When a person comes to church for the first time and sees a priest, what is remembered? Priest vestments, a cross on his chest and a long beard. A look and a good word in confession is recalled only later, as a person becomes ecclesiastical.
Why do priests wear a beard? Have believers ever thought about this? Hardly - well, they wear and wear, it should be so.
Let’s talk about why it is so supposed to.
At first it was ...
Cropped poppy seed. This Byzantine tradition came to Russia. What did she symbolize? Crown of thorns of Christ. The priests cut the makovichka in a semicircle, while the rest of the hair remained long. This hairstyle was called "Humenzo." It existed until the 18th century; later on, such a practice lost its necessity.
Interesting tradition
Already in the XVII century in Russia, priests combined two traditions: to cut off the Humenzo and let go of hair, along with a beard. Thus, the crown was shaved smoothly, and the remaining long hair was braided into a braid. The shaved part of the head was covered with a special cap - a scoop. Why do Orthodox priests wear long hair? About this - in the next paragraph.
Where did this come from
The tradition of not cutting hair and beards may have come under the influence of Eastern monasticism. Monks do not cut their hair and do not shave. Gradually, it spread to other Orthodox countries, including Russia. The only exception is the Western Christian world. It was prescribed to cut hair and shave a beard, but this was done from a medical point of view - in order to avoid the spread of lice. Swimming in water sources, such as rivers, was prohibited. It was believed that there were too many infections in the ponds.
In the East, everything was exactly the opposite. Ablutions were performed daily, it was considered mandatory.
Another answer to the question why priests wear a beard and long, neat hair, it is logical to consider the Biblical injunction. "Do not cut your heads round and do not spoil the edge of your beard," - this line from the Old Testament.
What about the Catholics?
With Orthodoxy it is more or less clear, and with the attitude of priests to long hair and beard, too. What about the Catholics? Why do Orthodox priests wear a beard, but not Catholic? Among the clergy of this denomination there are many beardless and short-cropped representatives.
The fact is that Catholics inherited the traditions of wearing hair and beards from the ancient Romans. Those, as mentioned above, were supporters of shaving beards and cutting hair for hygienic reasons.
Times have changed, but Catholics have remained traditions. The Russian Stoglav Cathedral in 1551 recognized these traditions as heresy.
Interesting fact
Why do priests wear a beard and mustache? Have you noticed that all priests have different beards? Someone has a neat, "professorial" beard. And someone flaunts with a long shovel-shaped beard. There is an interesting opinion: clerics coming from the intelligentsia prefer neat beards. And those whose ancestors were peasants wear majestic spade-shaped beards.
Appearance of the father
In Russian churches, they have long been accustomed to the fact that the priest must have a beard. This is his invariable attribute, almost the same as vestment. Some hair, especially young church ministers, can be cut. But the beard is untouchable.
Many people, even going to church for years, have no idea why priests wear a beard and long hair. Meanwhile, everything is simple, as we managed to find out.
But back to how the Orthodox father should look. For some reason, many people have an association: he is certainly fat, with gray hair and a beard. As for the physique and hair color - this is only human speculation. Fathers are different. No, not black, white and red, but slim and not very, tall and short, gray and black-haired. But all of them are united by a beard.
What does the church prescribe?
Why do Orthodox priests wear a beard? It is prescribed by the church. But the bearded father, also with long hair, should look neat. Who will like a shaggy, with a long unwashed hair, clergyman? Besides with a groomed long beard? Of course, parishioners are unlikely to reach such a priest.
What should a priest look like? Long hair is collected in a ponytail. The head is always clean. The beard is neatly combed and shaped despite its length. But in caring for a hairstyle and beard you can not go to extremes. It will be inappropriate to be both untidy and excessive "licking."
The image of a priest in Orthodoxy
Why priests wear a beard, we found out. And what is he, an Orthodox father? He seeks to be like Christ, for the priest is an earthly model for Christians. Is this one of the reasons for wearing long hair and beard? Not a single icon depicts the Savior without a beard and elongated hair.
The priest wears special vestments and a robe. The cassock is a kind of dress with very wide sleeves, usually black. But there may be summer options for this clothing - bright. When it is very hot, the black cassock is far from comfortable.
White clergy, that is, married priests, wear skufu - a special hat. The black clergy - monks - are dressed in robes and hoods. The hood is a tall black “hat” with a blanket on the back. The bedspread goes down the back and goes down to the floor. An indispensable attribute of monasticism, with the exception of a beard and long hair, is a rosary. On them the monks pray. Worldly priests can also wear rosaries.
So, the representative of the white clergy looks like this:
Interesting Facts
Why do priests wear a beard? We have already answered this question. Now let's talk about some interesting facts related to the unshaven of the priests and not only:
In the Orthodox church you can meet clergymen without a beard or with sparse vegetation. As a rule, these are young priests, and the absence of a beard is a temporary phenomenon.
It is believed that if the priest does not wear a beard, for reasons not related to his health condition, then he is embarrassed by his ministry. Such priests are wary, parishioners try to avoid them.
Not only priests should grow beards. This is the duty of all Orthodox men, according to the instructions of the Old Testament about cutting hair and shaving beards.
Women in Orthodoxy are also prohibited from having their hair cut.
It is believed that hair is a cover for a person in the Last Judgment. On it everyone will be naked, and will be able to hide nudity only under long hair.
In Orthodoxy there are no representatives of the fair sex among the clergy. This is not due to harassment of women. It is enough to recall that the most revered Woman is the Virgin Mary. The fact is that God came into the world in a male form. The priest is an image of Christ. A woman, due to gender, cannot imagine His image.
Instead of a conclusion
The main purpose of the article is to tell the reader why priests wear a beard and often long hair. To acquaint him with the traditions in Orthodoxy, to talk about what the Orthodox father represents.
Let's highlight the main aspects in the article:
For what reasons do priests wear beards and long hair? One of them is conformity with the appearance of Christ. He is depicted with a beard and hair.
The second reason lies in the eastern tradition of Orthodox monasticism that came to Russia. Monks do not cut their hair or shave their beards.
An indication in the Old Testament that a man does not need to shave his head and cut his beard.
In Catholicism, the opposite is true. Catholic priests shave and cut their hair. This is due to the ancient Roman hygiene standards that have now become a tradition. In ancient Rome, it was prescribed to shave beards and cut hair to prevent the spread of lice. In addition, regular swimming in the rivers was prohibited. In the East, daily ablution was considered mandatory.
What can be added? Hardly short hair and a shortened beard detract from the merits of the priest as a priest. It's not about having a beard or hair on your head, but about how the priest approaches his mission.