Ordination
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the process of ordaining clergy. For other meanings, see ordination (disambiguation).
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which one is consecrated (set apart for the undivided administration of various religious rites). That is, it is the process in which clergy, monks or nuns are set apart and authorized by their religious denomination or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies or otherwise to minister in a clerical capacity. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination, is sometimes called an ordinand.
Ordination is a requirement in a number of jurisdictions to officiate weddings. In places where ordination is not required by secular law, it is left to the requirements of the particular denomination or church whether ordination is required to officiate weddings.
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[edit] Buddhism
The tradition of the ordained monastic community (Sangha) began with Buddha, who established orders of monks and later, after an initial reluctance, of nuns.
The procedure of ordination in Buddhism is laid down in the Vinaya and Patimokkha or Pratimoksha scriptures. There exist three intact ordination lineages nowadays in which one can receive an ordination according to the Buddha's teachings:
- Dharmaguptaka Lineage
- Mulasarvatavadin Lineage
- Theravada Lineage
[edit] Theravada
Pabbajja is an ordination procedure for novice Buddhist monks in the Theravada tradition.
[edit] Fully ordained nuns
Within Buddhism, the legitimacy of ordaining women as fully ordained nuns has become a significant topic of discussion in recent years. It is widely accepted that Buddha created an order of fully ordained nuns, but the tradition of freeorder has died out in some Buddhist traditions such as Theravada Buddhism, while remaining strong in others such as Chinese Buddhism (Dharmaguptaka Lineage). In the Tibetan lineage, which follows the Mulasarvatavadin lineage, the procedure and lineage of full ordained nuns wasn't brought to Tibet by the Indian Vinaya masters, that's why there is no full nun's ordination within it. However HH the XIV. Dalai Lama has engaged since years to improve that. In 2005 he asked full ordained nuns in the Dharmaguptaka Lineage, especially Jampa Tsedroen (Carola Roloff, see also [1]), for engaging to improve that subject matter and donated 50.000€ for further research. The "1st International Congress on Buddhist Women’s Role in the Sangha: Bhikshuni Vinaya and Ordination Lineages" will be held at the University of Hamburg from July 18-20, 2007, in cooperation with the University’s Asia-Africa Institute. (for more see: [2])
[edit] New Kadampa Tradition
In the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), lay people can take an ordination from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This ordination is described as being different to the ordination followed by monks and nuns in the Buddha's lineage as laid down in the Vinaya and Pratimoksha Sutras. According to Waterhouse NKT monks and nuns are simply described as ‘ordained’, and usually take the name ‘Kelsang’ from Geshe Kelsang.[1] For more see: NKT ordination.
[edit] Christianity
[edit] Eastern, Roman, and Anglican Christianity
In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Oriental Orthodox churches, ordination is distinguished from religious or consecrated life or to Holy Orders and is the means by which one is included in one of the priestly orders: bishop, priest, or deacon. In these churches, it can be administered only by a bishop in a line of succession of bishops dating back to the Apostles. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches hold that ordination to the priesthood enables a person to act in persona Christe, 'in the name of' or 'on behalf of Christ'. Ordination allows a priest validly to administer sacraments, most notably giving him the authority to transmute bread and wine into the true and whole Body and Blood of Christ, an event described as transubstantiation in the Roman Catholic Church. It would be proper to think of a priest as acting as a living conduit for Christ, with sacraments being dispensed solely from God Himself through the priest, an inadequate but divinely accepted tool.
In Catholic and Orthodox thought, the validity of an ordination is of the utmost of importance. While debate exists in many Protestant communities about the number and nature of the sacraments, and about the particulars of the eucharist, generally speaking Catholics and Eastern Orthodox mutually recognize each other's ordinations and consequently sacraments, while only viewing other communities' Trinitarian Baptism and Matrimony as valid (it is of note that these are the only two sacraments that do not require a priest, but merely faith and intent).
The Roman Catholic Church states that the hierarchical structure that includes the ordained ministerial priesthood is ordered to benefit the holiness of the entire body of the faithful, and not to ensure the salvation of the ordained minister.[2]
[edit] Protestant Christianity
In most Protestant churches, ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament (that is, to the office of 'pastor') is the rite by which the Church:
- recognizes and confirms that an individual's has been called by God to the ministry of Word and Sacrament,
- acknowledges that the individual has gone through a period of discernment and training related to this call, and
- authorizes that individual to take on the office of ministry.
For the sake of authorization and church order, and not for reason of 'powers' or 'ability', individuals in most mainline Protestant churches must be ordained in order to preside at the sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) and to be installed as a called pastor of a congregation or parish.
Some Protestant traditions have additional offices of ministry to which persons can be ordained. For instance:
- most Presbyterian and Reformed churches maintain a three-fold order of ministry of pastor, elder, and deacon. The order of Pastor, the only one of the three orders considered "clergy", is comparable to most other denominations' pastoral office or ordained ministry. The order of elder comprises lay persons ordained to the ministries of church order and spiritual care (for example, elders form the governing bodies of congregations and are responsible for a congregation's worship life). The order of deacon comprises lay persons ordained to ministries of service and pastoral care.
- in the Methodist tradition, deacons are also ordained.
For most Protestant denominations that have an office of bishop, such as Lutheranism and Methodism, this is not viewed as a separate ordination or order of ministry. Rather, bishops are ordained ministers of the same order as other pastors, simply having been "consecrated" or installed into the "office" (that is, the job) of bishop.
[edit] Islam
Muslims do not formally ordain religious leaders. The imam serves as a spiritual leader and religious authority.
[edit] Judaism
Semicha (Hebrew: סמיכה, "leaning [of the hands]"), also semichut (Hebrew: סמיכות, "ordination"), or semicha lerabanim (Hebrew: סמיכה לרבנות, "rabbinical ordination") is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism.
[edit] Ordination of women
The ordination of women is a controversial issue in religions where either the office of ordination, or the role that an ordained person fulfils, is traditionally restricted to men, for various theological reasons.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Sects & Sectarianism - The origins of Buddhist Schools
- non-religious ordained ministers
- Holper, J. Frederick, 2001 "What Presbyterians Believe about ordination", Presbyterians Today, May 2001
