Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ... INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF MODERN HELLENIC AND SLAVONIC MONASTICISM PRELIMINARY STATEMENT There are no separate Monastic Orders and Congregations in the Orthodox Greek and Slavonic Churches; but all who are living the Monastic Life are regarded as members of a great Monastic Brotherhood of ascetics. Within this Brotherhood, however, there are different ideals and types of the ascetic life, and a threefold grade in the practice of asceticism. In primitive Monasticism there was no grade between the Probationer and the fully Professed Monk. The institution of two grades of asceticism below that of the perfect Monk (reXejo? Movaxo'?) has so changed the character of the Monastic Profession in the Orthodox Churches as to make it a progressive, instead of a single action. At the present day he who looks forward to entering the highest grade ordinarily advances stage by stage, but does not become a perfect Monk until, perhaps not until after many years, the third or highest stage is finally reached. The ancient Profession Rites have been modified in consequence of this, and adapted to the progressive character of the Monastic Profession. The three essential parts of the Monastic Profession are the taking of the formal Vows, the conferring of the Monastic Tonsure, and the tradition of the Monastic Habit; but none of these three acts was of the essence of primitive Monasticism. In the Orthodox Eastern Churches, though the Vows are formal and explicit, there is no written formula of Profession,1 to be subscribed by the Candidate at his admission into any of the three grades. The Vows, which are four in number, are taken by the Candidate in his answers to distinct and definite questions by the Hegumen, or Abbot, before the admission into the...
