Apostolic rules with interpretations. 25 apostolic rule

What are the apostolic rules? This is the fundamental monument of the legislation of the world church. According to some researchers, the "Rules of the Holy Apostles" were written by an unknown author. Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and many Protestant churches recognize the apostolic authority for this document.

In general, the apostolic rules, as well as the "Teachings of the Twelve Apostles", are considered one of the most important works of the early centuries of the Church. They testify to the fact that the principles of ecclesiastical existence that we are using now date back to the first centuries (then the chapels led a semi-catacomb life). By the way, some Protestant societies, by recklessness or pride, consider the current system of organizing the existence of believers imposed by the authorities or outdated.

date of creation

When were the apostolic rules created? It is interesting that the dating of their writing is unknown, but scientists suggest that they appeared at the end of the second or the beginning of the third century: perhaps, soon after the three-year persecution of Decius. Unlike the "Instructions", this document is still used in the Orthodox churches of the East.

It is known that the apostolic rules do not formally belong to the body of the "Sacred Tradition", but they have undoubtedly high authority, following immediately after the verdicts of the Ecumenical Councils.

Appearance and Significance in the Church

So, the rules of the disciples of Jesus Christ refer to the earliest church myths. Christianity was only born, and they already had a colossal authority as the inscribed apostolic legends. It is interesting that the I (Nicene) World Council refers to this document as something well-known, since it is obvious that there were no other rules before its appearance.

Here the first rule clearly repeats the 21st apostolic, and the second - the 80th rule. Antiochian Council of 341 many of its laws are based on apostolic works. The second rule of the Sixth World Council confirms the authenticity of these documents, proclaiming that "85 rules of the apostles should henceforth be firm and unbreakable."

In general, Christianity believed that the special importance of the works of the Christian disciples lies not only in their antiquity and highly authoritative origin, but also in the fact that they contain almost all the most important canonical norms. Their value increased at a time when they were supplemented and developed by the Local and Ecumenical Councils and Church Fathers.

Essence of papers

What do the rules of the apostles tell about?

• On consecration: a bishop by two bishops or three (1), and a priest or deacon by one bishop (2).
• On the rejection of the rank: for the alien objects on the altar (3), for the expulsion of the wife (5), the worldly worries (6), for the groundless refusal of the sacrament (8), for making prayers with heretics (11, 45), fornication, fornication And theft (25), assault (27, 66), for the acquisition of power with the help of worldly rulers (30), for the fulfillment of the sacraments without the knowledge of the diocese (35), gambling and alcoholism (42), for renouncing Christ (62), For taking part in the festivals with the Jews (70).
• On the excommunication of the laity: for the premature withdrawal from service (9), for the fulfillment of prayers with heretics (10).
• Service is forbidden: the castrates (21) and the bigamy (17), the blind and the deaf (78), the servicemen (83), excommunicated (32).
• Characteristics of the list of biblical books (85), which includes 42 Old Testament books and 28 (or 36, if you consider those that are forbidden to publish) books of the New Testament without the Apocalypse.

Canonical status

Apostolic rules with interpretations are available for study to every person. The second rule of the Trullo Council determined the works of the apostles to be first among the canonical papers: it recognizes the documents of the disciples of Christ. They are also recognized by the Orthodox Church of the East. But the Church of the Romans agrees with the canonical authority of only the first fifty rules.

This same rule number 2 corrects the 85th apostolic rule, which describes the catalog of books of Holy Scripture and the works of canonical ones. It removes from them the letters of Clement, without attracting severe criticism, for the sake of preserving the authenticity of the apostolic legend.

Rule 25

So, consider the 25 apostolic rule. It says that the bishop, or deacon, or presbyter in perjury, or in debauchery, or in theft lied, will be deprived of the holy rank. But it is not possible to excommunicate it from the communion of the church. For it is written in the scripture: for one thing, do not avenge twice (Naum 1: 9). The same applies to the sextons.

