from God, from faith, and the question of marriage is still premature for him.

- As for relatives who want to get permission for the funeral of a suicide. Probably, it is very difficult to consider their appeals. It turns out that a sin was committed by a person who cannot be returned and cannot be corrected. There are heartbroken relatives who want to help his soul in some way. They say that he was mentally ill, he was killed. On the basis of what is the question of the funeral of suicides decided?

— You correctly noted that the questions belonging to this category are especially difficult. And often the priest who is the first to receive the relatives of a deceased person like this is forced to simply console people, talking with them sometimes for an hour or more. A year ago, with the blessing of the Holy Synod, the "Order of Prayerful Consolation for Relatives of the Stomach of the Self-willedly Died" was compiled. This rite, which, of course, is not a funeral service, can be performed by any parish priest.

- How is the question of the funeral being resolved when relatives are sure that he was killed or that he took this step under the influence of a confused mind or mental illness? After all, the canonical commission is not an investigative committee, you cannot conduct a full-fledged investigation or a forensic psychiatric examination.

- In the case of the death of people, in fact, there are indirect signs, details by which we can judge whether it was a violent or unauthorized death. In order to find out, you just need to carefully listen to relatives. Priests who have carried out this obedience for several years are accumulating a certain amount of experience.

- If someone is dissatisfied with the decision of the canonical commission, can he appeal it?

- It happens very rarely, most often in marriage cases. Because such a terrible misfortune as the death of loved ones, especially through suicide, humbles people. In most cases, even if people were not very church-going, it brings them closer to God. And they are ready to listen to the priest and receive some consolation.

But in marriage cases, there are such comical and sad stories at the same time, when people literally almost knock on the table: marry us without fail, what right do you have to refuse us? At the same time, without having any rights to this wedding. For example, when a husband leaves his legal wife, with whom he lived for 20 years, children, brings his mistress and says: "Marry us." We explain that you are, to put it mildly, wrong. But we speak different languages. These are the people who are dissatisfied. But they do not complain either, because they have enough understanding that this is a general church attitude to their case, and they will not receive another answer in the Church. It is rather their dissatisfaction with the Church in general as such. God grant that in the future they understand something and change their lives.

- And the issues of Communion in Orthodox churches for babies baptized in Catholicism, relationships with non-Orthodox people are also decided by the canonical commission?

— These issues, as a rule, are not considered by the entire commission. The priest or church employees give the phone number of one of the members of the commission, most often mine, and people just call and ask questions related to the application of some canon.

Interviewed by Marina Shmeleva

“For there is no truth in their mouth: their heart is destruction, their throat is an open tomb, they flatter with their tongue.”

Ps.5:10

“There is great madness, leave the verbs ready, and speak your own.”

St. Peter of Damascus

“The misconception is not shown one thing in itself, so that it appeared in its nakedness, it does not expose itself, but slyly dressed in tempting clothes, it reaches what in its appearance seems more true for the inexperienced truth ... when there is no one to test and some kind of some A WAY TO DETECT A FAKE ... WHO OF THE SIMPLE CAN EASILY RECOGNIZE THIS? (Holy Martyr Irenaeus of Lyons)

“A heretic, after the first and second admonition, turn away, knowing that such a person has become corrupt and sins, being self-condemned.” ( Tit. 3:10)

according to St. John the Apostle: who speaks : “I have known Him,” but he does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and there is no truth in him” . (1 John 2:4)

"Every man is a lie"- this does not mean that every person always lies and in everything and speaks a lie - no! But only that he is not rooted in Truth.

“Whoever, not observing either the unity of the spirit, or the union of the world, separates himself from the bonds of the Church and the society of priests, he, not recognizing the episcopal unity and the world, cannot have either the power or the honor of a bishop” (St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letter 43 to Antonian)

Here is what the Orthodox bishop says in his oath before consecration: “I promise to observe the canons of the holy Apostles and the seven ecumenical and pious local councils, which are legitimized for the preservation of the right decrees, and at different times and summers from the catholicities of the east who truly fight for the saints the Orthodox faith, the canons and holy charters are depicted, and keep it all strong and unbreakable until the end of my life with this my promise I testify; and all, even if they accepted, and I will receive, and even they turn away, and I turn away ”(item 2). “If I break what I promised here, or I’m disgusted by the divine rule, ... then let me be deprived of all my dignity and power, without any warning or word, and let me be a stranger to the gift of heaven, when consecrated by the laying on of hands given to me by the Holy Spirit” ( 19).

