Often we can hear such a familiar concept as the Holy Father. But not everyone understands its significance and what place is given to these God's “guides” in the Orthodox Church. Their writings are an integral part of Christian Tradition, but they differ from ordinary theologians. We learn many interesting and amazing facts further from the article.
Who is so called?
Holy Father is an honorary title that appeared at the end of the fourth century. Since those times, in the Orthodox religion, they began to call free interpreters of the divine rules, which made a significant contribution to the formulation of dogma, the writing of the canon of Scripture, as well as to the teachings of the Church and liturgy. It is believed that such servants of the Lord are still distinguished by the orthodoxy of their faith and holiness throughout their lives. Also, some medieval figures may be called such a church term. For example, such as Patriarch Photius, Gregory Palamas, Theophan the Recluse, Paisius Velichkovsky and many others. At present, the official appeal of the Holy Father can be addressed only to a monk. Informally, they also call priests and deacons.
The emergence of the concept
The first mention in church terminology of such a thing as “Holy Father” can be seen in the letter of Athanasius the Great addressed to African clergymen, where he calls Dionysius of Rome and Dionysius of Alexandria for their testimonies and teachings. After that, they began to call all church writers and teachers, but mainly bishops. Then such an appeal could be heard much more often. In this way, they pointed to the true ministers of the Tradition of the church in the field of its creed. It is in this form that the concept of "Holy Father" has come down to our times. That is, when these servants of God are mentioned somewhere, it is understood that they speak of those predecessors who testified and represented the religion of the Church, and were also legitimate bearers of sacred teaching.
Signs
But it’s not enough just to understand the meaning of such an appeal as “The Holy Father,” you also need to know by what criteria this God's messenger can be defined. He must be orthodox in his teachings, enjoy authority in matters relating to faith, and his writings can give an exact answer about what should be the meaning of Christian teaching in people's lives. Therefore, the church often denied various writers the right to be called the Holy Fathers, because in their writings they deviated from the true faith. And they also gave reasons to doubt the constancy in relation to Christianity, even despite their merits to the church and the degree of scholarship.
In addition, these theologians should have the holiness of life, that is, be an example for believers, pushing them to 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 illustrious husbands clergy may indicate as witnesses to the true faith of the apostles and base their own faiths on their scriptures. 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 illustrious husbands, it is not entirely clear what importance their creations are attached to the church in the modern world. It is known that in ancient times they enjoyed great respect, as evidenced by those epithets that they called them. For example, they could hear such addresses as “multicolor stars”, “gracious bodies”, “fed the church” and others.
But in the current Christian teachings, they do not have such an unconditional authority as in the old days. Their point of view regarding Orthodoxy cannot be more significant than the personal opinion of every believer. The creations of these theologians are not put on a par with the teachings of various prophets and apostles, but are considered simply as human works and reflections of authoritative church writers.
Erroneous opinion
Many people, not knowing the true meaning of this church concept, think that priests should also be called the Holy Fathers. But this judgment is completely unacceptable. So can only be called canonized husbands. To priests, including monks, you can only contact: "Father such and such." Bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs are unofficially called the "Lords."
Famous icon
Who are these Orthodox theologians, we already understand. But what kind do they have? One ancient painting of icon painting depicts the Holy Father. Photos of this icon show that she has no equal in all the fine arts in the world. We are talking about the famous "Trinity" by artist A. Rublev, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are painted. But there are several opinions regarding which of them is who. The first hypothesis is considered the one according to which Jesus Christ is accompanied on the canvas, accompanied by two angels. It gained the greatest distribution 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 a disciple of Theophanes the Greek, brought up in the strictest traditions of worship. The third hypothesis is most prevalent. Many are sure that the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” icon represents the three angels in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity. The photo presented above shows that the figures on it are depicted with halo and wings. And this is an argument in favor of this opinion. The fourth hypothesis, which has no confirmation, is that three ordinary mortals are drawn on the icon, representing the image of the Holy Trinity.
Honoring Illustrious Husbands
Although we often hear about the Holy Fathers in Christianity, the church is strongly opposed to being worshiped and ordered to serve. The Orthodox believe that such reverence can only be given to our Lord, and not to his faithful servants.
According to the Orthodox Church, they are intermediaries between God and people. Therefore, many clergymen believe that veneration of the Holy Fathers can be humiliating to Jesus Christ as the only intercessor between the Lord and believers. Thus, the Holy Fathers are historical and pious individuals, which need to be remembered with trepidation, reverence and reverence, and speak only with due respect. But we must remember that they cannot be addressed with prayers and requests.