Agree, 25 apostolic rule is very interesting in its content. In general, all that prevents the entry of a famous person into the holy dignity, of course, must also deprive her of this dignity. Everyone knows what features a clergyman should have. Similarly, everyone is aware of flaws that priests can not have. What are the main shortcomings of the clergy? In the first place are those who blacken a good name, so important for the priests.

And what shortcomings discredit the reputation of the clergy? It is those who are intolerant of the laity: they subject them to the severity of the punitive law. This apostolic law mentions three crimes in which a spiritual person can fall into misfortune - stealing, fornication and perjury. About these and other incidents, which the priest can perform, is mentioned in many other rules, as described in their respective interpretations. As stated earlier, if a clergyman falls into these sins, it does not deserve a sacred dignity.

So, this rule says that clergymen and clergymen convicted of the above-mentioned iniquities should be deprived of the position they acquired through hirotosis and consecration. But at the same time the same position says that they should not be separated from the church. It justifies its injunction with the words of Holy Scripture (Naum.1: 9).

In the interpretation of the fifth apostolic rule, it is said about the various punishments imposed on the priests for the sins they committed. And in the same place, eruptions and excommunication are treated - these punishments are considered to be the most serious. For the clergy, an eruption is practiced from a sacred dignity, and for ordinary people - excommunication from church communication.

By the way, the apostolic rules for the laity Should be presented in the same way as for clerics: in teaching, preaching, and using books.

The excommunication, which the fifth prescription tells about, does not need to be regarded as a punishment for clerics. It should be interpreted as punishment for the laity, otherwise the recommendations of this rule would not make sense. It is necessary to understand this law in such a way that the priest for a known oversight loses his spiritual rank and becomes a layman who has the right to participate in church communication. And only later, having committed such a misconduct as a layman, he is excommunicated from church conversations.

By the way, the eruption for the cleric is the heaviest punishment. Interestingly, the concept of Christian charity provides for adding one more punishment to this punishment? Namely: the deprivation of the guilty right to participate in the meetings of believers? However, this law is lenient only to those provinces that are mentioned only in this document. After all, in the 29th and 30th rule, other sins are mentioned, for which criminals bear a double punishment - eruption and excommunication. For example, for Simony or for receiving the episcopal dignity with the help of the worldly authorities.

In general, the apostolic rules with interpretations are very interesting. So, according to the definition of Gregory of Nyssa, which is mentioned in the fourth rule, fornication is not insulting the other satisfaction of lustful desire with any person. Hence it follows that debauchery can be committed with a man who is not bound by marriage and does not belong to anyone according to law. Therefore, this oversight does not offend the third party, that is, the husband or wife. By this nuance, fornication is different from adultery, which inflicts harm on another person and offends him.

In fact, adultery refers to an unlawful relationship with someone else's wife or with a stranger. The rules of Basil the Great (38, 40, 42) fornication represent more widely: this name refers to all marriages committed against the will of the elders.

It should be noted that the apostolic rules on marriage tell a lot of interesting things. Of course, fornication is considered a lesser sin than adultery. After all, according to the same Gregory of Nyssa in the above rule, fornication is a criminal satisfaction of lascivious desires. Adultery, among other things, contains an insult to another, as a result of which it is punished more severely. The condemnation of the fornication of the priests, expressed in this document, is based on the Holy Scriptures (1 Timothy 3: 2,3, Titus 1: 6).

The second crime that condemns this rule is the violation of an oath. So, if any priest breaks a certain oath, uttered on an important issue by the name of God, then the court must confirm this crime . And if the judges find out that the vow is indeed broken, then this sin will be the heavier and more criminal, the more solemnly this vow was proclaimed, and the more important was the case when it was given and vice versa (You, Grand Duke 82). This sin is severely punished among lay people. Many now understand the severity of this law in relation to the fathers for the same crime. After all, they, among other things, would serve as a temptation for believers, remaining to serve the truth, while drowning in untruth.

In this rule, the secret seizure of the property of another person is implicit in theft. If one appropriates an object that is an ecclesiastical property, then such theft is related to a different type of crime and is punished differently (Ap.72, Dirk 10, Gregory Nis., 6,8).