“Whoever follows the one who leads to schism, he will not inherit the Kingdom of God”

St. Cyprian, admonishing the people not to associate with all sorts of heretics and schismatics, pretending to be bishops, writes “Do not think that you will not be defiled by fellowship and the vicious sacrifice that he brings, and the bread of the deceased,” for it is through the bishop that the Church is united in Christ with God the Father, from whom the bishop receives the grace of the sacraments and sanctifies his Church by it. The faithful cannot be saved separately from their bishop, just as the body cannot live separately from its head - this is an axiom of Orthodox ecclesiology.

“The lamp of the body is the eye (Matt. 6:22), but the lamp of the Church is the bishop. Therefore, it is necessary for the eye to be clean in order for the body to move correctly, and when it is not clean, the body moves incorrectly; so together with the primate of the Church, what he will be, and the Church is either endangered or saved. , says St. Gregory the Theologian (St. Gregory the Theologian, Letter 34, To the Citizens of Caesarea.)

“The Church is called holy not only because it possesses all the fullness of grace gifts that sanctify believers, but also because there are people in it of varying degrees of holiness, including such members who have reached the fullness of holiness and perfection. At the same time, the Church has never, even in the apostolic period of her history, been a reserve of saints (1 Cor. 5:1-5). Thus, the Church is not an assembly of saints, but of those who are sanctified, and therefore recognizes as its members not only the righteous, but also sinners. This idea is persistently emphasized in the parables of the Savior about the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30), about the net (Matt. 13:47-50), etc. The sacrament of Repentance is established for sinners in the Church. Those who sincerely repent of sins receive their forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “Those who sin, but purify themselves by true repentance, do not hinder the Church from being holy…”14. However, there is a certain limit, transgressing which, sinners become dead members of the church body that bear only evil fruit.

Such members are cut off from the body of the Church or BY THE INVISIBLE OPERATION OF THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, or visible action of church authority, through anathematization , in fulfillment of the apostolic command: "cast out the perverted one from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:13). These include apostates from Christianity, unrepentant sinners who are in mortal sins, and heretics deliberately perverting the basic tenets of the faith. Therefore, the Church is in no way obscured by the sinfulness of people; everything sinful that invades the church sphere, remains alien to the Church and is destined to be cut off and destroyed . « (Orthodox Catechism. Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov PSTBI 1997)

Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons: “For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace, and the Spirit is truth.

The Holy Spirit, the guarantee of incorruption, the affirmation of our faith and the ladder for ascent to God. For in the Church, it is said, God has placed apostles, prophets, teachers, and all other means of the working of the Spirit, of which all those who are not in harmony with the Church, but who take their own lives with the worst teaching and the worst course of action, do not partake. For where the Church is, there is also the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace, and the Spirit is truth. Therefore, those who do not partake of Him do not feed for life from their mother's breasts, do not use the purest spring that comes from the Body of Christ, but dig broken wells for themselves from the earth's ditches and drink rotten water from the mud, withdrawing from the faith of the Church so as not to convert, and rejecting Spirit, so as not to understand ... "

(St. Ignatius the God-bearer To the Philadelphians, III)

So, according to the Teaching of the Church - the Revelation of God Almighty, the unity of the Church is rooted in the unity of the Holy Trinity. The Church is one in faith and love, and those who deny this unity deny the incarnation of the Lord, since, according to St. Ignatius the God-bearer, "Faith is the flesh of the Lord, but love is His blood" (St. Ignatius the God-bearer To the Philadelphians, III) On the other hand, faith, according to St. Ignatius, is an unceasing prayer, which is unthinkable without love. The mutual prayer of Christians in the Church to the Father is the love of Christ for the Father. In other words, prayer is an intra-trinitarian act, the eternal communion of the Son with the Father and the Spirit. In the prayer of a Christian there should not be a drop of lies, for it ascends to God - the Father of Truth, and the Son of God cannot lie. The slightest admixture of lies defiles prayer and turns it into blasphemy : “If anyone, as the Scripture says, being hard-hearted and seeking lies (Ps. 4:3) dares to utter the words of prayer, then let him know that he does not call on the father of heaven, but of hell, who himself is a liar and becomes the father of lies, arising in each (St. Gregory of Nyssa, On Prayer, fol. 2.)

For, as the apostle Paul says, the Church is " pillar and ground of truth» (1 Tim. 3:15), then on the basis of communication with her communion with the truth is supposed: "Those who belong to the Church of Christ belong to the truth". Participation (to) the Church - means a connection with the truth, communion with idolizing grace, life in the communion of deification. A person who breaks the connection with the truth breaks off fellowship in the grace of God and ceases to be a member of the Church.

