Misplaced Pages

#745254

82-545: Protodeacon is an honorific rank given to certain married deacons in Eastern Christian churches. In the Russian Orthodox Church it is an honorary title given to married deacons, as a mark of which, the clergyman is entitled to wear a burgundy -colored skufia . The equivalent rank for hierodeacons —i.e., monastic deacons—is archdeacon . The senior deacon of a cathedral or principal church may be awarded

164-426: A Roman collar is often worn, although this is not a traditional or widespread practice. A protodeacon ( Ecclesiastical Greek : πρωτοδιάκονος protodiakonos , "first deacon") is a distinction of honor awarded to senior deacons, usually serving on the staff of the diocesan bishop. An archdeacon is similar, but is among the monastic clergy. Protodeacons and archdeacons use a double-length orarion even if it

246-537: A pitch accent . In Modern Greek, all vowels and consonants are short. Many vowels and diphthongs once pronounced distinctly are pronounced as /i/ ( iotacism ). Some of the stops and glides in diphthongs have become fricatives , and the pitch accent has changed to a stress accent . Many of the changes took place in the Koine Greek period. The writing system of Modern Greek, however, does not reflect all pronunciation changes. The examples below represent Attic Greek in

328-493: A religious institute , while Rev. Deacon is used as the honorific for permanent deacons in many dioceses (e.g., Rev. Deacon John Smith, or Deacon John Smith). The decision as to whether deacons wear the Roman collar as street attire is left to the discretion of each bishop for his own diocese. Where clerical garb is approved by the bishop, the deacon can choose to wear or not wear the "collar". Deacons, like seminarians, religious, and

410-578: A stole over their left shoulder and fastened on the right side of their waist. This is worn both over the surplice and the alb . A deacon might also wear a dalmatic . Church of England deacons are supported through the CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons (CENDD). Bishop James Newcome of Carlisle is the Distinctive Deacons’ Champion in the House of Bishops . In Methodism, deacons began as

492-682: A diaconal order, similar to that in the British church. There are two distinct offices of deacon in the Church of Scotland . The best-known form of diaconate are trained and paid pastoral workers. The permanent diaconate was formerly exclusively female, and it was in 1988, the centenary year of the diaconate, that men were admitted to the office of deacon. The offices of deacon and minister are now both open to both women and men; deacons are now ordained (they were previously "commissioned"). The other office of deacon can be found in congregations formerly belonging to

574-562: A key role in encouraging other Uniting Church members in similar action. Some examples of service that deacons may take include: prison chaplaincy, acting as youth or community workers, in community service agencies, in schools and hospitals, or in mission placements in Australia or overseas. Although the primary responsibility for worship in congregations lies with the Ministers of the Word, deacons have

656-472: A lack of contemporaneous evidence. Several theories exist about what Hellenic dialect groups may have existed between the divergence of early Greek-like speech from the common Proto-Indo-European language and the Classical period. They have the same general outline but differ in some of the detail. The only attested dialect from this period is Mycenaean Greek , but its relationship to the historical dialects and

738-419: A lesser degree. Pamphylian Greek , spoken in a small area on the southwestern coast of Anatolia and little preserved in inscriptions, may be either a fifth major dialect group, or it is Mycenaean Greek overlaid by Doric, with a non-Greek native influence. Regarding the speech of the ancient Macedonians diverse theories have been put forward, but the epigraphic activity and the archaeological discoveries in

820-504: A liturgical role appropriate to their distinctive ministry, including ministries where their main leadership is within a congregation. In the Uniting Church both ministers of the word and deacons are styled The Reverend . Ancient Greek Ancient Greek ( Ἑλληνῐκή , Hellēnikḗ ; [hellɛːnikɛ́ː] ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and

902-510: A parish by the diocesan bishop, where they are under the supervision of the parish priests, or in diocesan ministries. Unlike most clerics, permanent deacons who also have a secular profession have no right to receive a salary for their ministry, but many dioceses opt to remunerate them anyway. During the Mass , the deacon's responsibilities include assisting the priest, proclaiming the Gospel, announcing

SECTION 10

#1732855160746

984-543: A prefix /e-/, called the augment . This was probably originally a separate word, meaning something like "then", added because tenses in PIE had primarily aspectual meaning. The augment is added to the indicative of the aorist, imperfect, and pluperfect, but not to any of the other forms of the aorist (no other forms of the imperfect and pluperfect exist). The two kinds of augment in Greek are syllabic and quantitative. The syllabic augment

