Theology of Ordination

Evolution of the Diaconate in the Syriac Orthodox Church

Very Rev. Raban Eugene Aydin spoke about the evolution of the diaconate in the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. Today the Syriac Church has five orders within the diaconate: archdeacon, deacon, subdeacon, lector and chanter. Deacons are ordained by the bishop, serve primarily on the altar, and assist the priest in the celebration of the liturgy. Some teach and instruct the faithful or carry out charitable work. Each archdiocese may have one archdeacon who is called “the right hand of the bishop,” working closely with him in administrative and liturgical duties. Deaconesses were well known in the ancient Syriac church, and the bishop laid hands on them in the rite of ordination. In the sixth century they poured the wine and water into the chalice, read the Gospel in gatherings of women, placed the incense, washed sacred vessels, lit the candles and cleaned the sanctuary. By the end of the seventh century their role was already being restricted and, some scholars would later assert that the ordination of deaconesses was of a different nature from that of male deacons. The ancient order for the ordination of deaconesses is still used today with some adaptation in the Syriac Church, but women are ordained only to the order of chantress, the lowest of the diaconal orders. Their role is to sing liturgical hymns in the church and to teach children in Sunday school. His Eminence Metropolitan Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim added that the ancient rite of ordination of deaconesses left out some sections that are present in the rite for the ordination of male deacons, including the invocation of the Holy Spirit over the candidate. Otherwise the wording is almost the same. The deaconesses had no authority in the sanctuary, but fulfilled some duties there in the absence of a priest. They could give communion to women and children, and assisted in the anointing of women at Baptism.

Father Anthony J. DeLuca commented briefly on the practice of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church in India, which is linked to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate. In the Malankara tradition the apostles were regarded as deacons and sometimes Christ as well. There is some evidence that the women called deaconesses in ancient times were actually the wives of deacons. Until fifty or sixty years ago deaconesses in the Malankara Church were the wives of priests, and assisted with the anointing of women at their baptism. ....> Read more




Ordained Ministry in the Church of England

Most ordained ministers are priests (also known as presbyters). Their work is to build up the Body of Christ in the Church and in the world through the celebration of the sacraments, teaching, preaching and pastoral care. It is a ministry of leadership and mission, enabling all Christian people to realize their potential as they witness to Christ in the world. But priesthood is not only about what a person does. It is also about what a person is. Through the lives they lead, priests point to the life of Christ crucified and risen, encouraging all God’s people to show love, care and compassion and to strive for justice and peace. As they do this, priests share in people’s sorrows and joys as they walk with them on their individual journeys. For some this ministry is exercised full time, for others ministry is exercised as they continue in their on-going occupations.

In the Common Worship Ordination Services, the ordaining bishop says these words which express the heart of the ministry of a priest:

Priests are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent. With their bishop and fellow-ministers, they are to proclaim the word of the Lord, and to watch for the signs of God’s new creation. They are to be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; they are to teach and to admonish, to feed and provide for his family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world’s temptations, and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ for ever. Formed by the Word, they are to call their hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ’s name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins.

With all God’s people they are to tell the story of God’s love. They are to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to walk with them in the way of Christ, nurturing them in the faith. They are to unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. They are to preside at the Lord’s table and lead his people in worship, offering with them a spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. They are to bless the people in God’s name. They are to resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor, and intercede for all in need. They are to minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. Guided by the Spirit, they are to discern and foster the gifts of all God’s people, that the whole Church may be built up in unity and faith.

The ministry of a deacon is to be a servant, both within the Church and in the wider community. A person who is accepted for ordination as a priest is first ordained as a deacon. Then, after a period of normally a year, he or she is ordained to the priesthood. This reminds us that humble service is always at the heart of priestly ministry. However, some are called to be life-long distinctive deacons. These are people who are called to ordained ministry but not as priests. Their ministry encapsulates the servant nature of all Christian ministry.

In the Common Worship Ordination Services, the ordaining bishop says these words which express the heart of the ministry of a deacon:

Deacons are called to work with the bishop and the priests with whom they serve as heralds of Christ’s kingdom. They are to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, as agents of God’s purposes of love. They are to serve the community in which they are set, bringing to the Church the needs and hopes of all the people. They are to work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be made visible.

Deacons share in the pastoral ministry of the Church and in leading God’s people in worship. They preach the word, and bring the needs of the world before the Church in intercession. They accompany those searching for faith and bring them to baptism. They assist in administering the sacraments; they distribute communion and minister to the sick and housebound.

Deacons are to seek nourishment from the Scriptures; they are to study them with God’s people, that the whole Church may be equipped to live out the gospel in the world. They are to be faithful in prayer, expectant and watchful for the signs of God’s presence, as he reveals his kingdom among us....> Read it all


Theology of Ordination in the Catholic Church:  Click here

Holy Orders: Wikipedia essay  Click here

Apostolic Succession:  click here

Diaconate Theology Consultation 2003