Due to the fact that Patriarch Ignatius of Antioch accepted the views of Barlaam and Akindin on divine grace, St. Gregory Palamas speaks with particular force about such pastors who depart from church truth. These people, although they are called pastors and archpastors, are not members of the Church of Christ: “Those who do not abide in the truth do not belong to the Church of Christ; and this is all the more true if they lie about themselves, calling themselves, or if they are reputed to be shepherds and archpastors; however, we are taught that Christianity is determined not by external manifestations, but by truth and accurate faith. .

I would like to emphasize that in the mind of St. Gregory Palamas, who for the Orthodox Church is the spokesman for her teachings , strict adherence to church truth, and not human discipline, even in the hierarchical sense, is the fundamental principle of belonging to the Church of Christ. Any deviation from the truth of God, the truth of the Church, is a crime and a falling away from it.

Being in the Church means uniting with the truth and communing with divine grace. God wants “We, who were born of grace… abode inseparably with each other and with Himself… Just as the tongue, being a member of ours, does not tell us that sweet is bitter, and bitter is sweet… so each of us, called by Christ, being a member of the whole Church, let nothing else speak, as soon as it is conscious of responding to the Truth; if not, then he is a liar and an enemy, but not a member of the Church.” A person who breaks with the truth moves away from divine grace and ceases to be a Christian.

The sin against the Truth is heavier than other sins, it removes a person from the Church and is healed only by repentance and renewal of the mind. The call to contain the truth of Christ, according to the words of St. Gregory Palamas, applies to all the Local Churches that make up the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. St. Gregory says that historically all the local Churches experienced moments of falling away from the Truth, and only one Roman Church did not return to Orthodoxy, although it is the largest of all.

Here is the 2nd part of the 15th Rule of the Double Council of Constantinople: “For those who separate themselves from communion with the primate, for the sake of some heresy, condemned by holy councils or fathers when, that is, he preaches heresy publicly, and teaches it openly in the Church, such people, even if they protect themselves from communion with the bishop who speaks, before a conciliar consideration, are not only not subject to the penance prescribed by the rules, but are also worthy of the honor due to the Orthodox. For they condemned not bishops, but false bishops and false teachers and did not cut short the unity of the church by schism, but strove to protect the church from schisms and divisions .«

Interpretation of Nikodim (Milash), Bishop of Dalmatia-Istria on the 15th canon of the Double Council of Constantinople:

“Supplementing canons 13 and 14 of this council, this canon (15) prescribes that if the indicated relationship should exist for a presbyter to a bishop and a bishop for a metropolitan, then all the more so should there be such an attitude towards the patriarch, who should have all in canonical obedience. metropolitans, bishops, presbyters and other clerics of the subject patriarchy.

Having defined this in relation to obedience to the patriarch, this canon makes a general remark regarding all three canons (13-15), namely, that all these prescriptions are valid only if, when splits arise due to unproven crimes: patriarch, metropolitan and bishop. But if any of the bishops, metropolitans, or patriarchs begins to preach any heretical doctrine contrary to Orthodoxy, then the other clergy and clergymen RIGHT AND EVEN OBLIGED to immediately separate from the subject bishop, metropolitan and patriarch and for this they will not only not be subject to any canonical punishment, on the contrary, they will be praised, because by this they did not condemn and did not rebel against real, legitimate bishops, but against false bishops, false teachers, and they did not form a schism in the church by this, on the contrary, to the best of their ability, they freed the church from schism, and prevented division. "

Archimandrite (later Bishop of Smolensk) John, in accordance with the historical circumstances of the Russian Church, quite correctly and in the strict sense of canonical science, in interpreting this rule, notes that “the presbyter will not be guilty, but rather worthy of praise for separating from his bishop, if the latter” preaches any heretical doctrine contrary to the Orthodox Church, and if:

a) “preaches a doctrine that is manifestly contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church and already condemned St. fathers or cathedrals , and not any particular thought that might seem wrong to someone and does not contain any particular importance, so that can easily be corrected, without being accused of deliberate non-Orthodoxy»; then

b) “if a false doctrine is preached (by him) openly and publicly in the church, when, i.e., it is already deliberate and is heading towards an obvious contradiction of the church, and is not only expressed in a private way, when it can still be denounced in the same private way and rejected, without violating the peace of the church.”

Interpretation of Aristina: “... And if some depart from someone not under the pretext of a crime, but because of heresy condemned by the council or St. fathers, they are worthy of honor and acceptance as Orthodox.