1066-435: A rim at the top. In Slavic practice, a hierodeacon (monastic deacon) wears the simple black kamilavka of a monk (without the rim), but removes the monastic veil (see klobuk ) when vested; a married deacon would not wear a kamilavka unless it is given to them by the bishop as an ecclesiastical award ; the honorary kamilavka is purple in colour, and may be awarded to either married or monastic clergy. As far as street clothing

1148-671: A separate historical stage, though its earliest form closely resembles Attic Greek , and its latest form approaches Medieval Greek , and Koine may be classified as Ancient Greek in a wider sense. There were several regional dialects of Ancient Greek; Attic Greek developed into Koine. Ancient Greek was a pluricentric language , divided into many dialects. The main dialect groups are Attic and Ionic , Aeolic , Arcadocypriot , and Doric , many of them with several subdivisions. Some dialects are found in standardized literary forms in literature , while others are attested only in inscriptions. There are also several historical forms. Homeric Greek

1230-590: A serving Roman deacon was raised to Pope, Silverius . The diaconate has been retained as a separate vocation in Eastern Christianity , while in Western Christianity it was largely used in cathedrals and as a temporary step along the path toward priestly ordination. In the 20th century, the diaconate was restored as a vocational order in many Western churches, most notably in the Catholic Church ,

1312-632: A simpler papal inauguration ceremony, and his successors have followed that example. As a result, the Cardinal Protodeacon's privilege of crowning a new pope is dormant. However, the Protodeacon still has the privilege of bestowing the pallium on a new pope at his papal inauguration. “Acting in the place of the Roman Pontiff , he also confers the pallium upon metropolitan bishops or gives the pallium to their proxies.” The current Cardinal Protodeacon

1394-609: A standard subject of study in educational institutions of the Western world since the Renaissance . This article primarily contains information about the Epic and Classical periods of the language, which are the best-attested periods and considered most typical of Ancient Greek. From the Hellenistic period ( c.  300 BC ), Ancient Greek was followed by Koine Greek , which is regarded as

1476-639: A transitional order before ordination as elders (presbyters). In 1996, the United Methodist Church ended the transitional deacon and established a new Order of Deacons to be equal in status with the Order of Elders. Both men and women may be ordained as deacons. Deacons serve in a variety of specialized ministries including, but not limited to, Christian education, music, communications and ministries of justice and advocacy. Unlike United Methodist elders, deacons must find their own place of service. Nevertheless,

1558-510: A vowel or /n s r/ ; final stops were lost, as in γάλα "milk", compared with γάλακτος "of milk" (genitive). Ancient Greek of the classical period also differed in both the inventory and distribution of original PIE phonemes due to numerous sound changes, notably the following: The pronunciation of Ancient Greek was very different from that of Modern Greek . Ancient Greek had long and short vowels ; many diphthongs ; double and single consonants; voiced, voiceless, and aspirated stops ; and

1640-510: A year after their diaconal ordination. However, there are some deacons who do not go on to receive priestly ordination, recognising a vocation to remain in the diaconate. A permanent deacon is also known as a "distinctive deacon", or a "vocational deacon". Many provinces of the Anglican Communion ordain both women and men as deacons. Many of those provinces that ordain women to the priesthood previously allowed them to be ordained only to

1722-664: Is Dominique Mamberti . Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate , an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church , the Oriental Orthodox Churches , the Eastern Orthodox Church , Lutheranism , Methodism , Anglicanism , and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , view

SECTION 20

#1732855160746

1804-556: Is a literary form of Archaic Greek (derived primarily from Ionic and Aeolic) used in the epic poems , the Iliad and the Odyssey , and in later poems by other authors. Homeric Greek had significant differences in grammar and pronunciation from Classical Attic and other Classical-era dialects. The origins, early form and development of the Hellenic language family are not well understood because of

1886-418: Is added to stems beginning with consonants, and simply prefixes e (stems beginning with r , however, add er ). The quantitative augment is added to stems beginning with vowels, and involves lengthening the vowel: Some verbs augment irregularly; the most common variation is e → ei . The irregularity can be explained diachronically by the loss of s between vowels, or that of the letter w , which affected

1968-644: Is called 'East Greek'. Arcadocypriot apparently descended more closely from the Mycenaean Greek of the Bronze Age. Boeotian Greek had come under a strong Northwest Greek influence, and can in some respects be considered a transitional dialect, as exemplified in the poems of the Boeotian poet Pindar who wrote in Doric with a small Aeolic admixture. Thessalian likewise had come under Northwest Greek influence, though to

