Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform various religious rites and ceremonies.From a sociological perspective, ordination legitimates the ordinand's role as clergy and performance of rituals. The process and ceremonies of ordination may vary by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing, the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is commonly found in a book known as an Ordinal which provides the ordo (ritual and rubrics) for celebrations.
Christianity New Testament usage Paul's letters do not set out a step-by-step ordination rite, and the New Testament does not present a single, standardized ritual. There was a diversity of local ministerial practices in the first century and the text gives little detail about how people were installed in office.Bradshaw, P. F. (Ed.). (2013). New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. Hymns Ancient & Modern, p. 342.Espín, O. O., & Nickoloff, J. B. (Eds.). (2007). An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies. Liturgical Press, p. 982.Patte, D. (Ed.). (2010). The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity. Cambridge University Press, pp. 299–300. Neither the New Testament nor early church manuals such as the Didache preserve a full ordination order, even though prayer and the laying on of hands occur in several commissioning scenes.
Within the New Testament, laying on of hands serves several functions, including blessing (e.g. Mark 10:16), healing (Mark 6:5; 8:23–25; Luke 4:40), the imparting of the Spirit (Acts 8:14–19; 19:5–6), and the setting apart of particular workers or ministers (Acts 6:1–6; 13:1–3; 1 Tim 4:14; 5:22).Fahlbusch, E., & Bromiley, G. W. (Eds.). (1999). The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Vol. 3). Wm. B. Eerdmans, p. 235.Watson, E. M. (Ed.). (1990). Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University Press, p. 635. Commentators widely regard the appointments in Acts 6:6; 13:3 and the laying on of hands in 1 Tim 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim 1:6 as acts that set people apart for ministry, and many describe them as forms of ordination or commissioning for specific tasks.Anderson, R. S. (Ed.). (2010). Theological Foundations for Ministry. Bloomsbury, pp. 416–418.Verner, D. C. (1983). The Household of God: The Social World of the Pastoral Epistles. Scholars Press, pp. 157–158.Ferguson, E. (2014). The Early Church at Work and Worship: Vol. 1. Ministry, Ordination, Covenant, and Canon. James Clarke & Co., pp. 96, 127. At the same time, liturgical historians warn against reading these passages as evidence for a single, fixed ritual identical with later ordination services, since the gesture is used in different ways and the narratives remain brief and ambiguous.Bradshaw, P. F. (2013). Rites of Ordination: Their History and Theology. Liturgical Press, pp. 12–13, 17–18.Ferguson, E., McHugh, M. P., & Norris, F. W. (Eds.). (1999). Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. Garland Publishing, p. 832.
The Pastoral Epistles twice associate Timothy with a laying on of hands (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6). The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology treats these verses as describing his ordination and notes that the New Testament does not restrict the "power of ordination" to a single office, since it is God who equips ministers and the laying on of hands expresses the church’s prayer for them.Silva, M. (Ed.). (2017). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Abridged. Zondervan Academic, p. 201. According to Silva (2017), ordination-like acts in the New Testament are performed not only by apostles, but also by groups of prophets and teachers and by councils of elders, and Anderson (2010) further argues that delegates such as Timothy (and possibly Titus) share in this role when they appoint other ministers.Anderson, 2010, pp. 416–418. Social-historical studies done by David Verner (1983) of the Pastorals argue that these letters portray a "synthesis of charisma and office," in which a spiritual gift is recognized or conferred "with the laying on of hands" while Timothy is also given ongoing administrative responsibilities.
Lexically, several Greek terms are relevant. The noun epíthesis cheirōn ("laying on of hands") appears in a small group of passages and is consistently linked with intercessory prayer rather than with an automatic transfer of power. Reference works also distinguish between verbs of appointment. Cheirotonein originally meant "to elect by a show of hands" in classical Greek, and early Christian usage broadened related terms (cheirotonia, cheirotonein) from election to the whole process of ministerial appointment, including prayer with laying on of hands.Bradshaw, P. F. (2013). Rites of Ordination: Their History and Theology. Liturgical Press, pp. 97–98. By contrast, kathistānai is a common verb for "appoint" or "put in charge" without an inherent ritual meaning (e.g. Titus 1:5).
Some first-century Christian communities commissioned leaders by prayer and the laying on of hands, but that this procedure was neither universal nor fully described, and appointments or consecrations could take place without a detailed investiture rite.Richardson, A., & Bowden, J. (Eds.). (1983). A New Dictionary of Christian Theology. SCM Press, p. 419. Later Christian ordination rites drew on these New Testament examples, together with Old Testament and Jewish precedents, but developed more elaborate and standardized ceremonies than the New Testament itself records.Bradshaw, P. F. (2013). Rites of Ordination: Their History and Theology. Liturgical Press, pp. 12–13, 17–18, 97–98.
Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches
In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, ordination is one of the seven sacraments, variously called holy orders or cheirotonia ("Laying on of Hands").
Apostolic succession is considered an essential and necessary concept for ordination in the Catholic, Orthodox, High Church Lutheran, Moravian, and Anglican traditions, with the belief that all ordained clergy are ordained by bishops who were ordained by other bishops tracing back to bishops ordained by the Apostles who were ordained by Christ, the great High Priest (, ), who conferred his priesthood upon his Apostles (, , , and ). "The Orthodox Faith — The Sacrament of the Holy Priesthood", Retrieved 3 August 2011
There are three ordinations in Holy Orders: deacon, presbyter, and bishop. Both bishops and presbyters are priests and have authority to celebrate the Eucharist. In common use, however, the term priest, when unqualified, refers to the order of presbyter, whereas presbyter is mainly used in rites of ordination and other places where a technical and precise term is required.
Ordination of a bishop is performed by several bishops; ordination of a priest or deacon is performed by a single bishop. The ordination of a new bishop is also called a consecration. Many ancient sources specify that at least three bishops are necessary to consecrate another, e.g., the 13th Canon of the Council of Carthage (AD 394) states, "A bishop should not be ordained except by many bishops, but if there should be necessity he may be ordained by three," , "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, p641", Retrieved 3 August 2011 and the first of "The Canons of the Holy and Altogether August Apostles" states, "Let a bishop be ordained by two or three bishops," while the second canon thereof states, "Let a presbyter, deacon, and the rest of the clergy, be ordained by one bishop"; , "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, p839", Retrieved 3 August 2011 the latter canons, whatever their origin, were imposed on the universal church by the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea, in its first canon. , "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, P790", Retrieved 3 August 2011
Details peculiar to the various denominations The Catholic Church teaches that one bishop is sufficient to consecrate a new bishop validly (that is, for an episcopal ordination actually to take place). In most Christian denominations that retain the practice of ordination, only an already ordained (consecrated) bishop or the equivalent may ordain bishops, priests, and deacons. However, Canon Law requires that bishops always be consecrated with the mandate (approval) of the Pope, as the guarantor of the Church's unity. Moreover, at least three bishops are to perform the consecration, although the Apostolic See may dispense from this requirement in extraordinary circumstances (for example, in missionary settings or times of persecution).
In the Catholic Church, those deacons destined to be ordained priests are often termed transitional deacons; those deacons who are married before being ordained, as well as any unmarried deacons who chose not to be ordained priests, are called permanent deacons. Those married deacons who become widowers have the possibility of seeking ordination to the priesthood in exceptional cases.
Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople recognized Anglican orders as valid, followed by the autocephalous Orthodox churches of Alexandria, Cyprus, Greece, Jerusalem, and Romania. While some Eastern churches have in the past recognized Anglican ordinations as valid, the current Anglican practice, in many provinces, of ordaining women to the priesthood—and, in some cases, to the episcopate—has caused the Orthodox generally to question earlier declarations of validity and hopes for union. "Unity Faith and Order – Dialogues – Anglican Orthodox," Introduction, par. 2 ("From Moscow to Lambeth (1976–8) Anglicanism recognizes Catholic and Orthodox ordinations; hence, clergy converting to Anglicanism are not "re-ordained". In 1896, Pope Leo XIII issued the papal bull Apostolicae Curae, which declared Anglican orders "absolutely null and utterly void." While the Vatican has not officially retracted the statement, Roman Catholic actions after the issuance of the bull imply varying positions on the matter. In modern times, the Pope has on several occasions gifted to the Archbishop of Canterbury signs of ecclesiastical office, including a crozier, an episcopal ring, and a Eucharistic chalice, signaling a softening on the Roman view of Anglican orders. In addition, under Pope Francis' tenure, an Anglican bishop was allowed to celebrate mass on the altar of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the seat of the Pope's own bishopric.
With respect to Lutheranism, "the Catholic Church has never officially expressed its judgement on the validity of orders as they have been handed down by episcopal succession in these two national Lutheran churches" (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) though it does "question how the ecclesiastical break in the 16th century has affected the apostolicity of the churches of the Reformation and thus the apostolicity of their ministry".
Some Eastern Orthodox churches recognize Catholic ordinations while others "re-ordain" Catholic clergy (as well as Anglicans) who convert. However, both the Catholic and Anglican churches recognize Orthodox ordinations.
In the Catholic and Anglican churches, ordinations have traditionally been held on Ember Days, though there is no limit to the number of clergy who may be ordained at the same service. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, ordinations may be performed any day of the year on which the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated (and deacons may also be ordained at the Presanctified Liturgy), but only one person may be ordained to each order at any given service, that is, at most one bishop, one presbyter, and one deacon may be ordained at the same liturgy.
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