www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Titles

Lately I have been noticing titles that I had previously never heard of.

Sub-Deacon
Proto-Deacon
Cardinal Deacon
etc

What are these titles?
Almost sounds like a large corporation that need new titles to make there worker happy.

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. You were not supposed to be able to figure that out! It's the story of rank having privilege, so make the privileged in the church more rank.

Sub-Deacon
Proto-Deacon
Cardinal Deacon

In the Latin Church, the order of Sub-Deacon has been done away with. In the Eastern Churches, the Sub-deacon's job is to carry the flabellae; ceremonial fans during the Liturgy.

Proto-Deacon, I believe is a deacon who is stationed at a Cathedral.

There are 3 ranks of Cardianls:
Cardinal -priest (Most American cardinals are Cardinal-priests)
Cardinal-deacons (who are in charge of the Major Churches of Rome and its environs)
Cardinal-bishop.

Just because these ranks are "priest", "deacon", and "bishop" doesn't mean that the rank of Cardinal bishop is higher than the others as they are alone (ie, a bishop is higher than priest who is higher than a deacon.)They are titles.
Hope that helps.

Dear Little Green Coat,

Christ is Risen!

The following applies to the Churches of the Byzantine-Slavonic tradition.

In many of the Eastern Christian Churches only the titles of deacon and archdeacon are known. Thus they make no distinction between monastic and non-monastic deacons.

An archdeacon is always in deacon's orders in the Eastern Christian Churches, except among the East Syrians and Churches descended from them. Since the 5th century in these Churches an archdeacon has been a priest. (This begins to play fast with language. It would be better to call the holder of this office by another title, e.g. protosyncellos.)

Deacon: a secular or diocesan cleric who has received cheirotonia or ordination to the diaconate and who functions in the ministries of liturgy, word and charity as diakonos or minister to the bishop.

Hierodeacon: a monk who has received cheirotonia to the diaconate. He might be in any one of the three grades of the monastic life - rasophore, stravrophore, or megaschemos. He has the same functions as a deacon.

Protodeacon: the "first" or principal deacon. This rank within the diaconate is conferred on a non-monastic Byzantine-Slavonic rite deacon.

Protodeacons enjoy liturgical precedence among deacons, i.e. they are to stand at the head of the deacons and they have the responsibility to set "an example of good" among the deacons. (For The Order of Making and Raising an Archdeacon or Protodeacon confer with the Archieratikon. Rome. 1974. 270-271.[Church Slavonic] An English translation is to be found in the Euchologion. The Basilian Press. 1986. 410-411. This prayer that can only be pronounced by a bishop is used for ordaining both archdeacons and protodeacons. The distinction between the title of archdeacon and protodeacon in current Byzantine practice where such a distinction occurs, lies in the following: archdeacons are attached to the monastic clergy and protodeacons are attached to the secular or diocesan clergy.) The example of good to which protodeacons and archdeacons are called should be a ministerial example in the diaconal functions of liturgy, word and charity. The use of the following insignia may be granted to protodeacons: the double or extended orarion, the purple skoufia, and the purple kamilavka.

Archdeacon: the "chief" or principal deacon. This rank within the diaconate is conferred on a hierodeacon or monastic deacon. It should be noted that when there is a distinction between protodeacons and archdeacons as there is in the current Archieratikon for the Ruthenian/Ukrainian rite, this rank is only to be bestowed on monastic deacons.
The Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches states, "Moreover, it is not appropriate to confer monastic titles, with the associated insignia and attire, to secular clergy. This applies even more so to married clergy" (No. 78). Archdeacons enjoy liturgical precedence and are to set an example of good in their ministry. According to Byzantine usage, monks precede diocesan or secular clergy; thus archdeacons should precede protodeacons because they are monks. The use of the following insignia may also be granted to archdeacons: a double or extended orarion. Since archdeacons are monastics they are not granted the use of the purple skoufia or kamilavka. The skoufia of the archdeacon is of black velvet, the kamilavka is of black velvet and the klobuk is of black stuff. Usually, when an archdeacon serves, he wears the kamilavka and not the klobuk.

At one time the archdiaconate was an office in the Byzantine Churches but this has virtually ceased except for the office of the Great Archdeacon of Constantinople. The title of archdeacon/protodeacon at present is little more than an honorific but it is still conferred by cheirothesia thus conferring upon the candidate a blessing and grace to fulfill the role.

As an archpriest is to the priests, so a protodeacon is to the deacons, and an archdeacon is to the hierodeacons.