2050-745: Is commonly termed in the Methodist Church), a number of deaconesses transferred and recruitment for the WDO ceased from 1978. The 1986 Methodist Conference re-opened the order to both men and women and the first ordinations to the renewed order occurred during the 1990 Conference in Cardiff, which coincided with celebrations of 100 years of diaconal service in British Methodism; deaconesses had previously been ordained at their annual convocation . The Methodist Church of Southern Africa ordains deacons who constitute

2132-589: Is concerned, immediately following ordination a deacon receives a blessing to wear the exorasson ( Arabic : Jib'be , Slavonic : r iasa ), an outer cassock with wide sleeves, in addition to the anterion (Slavonic: podriasnik), the inner cassock worn by all orders of clergy. In the Slavic practice, married clergy may wear any of a number of colours, but most often grey, while monastic clergy always wear black. In certain jurisdictions in North America and Western Europe,

2214-534: Is conferred on seminarians continuing to the priesthood no sooner than 23 years of age (canon 1031 of the Code of Canon Law). As a permanent state, the diaconate can be conferred on single men 25 or older, and on married men 35 or older, but an older age can be required by the episcopal conference. If a married deacon is widowed, he must maintain the celibate state. Under some very rare circumstances, however, deacons who have been widowed can receive permission to remarry. This

2296-448: Is considered by some linguists to have been closely related to Greek . Among Indo-European branches with living descendants, Greek is often argued to have the closest genetic ties with Armenian (see also Graeco-Armenian ) and Indo-Iranian languages (see Graeco-Aryan ). Ancient Greek differs from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and other Indo-European languages in certain ways. In phonotactics , ancient Greek words could end only in

2378-439: Is more liberally applied than the corresponding vestment of the priest, the chasuble . At certain major celebrations, such as ordinations, the diocesan bishop wears a dalmatic under his chasuble, now taken to signify that he enjoys the fullness of the three degrees of holy orders—deacon, priest, and bishop, but owing its origin, like the sakkos of Byzantine-rite bishops, to the court dress of the eastern Roman Empire. The diaconate

2460-493: Is most commonly done when the deacon is left as a single father. In some cases, a widowed deacon will seek priestly ordination, especially if his children are grown. A deacon is not styled "Father" as a priest would be, but as "Deacon", abbreviated variously as "Dn." or "Dcn." This preferred method of address is stated in the 2005 document of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops , "National Directory for

2542-545: Is not the local tradition for all deacons to use it. In the Slavic tradition a deacon may be awarded the doubled-orarion even if not a protodeacon or archdeacon. According to the practice of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, in keeping with the tradition of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the most common way to address a deacon is "Father". The tradition of kissing the hands of ordained clergy extends to

Protodeacon - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-451: Is only draped over the left shoulder but, if elevated to the rank of archdeacon, the deacon wears the "doubled-orarion", meaning it is passed over the left shoulder, under the right arm, and then crossed over the left shoulder (see photograph, right). In modern Greek practice, a deacon wears this doubled orarion from the time of their ordination. Also, in the Greek practice, a deacon wears the clerical kamilavka (cylindrical head covering) with

2706-570: Is open to both women and men. Diaconal ministry is one of two ordained ministries within the Methodist Church. The original Wesleyan Deaconess Order was founded by Thomas Bowman Stephenson in 1890, following observation of new ministries in urban areas in the previous years. The order continued as the Wesley Deaconess Order following Methodist Union in 1932, but, following the admission of women to "The Ministry" (as presbyteral ministry

2788-602: Is said about her duties or authority, although it is assumed she carried Paul's Letter to the Romans . Female deacons are mentioned by the Roman author Pliny the Younger in a letter to the Roman emperor Trajan dated c.  112 : I believed it was necessary to find out from two female slaves ( ex duabus ancillis ) who were called deacons ( ministrae ), what was true—and to find out through torture ( per tormenta ) This

2870-708: Is the earliest Latin text that appears to refer to female deacons as a distinct category of Christian minister. A biblical description of the qualities required of a deacon can be found in 1 Timothy 3:1–13. The Synod of Arles in 314 and the First Council of Nicaea denied deacons the possibility of presiding over the Eucharist even in exceptional cases. Among the more prominent deacons in history are: Prominent historical figures who played major roles as deacons and went on to higher office include Athanasius of Alexandria , Thomas Becket, and Reginald Pole . On June 8, 536,

2952-452: The Anglican Communion , and the United Methodist Church . In the Catholic, Scandinavian Lutheran , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox , and Persian churches, the diaconate is one of the major orders —the others being bishop , presbyter ( priest ), and, historically, subdeacon . Deacons assist priests in their pastoral and administrative duties, but often report directly to