Interpretation of Balsamon: «… For if anyone separates from his bishop, or metropolitan, or patriarch, not on an accusatory case, but because of heresy, as shamelessly teaching in the church some dogmas alien to Orthodoxy, such even before the investigation is completed, if he “protects himself”, that is, separates himself from communion with his primate, not only will he not be punished , but will be honored as Orthodox; for he separated himself not from a bishop, but from a false bishop and a false teacher, and such an act is worthy of praise, since it does not split the churches, but rather restrains it and protects it from division ...

St. Rev. Theodore the Studite writes: “It is forbidden for an Orthodox to commemorate at sacred commemorations, and at the Divine Liturgy, pretending to be Orthodox, but not ceasing to have communion with heretics and heresy. For if he, even at the hour of death, confessed his sin and partake of the Holy Mysteries, then the Orthodox could make an offering for him. But since he has gone into communion with heresy, how can such a person be implicated in Orthodox communion?- The Holy Apostle says: a cup of blessing, let us bless, is there not communion of the Blood of Christ? The bread we break, is there not fellowship of the Body of Christ? As one bread, we have one body; for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Therefore, the communion of the heretical bread and the cup makes the commune belong to the opposing part of the Orthodox, and from all such partakers it constitutes one body, alien to Christ.

participation in apostasy, even involuntary (by silence), is a sin for an Orthodox Christian: for according to the word of Rev. Maximus the Confessor “To be silent about Truth is the same as betraying it!« . The Holy Canons strictly forbid the participation of the Orthodox in apostasy and heresy. And our prayerful unity with the retreating hierarchy is our complicity with them on a mystical level. .

But we know from the word of St. Fotia what: “In matters of Faith, even the slightest deviation is already a sin leading to death; and even a slight disregard for Tradition leads to complete oblivion of the dogmas of the Faith.

rule of the Apostle Paul : “A heretic, after the first and second admonition, turn away, knowing that such a person has become corrupt and sins, being self-condemned” They knew the Rule of the same Apostle : "But even if we or an angel from heaven began to preach to you not what we preached to you, let him be anathema." (Gal. 1:8),

- 3rd Canon of the III Ecumenical Council: “In general, we command that members of the clergy who are of one mind with the Orthodox and Ecumenical Council should by no means be subordinate to bishops who have apostatized or are retreating from Orthodoxy”;

- 45th Apostolic Canon: “A bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, who only prayed with heretics, may he be excommunicated. If, however, he allows them to act in any way, as if they were ministers of the Church: let him be cast out ”;

— 10th Apostolic Canon: “If anyone prays with someone who has been excommunicated from church fellowship, even if it is in the house, let him be excommunicated”

All the Saints who lived after St. Maxim and Theodore knew the subsequent Rules of the Church - "Heretic Laws" which they followed in life:

1st Canon of the VI Ecumenical Council: “By God’s grace we determine: to keep inviolably innovations and changes in the faith given to us by witnesses and servants of the Word, the God-chosen Apostles.

We sweep aside and anathematize all whom they swept aside and anathematized, as if they were enemies of the truth, who in vain gnashed at God, and intensified to lift up untruth on high. If anyone of all does not contain and does not accept the aforementioned dogmas of piety, and does not think and preach like this, but attempts to go against them: let him be anathema, according to the definition previously established by the aforementioned holy and blessed fathers, and from the Christian estate, like a stranger, let him be excluded and cast out. For we, in accordance with what was determined before, completely decided not to add anything, not to subtract, and could not in any way.

1st Canon of the VII Ecumenical Council: “The divine rules are acceptable with delight and completely unshakable contain the decision of these rules ... Whom they anathematize, those we anathematize, and whom we excommunicate, those we also excommunicate, and whom we excommunicate, we also excommunicate”

Message of the VII Ecumenical Council to the Alexandrians: "Everything that is established against church tradition, the teachings and inscription of the holy and ever-memorable fathers, is established, and henceforth what is established will be anathema.

the words -Rules of Pilots

Pilot, Chapter 71 : “If anyone from the God-pleasing God-bearing father shakes that it’s not for that we call it looking, but the crime of tradition is commandment and ungodliness to God ... Like a heretic and subject to heretical laws, and even deviating little from the Orthodox faith”

“A heretic, after the first and second admonition, turn away, knowing that such a person has become corrupt and sins, being self-condemned (Tit.3.10-11).

The words of the great Teacher of the Church, St. Mark of Ephesus : "Is a heretic and is subject to laws against heretics, one who deviates even slightly from the Orthodox Faith"

About non-communion with heretics as with "NOT-Church" how the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian: “Non-communion with heretics is the beauty of the Church and the expression of her vitality, i.e., a sign that the Church has not become dead and is spiritually alive”

Saint Maxim the Confessor NEVER did not identify the Ecumenical Catholic Church with heretics, because according to the teachings of the Church - heretics OUTSIDE Churches!

