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Stuart, since I know you are a source of arcane knowledge of things Byzantine, I am turning to you for a question I cannot get a satisfactory answer from my own EOC clergy acquaintances. Does the EOC have a standard bell, book, and candle service for excommunication that all jurisdictions in SCOBA use or does it very from jurisdiction to jurisdiction? If the latter, how do the Greeks (here in the US), the OCA, and the Antiochians handle it. If they all differ, what does each of these juridictions do?

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I am going to look that up in some of my many reference books, including the awesome 3-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire. We know what an anathema service looks like, because of the reading of the Synodicon on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. If it's anything like that, I would probably recant in a heartbeat.

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I look forward to your answer; the answer I got was that there was nothing as formal bell, book and candle service of the RCC.

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Does it have something to do with hats maybe....like George in that old episode of Seinfeld?

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Here is what I have found so far:

1. The Oxford Dictionary entry on Excommunication notes that separation from the Church's sacramental life was either absolute or partial; i.e., either permanent or temporary. Temporary excommunication was and is an integral part of Orthodox spiritual discipline, with canons specifying different periods of abstention from the Chalice for different sins and spiritual offenses, including remarriage, adultery, murder, theft, missing Liturgy for three consecutive Sundays, etc., etc.

As all these are within the disciplinary purview of the parish priest or spiritual father, there is no special ceremony involved--the instruction is handed out in the same way that a Latin priest would specify penance for a particular sin.

2. Permanent excommunication is more of a juridical act, requiring a formal anathema. Anathema "supposed exclusion from the Church's fellowship, and, as such, does not appear to have been clearly distinguishable from excommunication. Nevertheless, anathema, in contrast with the disciplinary procedure of excommunication, was essentially a more solemn pronouncement of condemnation. It was thus not as much a precise ecclesiastical punishment as a curse directed almost exclusively against false teaching", with reference to Galatians 1:9, frequently used in conciliar documents: "If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

3. Anathemas almost always required synodal action. From time to time, hierarchs anathematized individuals within their jurisdiction, but such individuals could always appeal to the synod. Attempts by individual hierarchs to anathematize individuals outside their jurisdiction--almost always another hierarch--invariably led to controversy, occasionally to schism, and could only be resolved by a regional or even ecumenical council.

4. The form the anathemas took can be seen in the acts of the Seven Councils, which over time provided a template. As I noted, the Synodikon of Orthodoxy, which is a compilation of the heresies condemned at the Seven Council, plus additional heresies condemned at local Orthodox councils down to the 15th century, is a template for how a new anathema would be announced in a local Church: the deacon would read out the proclamation (stating the name of the person, the nature of his error or false teaching, and the statement "Let him be anathema", to which the congregation (or the choir) would respond, "Anathema, anathema, anathema!"

5. It was not necessary for the condemned to be present--indeed, usually he was not.

More on this as I look into the matter.

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Interesting. So far no bell book and candle!

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In looking around the web, I have seen some writers intimate there is in deed a formal ceremony, a "Rite of Anathematization", but so far I have not seen a text. You would think the Book of All Needs would include the Need to Cast One Out.

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I have found formal services of Anathematization, but only in Church-Slavonic and in 18th century editions of the Trebnyk. The texts assume that the "heretic" is actually present, which may be why it passed out of use - who would voluntarily attend such a service if he himself was to be the object of attention?

Fr. Serge

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That would be fascinating to translate. I wonder if it's a latinization?

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Stuart, has everything be said? It would appear, based on what has been said so far, the issue of excommunication and anathema was rather standardized in all jurisdictions. Am i am interpreting your comments correctly?

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I haven't found anything more. I would have liked to see the ceremony to which Father Serge referred, which I suspect was ginned up in the Russian Church in imitation of similar ceremonies in the Latin Church.

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Originally Posted by Fr Serge Keleher
I have found formal services of Anathematization, but only in Church-Slavonic and in 18th century editions of the Trebnyk. The texts assume that the "heretic" is actually present, which may be why it passed out of use - who would voluntarily attend such a service if he himself was to be the object of attention?

Fr. Serge

Especially considering the way in which heretics were formerly dealt with!

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Originally Posted by DMD
Originally Posted by Fr Serge Keleher
I have found formal services of Anathematization, but only in Church-Slavonic and in 18th century editions of the Trebnyk. The texts assume that the "heretic" is actually present, which may be why it passed out of use - who would voluntarily attend such a service if he himself was to be the object of attention?

Fr. Serge

Especially considering the way in which heretics were formerly dealt with!
I suppose in some cases attendance might have been compulsory...

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^ I was going to comment with a ROTFL, but it really wasn't funny, was it? eek

Last edited by DMD; 06/29/11 08:45 PM.
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It's called gallows humor. wink

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