Deacon El

Father El,
A few pedantic comments, clarifications, or differences of understanding:

Protodeacons are a creation of Peter the Great. Traditionally, cathedral clergy have been monastic, so the principal deacon was a monk; however, in Russia, there is a tendency of staffing the cathedral with deacons and priests who have good voices, so Peter wanted married deacons to be the principal deacons, so protodeacons came about. (Incidentally, while Russian cathedral deacons are always basses, the subdeacons are tenors although, of course, the only thing the subdeacons say aloud is "Command!" when presenting a subdeacon to be ordained a deacon.)

Having been around numerous archdeacons and protodeacons serving together, I've never seen the two distinguished, that is, archdeacons being treated as higher than protodeacons. They rank according to how long they've had their office, at least in theory, although in practice, often voice preempts that (especially when several bishops serve together, and they all bring their deacons with them).

Any vestment differences are fairly modern and differ from place to place. In Greek and Middle Eastern tradition, all deacons wear the long ororion, and nothing distinguishes an archdeacon. The purple kamilavka, which is worn both vested and on the street, is a purely Russian custom, given to both deacons and priests (secular only), as a stepping stone, generally, to being made a protodeacon or archpriest (protoijerej). A few centuries ago, the cuffs were given as an honor to some archdeacons. Then, to all archdeacons. Then to some other deacons. And, for the last several centuries, to all deacons.

In theory, there is an archdeacon in every diocese and stavropegial monastery. In practice, at least in the Russian church, there are often several attached to a cathedral, and any deacon with an extraordinary voice who is attached to a cathedral and does not intend to become a priest, is made a protodeacon.

Archdeacons, since they travel with the bishop, and know the hierachical services well, tend to be a de facto MC, and tell everyone not familiar on a daily basis with hierachical services, what to do. In Russia in the early 20th century, the Holy Synod promulgated a decree that, essentially, forbids archdeacons from pushing priests around! (At that tome, there was a canon in the Russian church which forbade a bishop from serving with fewer than four deacons.)

At the ordination of a deacon, the "senior deacon" leads the candidate around the Holy Table three times; this is generally, of course, an archdeacon. However, it is customary that if the father of the person being ordained deacon (or priest) is a deacon (or priest), he leads his son around the Holy Table.

And, prior to the ordination of a priest, it is two archdeacons, or the archdeacon and a deacon, that present the candidate and say "Command!"

When a priest is ordained, he is supposed to serve as the archdeacon up until the Great Entrance (that is, while he is still a deacon), although my observation is that he often does so only after the Gospel (and, of course, he must take the chalice veil at the Great Entrance!)

Finally, archimandrites of stavropegial monasteries can create archdeacons, just as they can ordain readers and subdeacons (although their ordaining subdeacons apparently hasn't been done for some centuries now.)

Photius

Just another little bit of trivia concerning archdeacons in the Russian tradition, specifically, the archdeacon who is the deacon of the head of an autocephalous church (and do not have to be a monastic to be archdeacon, in this position) their kamilavka is the color of the Metropolitan's or Patriarch's mantiya. So in the OCA, it's blue, in the Russian church, it's green, etc...

Priest Thomas

Thank you for enlightening me

Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

Here are the Different titles in the Maronite Church and also used by all the Antiochene-Edessan Churches:

Cantor: Sings the Psalms and hymns, reads the Old Testament books except the Prophets;

Lector: Reads the Old Testament books of the Prophets;

Subdeacon: Reads the Catholic Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles, guard the doors of the Church, to carry the candle, to light the Church, to prepare water and wine for the sacrifice of the altar, to present the celebrant water to was his hands and the cloth to dry them, to give the deacon the chalice and paten during the sacrifice;

Deacon: Reads the epistles of St. Paul, assist the priest at the altar, incense the Church, distribute the Eucharist to lower clerics and the laity;

Archdeacon: Reads the Gospels, and does all the other work that Deacons do;

Priest: We all know what a priest does.

Archpriest: Is the administrator of the Cathedral;

Chor-Eparch or Chor-Bishop: Aids the Eparch in the administration of secondary Churches found in the midst of groups of people more or less distinct from the episcopal city;

Periodeute: Visiting priests who investigate for the Eparch;

Eparch or Bishop: We all know their duties.

Patriarch: We all know his duties.

Please note that the titles of Metropolitan and Archeparch (Archbishop) are purely honorific in the Antiochene Churches.

This information was taken from the History of the Maronite Church by his most Reverend Pierre Dib, Eparch of Cairo of the Maronite Church.

Poosh BaShlomo Lkhoonlkhoon,
Yuhannon