Holiness is ... The holy sanctity in Orthodoxy

The gifts that the Lord bestows upon his chosen ones are very diverse, and since holiness is primarily a manifestation in people, the very concept includes many forms. In view of the fact that historically Christianity has divided into several directions, in each of them canonization, that is, the glorification of one or another saint of God in the face of saints, has certain features.

Saints and holiness

The concept of holiness came into use at the very dawn of Christianity. Then the Old Testament forefathers, prophets, and also apostles and martyrs, who accepted suffering and death in the name of Christ, were referred to this category. In a later period, when Christianity became the state religion, pious rulers, kings, princes and many others entered into their number.

Orthodox holiness is a system borrowed from Byzantium and received in Russia further development, according to which the saints of God, most marked by His Gifts and their deeds deserving canonization, are divided into several categories, or ranks. This division is very conditional, since in the days of earthly life the saint could become famous for various feats.

The disciples of Christ who acquired sacredness

The primacy in this honorary row is traditionally assigned to the apostles - the closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, endowed by Him with special gifts of preaching the Word of God, healing the suffering, expelling demons, and even resurrecting the dead. Having assumed the great mission of spreading Christianity, almost all of them have completed their lives with a martyr's death.

From the Gospel, we learn that in order to serve the Church that he created, Jesus called on his twelve closest disciples, but later they were joined by seventy other chosen ones, and also the apostle Paul. All of them are canonized in the rank of holy apostles. The holiness of the apostles is of a special nature, since it was certified by Jesus Christ Himself. It is known that in the middle of the third century, that is, even before the victory of Christianity over paganism, divine services were performed in their honor, and in the sixth century a universal holiday was established.

The history of Christianity also knows the names of a whole series of ascetics who gained fame by spreading Christianity among the tribes mired in paganism. Since in their ministry they were much like the apostles, they were glorified by the Church in the rank of equal apostles and thus constituted a separate category. Their holiness is a feat of enlightenment of peoples by the light of Christ's truth.

Saints of the pre-Christian era

The two following categories of saints - the prophets and forefathers, which were already mentioned in this article, came to us from the Old Testament times. To the first belong the elect, on whom the Lord has entrusted a special mission to reveal to people His will, or, in other words, to prophesy. In the Orthodox Church, a certain order of their worship is established, and a few days a year (mainly in December) are dedicated to the memory of each of them.

The Old Testament includes several books of prophets, the special value of which is that they contain a prediction about the inevitable appearance in the world of the Messiah, sent to deliver people from the curse of original sin. The significance of these saints is so great that one of them, the prophet Isaiah, who lived in the 8th century BC, is even called "the fifth evangelist."

Among the forefathers are pious patriarchs who lived in the Old Testament times, as well as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the righteous Joachim and Anna, who are called the God-friars. Their holiness is the result of acts that contributed to the coming into the world of the Messiah, who brought salvation to people from eternal death.

The Holy Successors of the Apostles

The appearance on earth of the Son of God gave impetus to the appearance of a large host of saints who became successors to the apostles and led the Christian communities. Those bishops who, being at the highest levels of pastoral ministry, have shown an example of high piety and self-sacrifice, the church has already glorified in the rank of saints for two millennia.

They included a large number of bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs, who contributed to the strengthening of faith and steadfastly opposed to schism and heresy. The most vivid example of such church hierarchs are St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian and several others.

It is known that the righteousness and piety, revealed by the servants of God, are often rewarded with gifts sent from above, one of which is the ability to perform miracles. That is why, while reading the lives of many saints, one can find descriptions of the miracles created by them. As a rule, these are the healing of the sick, the resurrection of the dead, the prediction of the future and the suppression of the natural elements.

The good-martyrs of Christ

A special category consists of the ranks of holiness, connected with suffering for Christ. They are those who, by their willingness to accept torment and death, attest to the faith in the victory of the Son of God over eternal death. Saints related to this very large group are divided into several categories.