Rule 51

The apostolic rule of the 51st tells us about the following: if a deacon or bishop, or presbyter, or any priest turns away from wine, meat or marriage for the sake of the necessary fasting, but because of mockery, what will happen to him? After all, this person has forgotten that everything is good! That the Lord, creating a man, created a husband and wife inseparable! In fact, it slanders God's creation! This document states that such a priest must either be corrected, or be deprived of the holy rank and excommunicated from the Church. The same punishment is provided for the layman.

And indeed, the chapels always approved abstinence and even recommended it in the days of fasting. But this law is directed against those ancient heretics who abhorred certain types of food, wine or meat, seeing in them something unclean, and rejected marriage.

Rule 42

The Apostolic Rule 42nd Says that if the presbyter, bishop or deacon is betrayed by the game or drunkenness, let him be outcast and let him be. The interpretation of this document is identical to the interpretation of the 43rd rule, which states that if a reader, singer or subdeacon will do this, he will be excommunicated. The same applies to laypeople.

Both in 42, and in 43 the rule it is said about the same thing, namely: about the prohibition of games and drunkenness. The law states that if persons who commit this sins show perseverance and after receiving advice from the elders, they should be deprived of the holy rank, if there are priests. If such a mistake is made by laymen or clergymen, they should be excommunicated from the Holy Communion. In general, priests were usually deprived beforehand of the services they occupied in the temple. They were excommunicated from the Holy Communion only after they ceased to be readers, and subdeacons or singers.

Under the game mentioned in this document, it is necessary to understand all kinds of gambling (for example, in cards), during which a person seeks to take away from the partner as much money as possible. Some players voluntarily doom their own savings or the savings of their families to death. This is a kind of theft, for which the 25th rule of the disciples of Christ recommends the eruption of the spiritual father convicted in it. The 42nd rule in the same way prescribes the eruption of every inclined to gambling.

Rule 45

45 apostolic rule Says that if the presbyter, bishop or deacon prays only with heretics, be removed. If he allows them to act as ecclesiastical ministers, then let him be erred.

In the first rule, Saint Basil the Great says that in the old days heretics called people who had completely torn away from the Orthodox Church. By its definition, heresy is a clear difference in God's very faith. The tenth apostolic law forbids to pray together with the excommunicated from the Church for any grave sin. The Church is always separated from people who do not accept its dogmatic doctrine and are against it.

Therefore, the cleric or bishop, who works together with the heretics prayer, is excommunicated: such persons are forbidden to officiate. However, the most severe punishment - an eruption, that is, deprivation of dignity, can be punished by a cleric or bishop who allowed heretics to the sacraments of the Church as her ministers.

A modern example of such a violation of the rules is the assumption by the Catholic or Protestant priest of the wedding ceremony of his parishioner in his place. Some fathers allow parishioners to take communion from a non-Orthodox confessor: such actions are also punished. This nuance of Rule 45 is supplemented by the following 46 instructions.

Rule 64

What does the 64 apostolic rule tell us about? This document warns that if anyone from the clergy is seen fasting on God's day or on Saturday (Great Saturday is not taken into account), let him be erred. If a layman is found behind such a thing, he will be excommunicated.

In general, the degree of permission for fasting on Sundays and Sabbath days is defined in the church statute. During this period, it is allowed to consume wine, oil and food after the Liturgy, without continuing the fast to three quarters of the day.

Rule 69

And the 69th apostolic rule says that if the presbyter, or the bishop, or the reader, or the singer or subdeacon, does not observe fasting in the holy four-fold before the Passover, or on Wednesday, or in the heel: let him be cast out. But if the layman admits such a mistake: let him be excommunicated. To refuse fasting in this case can only a person who has physical afflictions.

In general, this law recommends believers to fast in Lent, on Wednesdays and Fridays. The fasting is based on Holy Scripture. It is known that the Lord himself began to practice fasting in the Old Testament church.

And at last it is necessary to add that, in the opinion of Chrysostom and Basil the Great, God created a fast in Paradise. It was then that he forbade people to eat from the forbidden fruit.