www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Ordination of Male Infants - article

I do not question their wisdom or piety or the wisdom and piety of any age group.

I question the wisdom of ordaining 20-somethings straight from high school to college and to seminary as presbyters. Wisdom and piety alone (even with ordination) do not alone constitute them fully as "elders" in the community, even though both canonically and within the sacramental economia they are.

Surely they do have the grace and sacra potestas for their ministry by virtue of the laying on of hands by the bishop and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit in the ecclesia. But there is a wisdom that we have lost in Paul's exhortation to Timothy...that we should observe the manner of how a candidate for deacon and bishop/presbyter raises his family to ascertain his suitability for office. His experience in leading his household should therefore be an indicator of how he will serve in the ecclesia of the household of faith.

Believe me! I don't despise anyone for their youth or think that exceptions could or should not be made. But in general, I just question the common practice from the perspective of leadership development principles and revelation.

I'm open to being proven wrong here. Your thoughts?

Gordo

Well, I have consulted the Imperial Council, and you are all warmly invited to the festivities. This should certainly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It should also be the crowning glory.

Incognitus

The Church of the East ordained children to the Deaconate and Priesthood in south India in the days when the bishops visits were not so frequent and they all lived in the Middle East. At least the Ethipians had at least one resident bishop, where as the south Indians only got visits from bishops (somewhere along the line they seems to have lost their own bishops). As I understand it the bishops would come on the trade winds and they left the running of the Church to a senior priest. I did not realise that this child ordination happened elsewhere.

ICXC
NIKA