Those who are honored to endure the most severe and prolonged torment, are usually called Great Martyrs (saints - Panteleimon, George the Victorious, Great Martyr Varvara). If such a voluntary sufferer is a bishop or a priest, then he is called a holy martyr (Hermogenes, Ignatius the God-bearer). The monk, who accepted torment and death for the faith of Christ, is glorified in the rank of the Martyrs (Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fedorovna). There is also a category of martyrs. It includes those who accepted death and torment at the hands of their own brothers in the faith (the holy princes Boris and Gleb).

Holiness, born in the storms of the twentieth century

The host of Orthodox martyrs was significantly enlarged in the XX century, most of which became a period of persecution of the church, surpassing in its cruelty what it had to endure in the first centuries of Christianity. This period showed the world a whole galaxy of new martyrs and confessors who suffered as a result of mass repressions, but did not renounce their faith.

To the confessors are those who continued to openly proclaim (confess) faith, regardless of the threat of prison and even death. Unlike the martyrs, these people died not by violent death, but nevertheless suffered severe persecution. Their holiness is a manifestation of readiness for self-sacrifice.

Examples of such feats are filled almost all the decades of the God-seeking regime in Russia. The above categories can also be described as the ranks of holiness directly related to the suffering of Christ, for the saints glorified in them, suffering, were likened to the Savior.

Saints, in life like the angels

Further mentioning the ranks of holiness, one should name a very broad category, to which those who have become a feat of life become a monastic ministry. Having completed the earthly path, they are glorified in the face of the saints.

This high rank is a testament to the fact that, having renounced the vain world and the excesses in themselves of the movement of passions, they became like in life, that is, they became like the angels of God. Their hosts are decorated with the names of the saints Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Theophanes the Recluse and many others.

A host of faithful rulers

The Orthodox Church also honors the memory of those children who, being at the top of power, used it to strengthen faith and work of mercy. At the end of their life, they are ranked among the faithful. This category includes kings, queens, princes and princesses.

This tradition came to Russia from Byzantium, where the emperors actively participated in the life of the church and had broad powers in resolving the most important religious issues. Nowadays many people are familiar with icons depicting the faithful princes Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky and Daniil of Moscow, whose brow is decorated with a halo - a symbol of holiness.

The righteous and the disinterested in the angelic rank

Righteousness is an integral part of every saint's life, but even among them there are those who have especially succeeded in this virtue and have set an example for the edification of their descendants. They are included in a separate rank and glorified in the face of the righteous. The Russian church knows many such names - the righteous John of Kronstadt, Stephen of Omsk and Alexy (Mechev). They can also belong to laypeople, for example Admiral Ushakov and Simeon Verkhotury.

One consequence of righteousness is the need for unselfish service to people. Saints, who adorned their lives with this feat, are called unbreached and also constitute an independent group. These include mostly doctors who profess the principle "every talent is given by God, and should be used in His glorification."

Their host is incalculable, and there is hardly anyone who has not heard the names of such saints as the unreached Panteleimon or Kosma and Demian. They are also canonized in the rank of the great martyrs, which is quite common, when the same saint glorifies God with various exploits.

Despised and beaten bearers of the truth of God

And finally, another rank, which for many centuries enjoyed special honor in Russia, is blessed. This form of holiness is very unusual and in many ways paradoxical. Blessed, or, in other words, holy fools, in Russia from ancient times called those who, under cover of external insanity, trampled all common worldly values, including ostentatious external piety.

Often their behavior was so provocative that from the side of others they were subjected not only to insults and humiliations, but also to beatings. However, in the end, such self-abasement and voluntary suffering were seen as following the example of Christ. Among the Russian saints in the face of the blessed are more than twenty people glorified, the most famous of which are Basil the Blessed, Xenia of Petersburg and Andrew of Constantinople.

The very word "holiness", except for a purely religious meaning, is often used in worldly life to designate objects and concepts that require a particularly respectful and even reverential attitude. Hardly, for example, someone will dispute the validity of such expressions as "holiness of motherhood" or "holy memory of fallen heroes". In these examples, there is no religious overtones, but nevertheless the mention of holiness is always associated with manifestations of spiritual greatness and purity.