Editing Holy orders (section)

==Eastern Christianity==
<!-- Commented out: [[File:Russian Orthodox Episcopal Ordination.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Patriarch Alexius II|Alexius II]], [[Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia]], together with other bishops, conferring the holy order of [[bishop]] upon a Russian Orthodox [[Hieromonk|priest-monk (hieromonk)]].]] -->
[[File:Cheirotonia Presbyter 1.jpeg|thumb|300px|Metropolitan [[Hilarion (Kapral)]] performs the laying on of hands (''[[Christian laying on of hands|Cheirotonia]]''), conferring the holy order of [[presbyter|presbyter (priest)]] upon an Orthodox [[deacon]].]]
[[File:Cheirotonia Presbyter Pledge of Holy Mysteries.jpeg|thumb|300px|After the transmutation of the Holy Gifts, the bishop presents to the newly ordained priest a portion of the Lamb (i.e., the Body of Christ).]]
[[File:Kheirotonia.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The laying on of hands (''[[Christian laying on of hands|Cheirotonia]]''), conferring the holy order of [[deacon]] upon an Orthodox [[subdeacon]].]]

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] considers ordination (known as ''[[Christian laying on of hands|cheirotonia]]'', "[[laying on of hands]]") to be a [[sacred mystery]] (μυστήριο, what in the West is called a sacrament). Although all other mysteries may be performed by a presbyter, ordination may only be conferred by a bishop, and the ordination of a bishop may only be performed by several bishops together. ''Cheirotonia'' always takes place during the [[Divine Liturgy|divine liturgy]].

The Eastern Orthodox teach that it was the mission of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]] to go forth into all the world and preach the [[Gospel]], baptizing those who believed in the name of the [[Holy Trinity]].<ref>''Bible,'' {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:18–20|KJV}}</ref> In the [[early Church]] those who presided over congregations were referred to variously as ''[[bishop|episcopos]]'' (bishop) or ''[[presbyter]]os'' (priest). These successors of the apostles were ordained to their office by the [[laying on of hands]], and according to [[Eastern Orthodox theology]] formed a living, organic link with the apostles, and through them with [[Jesus Christ]] himself.<ref name="SL">{{Citation
 |last=Williams
 |first=Father Gregory
 |year=1979
|publication-date=1986
 |title=The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective
|edition=3rd
 |pages=43–47
|place =Liberty TN
 |publisher=St. John of Kronstadt Press
 }}
</ref>

The Eastern Orthodox Church also has ordination to [[minor orders]] (known as ''[[cheirothesia]]'', "imposition of hands") which is performed outside of the Divine Liturgy, typically by a bishop, although certain [[archimandrite]]s of [[stavropegial]] monasteries may bestow cheirothesia on members of their communities.

In Eastern Orthodoxy, a bishop is the collector of the money of the diocese and the living Vessel of Grace through whom the ''[[energeia]]'' ([[divine grace]]) of the Holy Spirit flows into the rest of the church.<ref name="SL"/> A bishop is [[consecrated]] through the laying on of hands by several bishops. (With the consent of several other bishops, a single bishop has performed the ordination of another bishop in emergency situations, such as times of [[persecution of Christianity|persecution]].) The consecration of a bishop takes place near the beginning of the liturgy, since a bishop can, in addition to performing the Mystery of the Eucharist, also ordain priests and deacons. Before the commencement of the liturgy, the bishop-elect professes, in the middle of the church before the seated bishops who will consecrate him, in detail the doctrines of the Orthodox Christian faith and pledges to observe the canons of the apostles and councils, the [[Typikon]] and customs of the Orthodox Church and to obey ecclesiastical authority. After the [[Little Entrance]], the arch-priest and arch-deacon conduct the bishop-elect before the Royal Gates where he is met by the bishops and kneels before the altar on both knees. The [[Gospel Book]] is laid over his head and the [[consecrator|consecrating bishops]] lay their hands upon the Gospel Book, while the prayers of ordination are read by the eldest bishop. After this, the newly consecrated bishop ascends the ''[[kathedra|synthranon]]'' (bishop's throne in the sanctuary) for the first time.<ref name="DS">{{Citation
|last=Sokolof
|first=Archpriest Dimitrii
|year=1899
|publication-date=2001
|title=Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services
|page=166
|place =Jordanville, New York
|publisher=[[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Monastery]]
|isbn=0-88465-067-7
|url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/sokolof/services.toc.html
}}</ref> Customarily, the newly consecrated bishop ordains a priest and a deacon at the liturgy during which he is consecrated.

