Hieromonk - a concept from the Orthodox lexicon. Therefore, in Russia it is quite recognizable. However, the subtleties of meaning, as well as the history of this term, are little known outside the framework of church orthodoxy. This article will be devoted to them.
Origin and etymology
The term "hieromonk" is a Greek construction that comes from two roots - "hieros" and "monos". The first of them is translated as “sacred”, and the second is “one”. Therefore, literally this word translates as "sacred loner." However, “monos” is also a special, as they say, technical term, which means a hermit who has chosen the path of religious perfection outside the bonds of marriage and attachments to the world. Therefore, this word entered the Russian language without translation in the form of “monk”. As for “hieros,” the word “jereus,” that is, “priest,” comes from him. In such a refraction, the hieromonk is simply a monk priest. It is in this meaning that this word is used in Orthodoxy and in general in Christianity.
Story
It is known that initially the monks could not take the holy dignity. This was due to the fact that they lived a hermit life and could not engage in pastoral, social activities, which involved the ministry of a priest. Therefore, for the first centuries of Christianity, the hieromonk is something unthinkable, contradictory. However, in the future, when the monks began to rally and form their own communities, which grew up in monasteries, they had a need for their leaders and their priests. Therefore, some of them began to be elected and ordained. So the first hermits priests appeared. The sermon of the hieromonk was limited to the monastic brotherhood and occasionally pilgrims who came to them. The ancient cloisters were located in deserted, deserted places, and therefore laity appeared there infrequently. However, already in the early Middle Ages monasteries began to appear in the suburbs and even inside the cities themselves. Most often they were founded by ruling persons - monarchs, barons and other aristocrats. The life of a hieromonk in such a monastery, unlike his brothers on the periphery of civilization, was associated with politics no less, and sometimes more, than with priestly and spiritual ministry. In the modern world, monks no longer hide from the world, as before, and therefore a lot of monasteries are located in the city. In addition, if earlier only the chosen brothers from among the inhabitants of the monastery were awarded the priestly rank, today in almost all monasteries, almost 100% of monks are priests. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, but this is precisely the trend.
Hierarchy inside monastic priests
We found out that the hieromonk is a priest who brought monastic vows. But the official title of such a clergyman may change over time. For example, there is the rank of abbot. Previously, abbots were exclusively called abbots of monasteries. In other words, they were hieromonks, who were handed, in addition to the priesthood, the supreme administrative authority in the monastery. A similar position, but more honorable and higher in the hierarchy, is the archimandrite. In the Orthodox tradition, it is from archimandrites that bishops are chosen. Even the hieromonk elected to the bishop’s pulpit accepts the dignity of the bishop only after having previously received the rank of archimandrite. Sometimes such archimandrites have their title no more than a day. At present, hegumenism and archimandritism are, as a rule, not administrative posts, but honorary award titles. Such priests really are no different from ordinary hieromonks, with the exception of more luxurious vestments and some authority among believers.
Hieromonk in other faiths
Orthodoxy is not the only Christian denomination where there are monastic priests. Such are also found in Catholicism and in Anglicanism. In addition, there are a number of churches that associate themselves with Orthodoxy, but historically go back to the Monophysitic and Nestorian communities. Being very ancient, they also preserve the monastic tradition and, accordingly, have priests from monks. They are called, however, everywhere in different ways. The Greek term "hieromonk" itself is the property of only the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine tradition, which includes the Russian Orthodox Church MP. In addition, this word is used by the Greek Catholics, that is, Catholics adhering to the Eastern, Orthodox rite.