The Church is not limited to any place, time, or people, but includes true believers of all places, times and peoples. (Orthodox Catechism.) and according to the words of Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer - "Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church"!

For St. Maximus, communion is communion with Christ and in Christ, and this communion is carried out in the common confession of the right faith in Him. If Christ is falsely confessed, then fellowship with Him and with those who confess Him faithfully becomes impossible. One can find many assertions in the writings of St. Maximus that confession of the right faith is an indisputable condition of communion, for those who who do not confess Christ correctly, that is, according to tradition, find themselves outside of Him: "Those who do not accept the apostles, prophets and teachers, that is, the fathers, but reject their words, reject Christ Himself."

canonical Epistle of the VII Ecumenical Council to the Alexandrians:

“Everything that is established against church tradition, the teachings and inscription of the holy and ever-memorable fathers, is established, and henceforth what is established will be established – anathema.”

St. Basil the Great says this about not communicating with heretics:

“As for those who say they profess the Orthodox faith, but are in communion with people holding other opinions if they are warned and remain stubborn, one cannot not only remain in communion with them, but even call them brothers” (Patrologia Orientalis, Vol. 17, p. 303).

“... maliciously distorting the doctrine, they fake the truth .., the ears of simple-hearted people are deceived; he was accustomed to heretical wickedness. The children of the Church are nourished by ungodly teachings. What should they do? In the power of heretics are baptism, accompanying those who are departing, visiting the sick, comforting the sorrowful, helping the oppressed, all kinds of benefits, communion of the Mysteries. All this, being done by them, becomes for the people a knot of unanimity with heretics” (Letter 235).

“Hearers instructed in the Scriptures should test what the teachers say and accept what is in agreement with the Scriptures, and reject those who disagree, and turn away those who hold such teachings even more” (Creations. Part 3. M. 1846. P. 478).

"Not must endure those who teach new doctrines although they pretend to seduce and convince the unsteady. Beware that no one deceives you (Matt. 24:4-5). But even if we or an angel from heaven began to preach to you not like we preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so I say it again: whoever preaches to you not what you received, let it be anathema(Gal. 1:8-9)” (ibid., p. 409).

St. John Chrysostom on heretics and non-communication with them:

“If a bishop, cleric, who rules in the Church is crafty in relation to faith, then run away from him and do not communicate with him, even if he was not only a man, but even an angel descended from heaven.”

“He who has communion with heretics, even if in his life he followed the life of the incorporeal, he creates himself alien to the Lord Christ…”

“Beloved, many times I have spoken to you about godless heretics, and now I implore you not to unite with them either in food or drink, or in friendship or in love, for he who does so alienates himself from the Church of Christ. If someone spends the life of an angel, but unites with heretics by bonds of friendship or love, he is a stranger to the Lord Christ. Just as we cannot be satisfied with love for Christ, so we cannot be satisfied with hatred for His enemy. For He Himself says: “Whoever is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30).

St. Cyprian of Carthage and St. Firmilian of Caesarea on heretics as antichrists-heretics outside the Church:

“If heretics are called everywhere other than enemies and antichrists, if they are called people, which should be avoided that are perverted and condemned by themselves then are they not worthy that we also condemn them, if we know from the apostolic writings that that they were condemned of themselves? (Letter 74).

Saint Cyprian did not allow several different beliefs to coexist simultaneously in the Church. There can be only one faith in the Church. He also did not allow the possibility of heretics in the Church: if someone is a heretic, then by definition this someone is outside the Church . St. Firmilian of Caesarea confirms this teaching when he writes that “all [heretics] were obviously self-condemned , and they themselves announced the verdict before the Day of Judgment …»

St. Hypatius (former abbot of the monastery in Constantinople) about Nestoria:

“From the time I knew what unrighteous things he was saying about the Lord, I was not in communion with him, and did not mention his name, because he is no longer a bishop». This was said before Nestorius was condemned by the Third Ecumenical Council.

St. Rev. Theodore the Studite on heretics and communication with them:

“So, if you, observing your state in this way, linger with reverence for a while, then it is good, whether it be short or long. There is no other limit to this, except to approach Communion with a pure heart, as far as it is possible for a person. If, however, some sin occurs that removes from Communion, then it is obvious that such a person can receive Communion when he fulfills penance. And if again he evades Communion due to heresy, then this is correct. For communion from a heretic or someone obviously condemned for his life alienates from God and betrays the devil.

