Spiritual developmentChristianity

Orthodoxy. Holy Father - who is this?

Often we can hear such a familiar concept as "Holy Father". But far from everyone understands its significance and the place that is assigned to these "guides" in the Orthodox Church. Their writings are an integral part of Christian Tradition, but they differ from ordinary theologians. A lot of interesting and amazing facts we learn later from the article.

Whom is it so customary to call?

Father Saint is an honorable title, which appeared at the end of the fourth century. In the Orthodox faith from that time, they began to call free interpreters of the divine rules, which made a significant contribution to the formulation of dogmatics, the writing of the canon of Holy Scripture, and also to the doctrine of the Church and liturgy. It is believed that such ministers of the Lord are still distinguished by the orthodoxy of their faith and holiness throughout life. Also such a church term may be called some figures of the Middle Ages. For example, such as Patriarch Photius, Grigory Palamas, Theophanes the Recluse, Paisius Velichkovsky and many others. At the present time, the official address "Holy Father" can be addressed only to a monk. Informally, they also call priests and deacons.

The origin of the concept

The first mention in the church terminology of such a concept as "Father Saint" can be seen in the message of Athanasius the Great addressed to African clergymen, where he so calls Dionysius of Rome and Dionysius of Alexandria for their testimonies and teachings. After that, all church writers and teachers began to be called, but mostly bishops. Then such treatment could be heard already much more often. In this way, they pointed to the true servants of the Tradition of the Church in the field of its dogma. It is in this form of the concept of "Father of the Holy" came to our time. That is, when something is mentioned about these servants of God, it is meant that they speak exactly about those predecessors who testified and represented the Church's faith, and also were legitimate bearers of sacred teaching.

Symptoms

But it is not enough just to understand the significance of such a conversion as "Father the Holy", one must also know by what criteria it is possible to determine this God's messenger. He must be orthodox in his teachings, enjoy authority in matters relating to faith, and his writings can give an exact answer as to the significance of the Christian teaching in people's lives. Therefore, the church often denied various writers the right to be called Holy Fathers, because in their writings they deviated from the true faith. And also gave reasons to doubt the permanence in relation to Christianity, even despite their merits before the church and the degree of learning.

In addition, these theologians must have the holiness of life, that is, be an example for believers, pushing them toward spiritual understanding and development. The most significant sign of the Holy Fathers is the veneration of their church. It can be expressed in many forms. For example, some celebrated husbands can be clergymen as witnesses of the true faith of the apostles and base their creeds on their writings. Another form of recognition may be that the creations of other theologians are designated for reading in liturgical texts.

Authority

Unlike the factors that determine the glorified husbands, it is not entirely clear what importance is attached to their creations in the church in the modern world. It is known that in ancient times they enjoyed great respect, as evidenced by those epithets that they were called. For example, they could hear such addresses as "multicolored stars", "gracious bodies", "fed churches" and others.

But in the current Christian teachings, they do not have such unconditional authority as in the old days. Their point of view about Orthodoxy can not be more significant than the personal opinion of each believer. The creations of these theologians are not placed on a par with the teachings of various prophets and apostles, but are viewed simply as human works and reflections by authoritative church writers.

Wrong opinion

Many people, not knowing the true meaning of this church concept, think that priests also need to be called Holy Fathers. But this proposition is absolutely unacceptable. So you can call only the canonized husbands. To fathers, including monastics, you can only treat this way: "Father is so-and-so." Bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs are unofficially called "Masters".

The famous icon

Who are these Orthodox theologians, we already understand. But what kind do they have? In one ancient picture of icon painting, the Holy Father is depicted. Photos of this icon show that she has no equal in all the fine arts in the world. It is about the famous "Trinity" of the artist A. Rublev, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are painted. But about who is who of them, there are several opinions. The first hypothesis is the one according to which the canvas depicts Jesus Christ, accompanied by two angels. It was most widespread in the fifteenth century.

The second opinion is this: the icon "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" directly depicts God in three images. But it was refuted by the disciple of Theophanes the Greek, brought up in the strictest traditions of worship. The third hypothesis has become most widespread. Many are sure that the icon represents the three angels in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The photo shown above shows that the figures on it are depicted with halos and wings. And this serves as an argument in favor of this opinion. The fourth hypothesis, which has no confirmation, is that on the icon are drawn three ordinary mortals, representing the image of the Holy Trinity.

Honoring the glorified husbands

Although we often hear about the Holy Fathers in Christianity, the church is strongly opposed to being worshiped and ordered services in honor of them. The Orthodox believe that such reverence can be rendered only to our Lord, and not to his faithful servants.

According to the Orthodox Church, they are intermediaries between God and people. Therefore, according to many clerics, the veneration of the Holy Fathers can be humiliating towards Jesus Christ as the only intercessor between the Lord and the believers. Thus, the Holy Fathers are historical and pious personalities, which should be remembered with trepidation, reverence and reverence, and speak only with proper respect. But we must remember that they can not be treated with prayers and requests.

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