By Metropolitan Saba (Isper)
His Eminence presents a three-part series about revitalizing the diaconate in our Archdiocese.
Deacons and Martyrs Steven and Lawrence - Mt Athos 17th century
To adequately analyze the diaconal ministry, it is first necessary to look back at its history in the Church. How was it actually carried out in the early Church? How did it evolve? Did it expand or contract? Church history shows that there has never been a rigidly fixed or demarcated ministry assigned to the diaconate, from the first century to the twenty-first century. The diaconate has experienced periods of prosperity and periods of decline and was even completely absent in some eras.
Linguistically, the word “deacon” means “servant.” The first reference to the diaconate in the New Testament, according to Christian tradition, is found in the Acts of the Apostles. Understanding why this ministry arose is important because it reveals its role of service in the Church.
In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1-6), we learn that the Church carried out a service (διακονία) to the underprivileged, which required time to be managed properly. Similar to charitable services organized by the Church today, there can arise an accusation of personal favoritism, of helping one group at the expense of another, even if unintentional. So were the Hebrew Christians accused of favoring the Jewish widows as compared to the Gentiles. Faced with this problem, the Apostles decided that “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables” (Acts 6:2). Such a ministry could not be neglected, but the time and effort it required could not come at the expense of the Apostles’ preaching and teaching. The Apostles therefore decided to appoint seven men of good repute and set them apart by laying hands on them for this service. Their service was that of charity, or “tables,” which included collections and distributions to the poor, the widows, and possibly the agape meals that accompanied the Divine Liturgy at that time.
Saint John Chrysostom (+407), in his commentary on this text,1 mentions that the seven whom we call deacons were not ordained with a sacramental ordination as deacons and priests are today because, at that time, the ranks of priestly service and ordinations were not yet organized as they later came to be.
1 Homily XIV on Acts, ET NPNF 1:11, pp. 90-1.
However, he accepts calling them deacons because they were appointed as servants for a specific service. Thus, in his interpretation of the text, he seeks to affirm the importance of the diaconate, considering it a service that began in the early days of the Apostles. He does not diminish their importance; on the contrary, he praises their service and encourages it.
Early Church testimonies after the time of the Acts of the Apostles confirm the existence of the three known ranks in the Church: deacon, priest, and bishop. The service of the diaconate was always present at the heart of the Church. St. Justin the Martyr (+165), for example, says that deacons distribute the Holy Eucharist to the faithful and bring the Holy Communion to those who could not attend the Divine Liturgy due to illness or imprisonment.2 St. Basil the Great (+379) also mentions deacons performing this service, providing Holy Communion to those unable to attend church for valid or pious reasons.
Sub Deacon ceremony with Bishop Anthony, Fr Michael Nasser, and Fr Jason Blaise
The service of the diaconate becomes clearer in the councils convened by the Church after the fourth century, when many canons were established to regulate it. The issues they address often may seem insignificant to us today due to changing circumstances, but they indicate that the diaconate was a fundamental service in the Church.
For example, the Council of Neocaesarea (315 AD) addressed the issue of whether there could be more than seven deacons in a single city (referring to the seven original deacons mentioned earlier). Such a matter would not have been raised at a church council if the service of the diaconate had not been present in the churches whose leaders convened at this council. The Council of Neocaesarea emphasized that the number of deacons should not exceed seven,3 while the Council of Trullo (692 AD), about 300 years later, allowed for an unlimited number of deacons in a single city.4
One might rightly ask why the Council of Trullo amended the canon of Neocaesarea. The answer is simple: The service of the diaconate evolved as the need for it increased. With the stabilization of the Church and Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Church's missionary and social service expanded, and with it, the service of the diaconate.
2 First Apology, cc. 65, 67.
3 Canon 15.
4 Canon 16.
What is this role? What are the services or functions assigned to this ministry? Are they still important today? We must return to history to obtain answers and judge the necessity of this service for today's Church. As Orthodox Christians, we must be guided by Holy Tradition if we are to pursue this path.
Holy Tradition considers the diaconate an essential and complementary part of apostolic service. Since the early days of Christianity, the diaconate has been considered the third rank of the three priestly ranks.5 This means that it was not a temporary or transitional service, a mere stage or step towards entering the priesthood, as it has become in many churches today due to the shortage of priests.
From the canons of various councils that discussed this matter, as well as the writings of some theologians and historians, it is clear that the diaconate was a service designated for a specific mission, and at the same time necessary for the era in which it existed, as evidenced by its relative cessation in other times.
Subdeacon ceremony at Holy Apostles Orthodox Church
As Byzantine canon law developed, we notice an administrative dimension for male deacons forming, especially after Christianity stabilized and the Church became institutionalized. The deacon was considered, for example, the bishop’s hearing, tongue, and hand,6 as someone whose ministry is in “fulfilling the bishop's need.” With the establishment of the liturgical form of worship, the deacon's role in facilitating the service was primarily defined, especially in the presence of the bishop. Even today, at least in the Byzantine rite, as in other rites, the bishop and deacon almost entirely serve the Divine Liturgy, and the service order (Typikon) allocates only a few proclamations to the priest.
(To be continued.)
5 As witnessed in Canon 18 of Nicaea (325).
6 E.g., Didascalia Apostolorum xi.128.
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