Consider, then, blessed one, which course of action from those indicated to be followed, according to your observation of yourself, and in this way proceed to the Sacraments. Everyone knows that the heresy of adulterers now reigns in our Church, so take care of your honest soul, your sisters and your spouse. You tell me that you are afraid to tell your presbyter not to commemorate the heretic leader. What can I say to you? I do not justify it: if communion through one commemoration produces impurity, then the one who commemorates the chief of the heresy cannot be Orthodox. But the Lord, who raised you to such a degree of piety, may Himself preserve you in everything intact and perfect in body and soul for every good deed and for every need of life, with your spouse and with the most pious sisters. All of you pray to the Lord for our unworthiness!"(Reverend Theodore the Studite. Epistle 58. To Spafaria, nicknamed Mahara)

St. Ignatius the God-bearer places bishops in the same relation to Christ as Christ stands to God the Father "Jesus Christ is the thought of the Father, just as the bishops at the ends of the earth are in the thought of Jesus Christ" (Ephesians, III). On the other hand, faithful "united with the bishop just as the Church is with Jesus Christ and as Jesus Christ is with the Father, that all things may be in harmony through union" (Ibid., V). At the same time, there can be only one episcopacy in the Church, common to all, for there is one God the Father, but there are many bearers of episcopacy - hierarchs. St. Cyprian teaches: “The Church throughout the world is one, divided by Christ into many members, and the bishopric is one, branched out in the unanimous face of many bishops” (St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letter to Antonian about Cornelius and Novatian.). This episcopacy, like the fatherland in heaven and on earth (Eph. 3:15), does not come from people, “not from the desire of the flesh, not from the desire of a man” (John 1:13), but descends "from the Father Jesus Christ, Bishop of all" (St. Ignatius the God-bearer. To the Magnesians, III). Thus, according to St. Ignatius, the bishop is the image of Jesus Christ, who is united with his flock in the same way as Christ is with the Father and as Christ is with the Church, that is, “into one flesh” (Eph. 5:29-32). This is the secret of the unity of a bishop with his Church!

Orthodox literary works contain an inexhaustible source that allows you to communicate with God. One of the types of church verbal art is the canon.

The difference between the canon and the akathist

Prayer is an invisible thread between people and God, it is a spiritual conversation with the Almighty. It is important for our body like water, air, food. Whether it is gratitude, joy or sadness through prayer, the Lord will hear us. When it comes from the heart, with pure thoughts, zeal, then the Lord hears prayer and responds to our petitions.

The canon and akathist can be called one of the types of conversations with the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints.

What is a canon in the church and how does it differ from an akathist?

The word "canon" has two meanings:

Accepted by the Church and taken as the basis of the Orthodox teaching, the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, collected together. The word is Greek, acquired from the Semitic languages and originally meaning a stick or a ruler for measuring, and then a figurative meaning appeared - “rule”, “norm” or “list”.
The genre of the church hymn, chanting: a work of complex structure, aimed at glorifying saints and church holidays. It is part of the morning, evening and all-night services.

The canon is divided into songs, each of which separately contains irmos and troparion. In Byzantium and modern Greece, the irmos and troparia of the canon are metrically similar, allowing the entire canon to be sung; in the Slavic translation, a single syllable in the metric was broken, so the troparia are read, and the irmos are sung.

Only the Easter canon is an exception to the rule - it is sung in its entirety.

Read about canons:

The melody of the work is subject to one of eight voices. The canon appeared as a genre in the middle of the 7th century. The first canons were written by St. John of Damascus and St. Andrew of Crete.

Akathist - translated from Greek means "non-sedal song", a liturgical hymn of a special laudatory nature, which is aimed at glorifying Christ, the Mother of God and the saints. It begins with the main kontakion and 24 stanzas following it (12 ikos and 12 kontakia).

At the same time, the ikos end with the same refrain as the first kontakion, and all the rest - with the refrain "Hallelujah".

Canon Reading

What unites the canon and akathist

A certain rule serves as a union of these two genres of chants. The construction of works is carried out according to a fixed scheme.

The canon consists of nine songs that begin with an irmos and end with a katavasia. It usually has 8 songs. The second is performed in the Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. The akathist consists of 25 stanzas, in which kontakia and ikos alternate alternately.

The kontakia are not wordy, the ikos are extensive. They are built in pairs. The stanzas are read one at a time. There is no song in front of them. The thirteenth kontakion is a prayerful direct message to the saint himself and is read three times. Then the first ikos is read again, followed by the first kontakion.

The difference between canon and akathist

The holy fathers mainly practiced in compiling canons.

