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THE
ORDINATION OF DEACONS AND
PRESBYTERS INTRODUCTION This
provisional translation of the rites for the ordination of Deacons and
Presbyters is made from the text in the Mega Euchologion. The rubrics in
square brackets are not in the original, but describe the ceremony as it is
actually performed. ORDINATION
OF A DEACON The
Subdeacon to be ordained Deacon stands during the whole Liturgy on the solea in
front of the icon of Christ. He holds the pitcher and bowl and the towel for the
washing of the Bishop’s hands before the Great Entrance. As Milton says,
‘They also serve who only stand and wait’. ORDINATION
OF A PRESBYTER The
Deacon to be ordained Presbyter acts as the first Deacon at the Liturgy, even
though more senior Deacons may also be taking part in the Liturgy. ORDINATION
OF A WOMAN DEACON The
rite for ordaining Women Deacons, or Deaconesses, is no longer in use, though it
was still in the printed Euchologia
in the 17th century. The present translation is made from Goar, who used the
Venetian edition of 1638 for his Euchologion. A number of other versions
of the rite can be found in Dmitrievsky’s Eucholgia. Whereas in the
early days of the Church women Deacons had a liturgical role in the
administration of Baptism and more generally in ministry to the women of the
congregation, analogous to that of male Deacons with regard to the men, by the
sixth century, as one of Severos of Antioch’s letters, written to an
‘Archimanditess and Deaconess’, makes clear, the female diaconate seems to
have been given more as an honour, particularly to abbesses and senior nuns,
rather than as a practical necessity, “In the case of a female deacon,
especially in the monasteries, ordination is received not so much for the sake
of the requirements of the Mysteries, but for the sake of honour only”. The
two prayers of the rite, in particular the second, seem to reflect the monastic
side of this development. There is, I think, no evidence that women Deacons ever
had a role in the Eucharistic rite like that of male Deacons. Canon 19 of the
First Council of Nicea seems to imply that women Deacons are not ordained, but
are lay people. By Chalcedon the situation seems to have changed, and the extant
rite reflects this development. The
ordination takes place at the same point of the Liturgy as that for male Deacons
and the principal role of the diaconate as the minister of the Chalice is
stressed by the giving of the Chalice to the newly ordained woman Deacon. This
clearly indicates that the newly ordained was admitted to the Sanctuary and
stood near the Altar. The 14th century canonist Matthew Blastares notes that,
’except for a few things, the ordination of women deacons is to be performed
like that for male deacons’. He notes particularly that ‘she is brought to
the Holy Table’. The rubrical details in the
older books are few and the actual formula of ordination is not given in
full. As a result we do not know how the candidate was described or what her
ecclesiastical status was before ordination. I do not think the fact that she
only bows and does not kneel has any theological significance. Proclaiming the Gospel is primarily the task of the Bishop, who is ordained before the Gospel. The Deacon is the most junior minister who is permitted to read the Gospel in the Christian Assembly. |
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All texts and
translations on this page are copyright to This page was last updated on 18 April 2008 |