A priest may serve only at the pleasure of his bishop. A bishop bestows [[Faculty (instrument)|faculties]] (permission to minister within his [[diocese]]) giving a priest [[Chrism#Eastern Christianity|chrism]] and an [[antimins]]; he may withdraw faculties and demand the return of these items. The [[ordination]] of a priest occurs before the [[Anaphora (liturgy)|Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer)]] in order that he may on the same day take part in the celebration of the Eucharist:<ref name="DS"/> During the [[Great Entrance]], the candidate for ordination carries the [[Aër]] ([[chalice (cup)|chalice]] [[veil]]) over his head (rather than on his shoulder, as a deacon otherwise carries it then) as a symbol of giving up his diaconate, and comes last in the [[procession]] and stands at the end of the pair of lines of the priests. After the Aër is taken from the candidate to cover the chalice and [[diskos]], a chair is brought for the bishop to sit on by the northeast corner of the [[Holy Table|holy table]] (altar). Two deacons go to priest-elect who, at that point, had been standing alone in the middle of the church, and bow him down to the west (to the people) and to the east (to the clergy), asking their consent by saying "Command ye!" and then lead him through the holy doors of the altar where the archdeacon asks the bishop's consent, saying, "Command, most sacred master!" after which a priest escorts the candidate three times around the altar, during which he kisses each corner of the Holy Table as well as the bishop's [[epigonation]] and right hand and prostrates himself before the holy table at each circuit. The candidate is then taken to the southeast corner of the Holy Table and kneels on both knees, resting his forehead on the edge of the Holy Table. The ordaining bishop then places his [[omophor]] and right hand over the ordinand's head and recites aloud the first ''Prayer of Cheirotonia'' and then prays silently the other two prayers of cheirotonia while a deacon quietly recites a [[litany]] and the clergy, then the congregation, chant "Lord, have mercy". Afterwards, the bishop brings the newly ordained priest to stand in the [[Holy Doors|holy doors]] and presents him to the faithful. He then clothes the priest in each of his sacerdotal [[vestments]], at each of which the people sing, ''[[Axios (acclamation)|Worthy]]!''. Later, after the [[Epiklesis]] of the Liturgy, the bishop hands him a portion of the [[Lamb (liturgy)|Lamb]] ([[Host (liturgy)|Host]]) saying:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hapgood |first=Isabel F. |year=1922|publication-date=1975 |title=Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church|edition=5th |page=106|place =Englewood NJ |publisher=[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese]] }}</ref>
{{Blockquote|Receive thou this pledge, and preserve it whole and unharmed until thy last breath, because thou shalt be held to an accounting therefore in the second and terrible Coming of our great Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.}}

A deacon may not perform any sacrament and performs no liturgical services on his own but serves only as an assistant to a priest and may not even vest without the blessing of a priest. The ordination of a deacon occurs after the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer) since his role is not in performing the Holy Mystery but consists only in serving;<ref name="DS"/> the ceremony is much the same as at the ordination of a priest, but the deacon-elect is presented to the people and escorted to the holy doors by two sub-deacons (his peers, analogous to the two deacons who so present a priest-elect), is escorted three times around the Holy Table by a deacon, and he kneels on only one knee during the ''Prayer of Cheirotonia''. After being vested as a deacon and given a [[Hexapteryga#Eastern Christianity|liturgical fan ''(ripidion or hexapterygion)'']], he is led to the side of the Holy Table where he uses the ripidion to gently fan the Holy Gifts (consecrated [[Eucharist|Body and Blood of Christ]]).