The akathist could come from the pen of a simple layman. After reading such works, the higher clergy took them into account and gave way for further recognition and dissemination in church practice.

Read about akathists:

After the third and sixth odes of the canon, a small litany is pronounced by the priest. Then they read or sing sedalen, ikos and kontakion.

Important! According to the rules, simultaneous reading of several canons is possible. And reading several akathists at the same time is impossible, and the stanzas of this work are not shared by the intense prayer of all those present.

They read the canons at prayer services. Their reading is blessed even at home. Akathists do not include morning, evening, all-night services in the cycle. They order akathists for prayers, and also read at home. The canons are clearly defined by the Charter of the church. The parishioner chooses the akathist himself, and the priest reads it at the prayer service.

Canons are performed throughout the year.

Akathists are inappropriate to read during Lent, because the solemn and joyful mood of the work cannot convey the quiet and calm mood of Lenten days. Each song of the canon tells about some biblical event. There may not be a direct link, but the secondary presence of a particular topic is definitely felt. Akathist is considered easy to understand. Its vocabulary is easy to understand, the syntax is simple, and the text is separate. The words of the akathist come from the depths of the heart, its text is the best that an ordinary person wants to say to God.

Akathist - thanksgiving, laudatory, a kind of ode, so the best reading for him is when they want to thank the Lord or a saint for help.

How to read canon

During the home reading of the canon, the traditional beginning and end of prayers are taken. And if these works are read along with the morning or evening rule, then no other prayers need to be read additionally.

Important: It is necessary to read in such a way that the ears hear what is said by the mouth, so that the contents of the canon fall on the heart, with a feeling of the presence of the living God. Read with attention, concentrating the mind on what is being read and so that the heart listens to thoughts aspiring to the Lord.

The most readable canons at home are:

Canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Canon of Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos.
Canon to the Guardian Angel.

These three Canons are read while preparing a person for the Sacrament of Communion. Sometimes these three canons are combined into one for simplicity and ease of perception.

Saint Andrew of Crete. Fresco of the church of St. Nicholas. Athos Monastery of Stavronikita, 1546

All of us in life are weak and sick, or our relatives need our attention and help in recovery, then we read the Canon for the sick.

The greatest and most significant canon is the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. It is complete, contains all nine songs, and each includes up to thirty troparia. It is truly a colossal masterpiece.

The whole penitential meaning of the work is an appeal not only to God, but also to the one who is praying. A person is so immersed in his experiences when reading the canon, as if he directs his gaze into his soul, speaks to himself, to his conscience, scrolls through the events of his life and mourns for the mistakes that he made.

The Cretan masterpiece is not just a call and a call to repentance. It is an opportunity to bring a person back to God and accept His love.

To enhance this feeling, the author uses a popular technique. He takes Holy Scripture as a basis: examples of both great falls and great spiritual feats. It shows that everything is in the hands of a person and according to his conscience: how can one fall to the very lows, and ascend to the heights; how sin can take the soul captive and how, together with the Lord, it can be overcome.

Andrew of Kritsky also pays attention to symbols: at the same time they are poetic and precise in relation to the issues raised.

The Great Canon is a song of songs of living, true repentance. The salvation of the soul is not a mechanical and memorized fulfillment of the commandments, not the usual doing of good deeds, but a return to the Heavenly Father and a feeling of that very grace-filled love that was lost by our forefathers.

Important! During the first and last weeks of Great Lent, the Penitential Canon is read. In the first week, he instructs and directs to repentance, and in the last week of Great Lent, he asks about how the soul worked and left sin. Has repentance become an effective change in life, which entailed a change in behavior, thinking, attitude.

But the modern rhythm of life, especially in large cities, does not always allow a working person to attend charitable services with the singing of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. Fortunately, finding this amazing text is not difficult.

At least once in a lifetime, it is desirable for everyone to read thoughtfully this creation, which can truly turn the mind of a person, will give the opportunity to feel that the Lord is always there, that there are no distances between Him and a person. After all, love, faith, hope is not measured by any standards.

This is the grace that God gives us every minute.

Watch a video about the three Orthodox canons

Councils and Fathers of the Church concerning the church structure and rules. It should be distinguished from dogmatic decrees (oros).

The main canonical corpus of the Orthodox Church is contained in a collection bearing the title rule book(full title: The book of the rules of the holy apostles, the holy councils of the ecumenical and local, and the holy fathers); was published by the Holy Synod in a Russian translation, somewhat stylized as Church Slavonic.

Notes

What does ecclesiastical canon mean?

This word in Greek means "rule" and defines two concepts.

The first of them is connected with the set of norms and laws established in Orthodoxy, which are not subject to revision and amendment.

Another word canon means a hymn in the church to glorify a holiday or a saint. This is a musical form based on the repetition of the same melody by different voices of the choir, entering sequentially one after the other.

The genre has a complex construction, the composition of the voice includes nine songs. Each of them begins with the singing of the first stanza, called the irmos. The remaining 4-6 stanzas are troparia (short laudatory songs that are read). In addition, two more types of stanzas are used in the canon: ikos and kontakia. The difference between them is that a special refrain is included in the ikos.

The stanzas are laudatory and prayerful - mournful, they are composed according to the rules of hymnography. The first were the canons created by St. John of Damascus and St. Andrew of Crete.

When to Read

Laudatory songs (repentance and prayers), being approved in the charter of the church, are pronounced daily in the morning and in the evening.

A believer can pray at home at different times.

A Christian preparing for Communion should read with special zeal:

Penitential canon to the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading continues in the evening before Communion, then in the morning on the day of Communion. Its task is to tune a person to a wave of repentance as an internal state of the soul, soften it and help open up before the Creator. Immediately before the sacrament, a three-day fast should be observed.
Canons to the Queen of Heaven, they are read every day before Holy Communion. A prayer appeal to the Mother of God will be the first support at a time of sorrow and despondency, when the soul “cries”.
A hymn to the Guardian Angel, the meaning of which is repentance and an appeal to God's angel with a request to instruct on the right path of life, to help get rid of laziness, hardness of heart and unreason.

The canon, a masterpiece created by Andrew of Crete, refers to prayers of repentance, which for twelve centuries have been proclaimed during Great Lent every evening at divine services. It is divided into four parts, which are alternately read during the first four days of fasting. This hymn is a call to repent and, having accepted God's blessing, to change.

In case of illness of relatives or friends, God is asked to send recovery, reading the canon for the sick.

The works of this church genre help a Christian to think about whether he lives right, to understand his shortcomings, to make a decision to change something in himself with the help of the Savior.

The main differences between the canon and akathist

Prayers are the communication of the soul with God, which takes place at the highest spiritual level.

Tenderness and sadness, the need and gratitude of a person - everything is known to the Lord through prayer.

One of the ways to address the King of Heaven, the Mother of God and the saints are canons and akathists.

The uninitiated in the subtleties of church terminology often confuse these two types of hymns.

There are both similarities and differences between them, consisting in:

the essence (meaning) of the works: akathist - thanksgiving to the Lord and the saints, the canon is the genre of repentance and requests;
compositions of prayers, different number of stanzas, ways of their alternation and repetition;
level of perception: due to the simple construction of sentences and simple vocabulary, the akathist is perceived more easily than the canon;
authorship, laudatory songs were created by priests of the upper class, akathists were written by laity;
the presence of a litany (exclamation, call to prayer) during the reading of the canon, which is not in the akathist;
the number of readings: several canons can be read simultaneously, which is not typical for the performance of akathists;
the choice of chants: the canons are obligatory, as they are included in the prayer services according to the charter of the church; akathists do not sound at divine services, parishioners can choose and order them on their own;
the inclusion of hymns in the divine services of the period of Great Lent, since it is not allowed to read akathists during this period (with the exception of two - the Mother of God and the Passion of Christ).

How to read the canons at home

If they are read at home, and Matins and Vespers are said along with them, then this is enough not to supplement them with other prayers.

If someone in the family feels unwell or is sick, the canons can also be read at home for the sick person.

Orthodox canons by day of the week

Each day of the week (week) corresponds to certain events in the history of the church.

The composition of church services in the temple and at home includes daily prayers:

on Sunday the Resurrection of the Lord is glorified;
on Monday, praise is pronounced to God's helpers, the Angels;
on Tuesdays, a canon is read in honor of John the Baptist;
services on Wednesdays and Fridays are associated with the remembrance of the sin committed by Judas, fasting is observed on these days, a song of praise is heard in churches to the Life-giving Cross of the Lord;
Thursday, according to the church charter, is appointed as the day of the doxology of the apostles and St. Nicholas;
Saturday is the day of praise of the Queen of Heaven and remembrance of the righteous and the rest, who believed in God's truth;

They can be found in the collection of canons called the Canon.

There is always an opportunity to change yourself. After all, the exploits of the holy fathers, reflected in church songs - prayers, serve as an instruction for believers.

By their example, they show how to live righteously, how to act in a family so as not to upset or offend anyone. They give strength, guide the will and teach each person to believe, hope, endure, forgive and love.