3034-630: The Council of Trent , to contemporary times, the only men ordained as deacons were seminarians who were completing the last year or so of graduate theological training, so-called "transitional deacons". Following the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council ( Lumen gentium 29) and the instigation of the Josephites (whose work with African Americans necessitated increased vocational opportunity for married men), in 1967 Pope Paul VI issued

3116-570: The General Intercessions , and distributing Communion. They may also preach the homily. As clerics, deacons are required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours . Deacons, like priests and bishops, are ordinary ministers of the sacrament of Baptism and may witness at the sacrament of holy matrimony outside of Mass. Deacons may lead funeral rites outside Mass such as the final commendation at the gravesite or

3198-698: The Greek region of Macedonia during the last decades has brought to light documents, among which the first texts written in Macedonian , such as the Pella curse tablet , as Hatzopoulos and other scholars note. Based on the conclusions drawn by several studies and findings such as Pella curse tablet , Emilio Crespo and other scholars suggest that ancient Macedonian was a Northwest Doric dialect , which shares isoglosses with its neighboring Thessalian dialects spoken in northeastern Thessaly . Some have also suggested an Aeolic Greek classification. The Lesbian dialect

3280-504: The New Testament that deacons have an equal, but distinct ministry from presbyters. Deacons are called to a ministry of service and witness, and "to hold before them the needs and concerns of the world". The Methodist Diaconal Order is both an order of ministry and a religious order within the Methodist Church in Britain. It was formed in 1989 as a successor to the Wesley Deaconess Order and

3362-630: The United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900 creating the United Free Church of Scotland , which itself united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. The congregations of the post-1900 Free Church of Scotland which did not join the UF Church in 1900 continue to have Deacons. One of John Calvin 's legacies was to restore the diaconate as a servant ministry. Individual congregations of

Protodeacon - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-600: The ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek ( c.  1400–1200 BC ), Dark Ages ( c.  1200–800 BC ), the Archaic or Epic period ( c.  800–500 BC ), and the Classical period ( c.  500–300 BC ). Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of fifth-century Athenian historians, playwrights, and philosophers . It has contributed many words to English vocabulary and has been

3526-436: The motu proprio Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem , reviving the practice of ordaining to the diaconate men who were not candidates for priestly ordination. These men are known as "permanent deacons", in contrast to those continuing their formation, who were then called "transitional deacons". There is no sacramental or canonical difference between the two, however, as there is only one order of deacons. The period of formation to

3608-494: The pre-1900 Free Church of Scotland , with a "Deacons' Court" having responsibility for financial and administrative oversight of congregations. Only a few congregations still retain this constitutional model, with most having since adopted the Church of Scotland's "Model Constitution" (with a Kirk Session and Congregational Board) or "Unitary Congregation" (with just a Kirk Session). Most of the Free Church congregations united with

3690-501: The present , future , and imperfect are imperfective in aspect; the aorist , present perfect , pluperfect and future perfect are perfective in aspect. Most tenses display all four moods and three voices, although there is no future subjunctive or imperative. Also, there is no imperfect subjunctive, optative or imperative. The infinitives and participles correspond to the finite combinations of tense, aspect, and voice. The indicative of past tenses adds (conceptually, at least)

3772-482: The 1960s, deacons in the Church of Sweden were required to be celibate . For deacons, "vows made at ordination involve seeking and helping anyone in bodily or spiritual need, defending the rights of all, standing beside the oppressed, and exhorting God's people to all good works so that the love of God is made visible in the world." An ordained deacon's charism includes "visits, helps, and supports those in bodily or spiritual need; gives Christian nurture and teaching in

3854-1031: The 5th century BC. Ancient pronunciation cannot be reconstructed with certainty, but Greek from the period is well documented, and there is little disagreement among linguists as to the general nature of the sounds that the letters represent. /oː/ raised to [uː] , probably by the 4th century BC. Greek, like all of the older Indo-European languages , is highly inflected. It is highly archaic in its preservation of Proto-Indo-European forms. In ancient Greek, nouns (including proper nouns) have five cases ( nominative , genitive , dative , accusative , and vocative ), three genders ( masculine , feminine , and neuter ), and three numbers (singular, dual , and plural ). Verbs have four moods ( indicative , imperative , subjunctive , and optative ) and three voices (active, middle, and passive ), as well as three persons (first, second, and third) and various other forms. Verbs are conjugated through seven combinations of tenses and aspect (generally simply called "tenses"):

3936-490: The Archaic period of ancient Greek (see Homeric Greek for more details): Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε, πολλὰς δ' ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι· Διὸς δ' ἐτελείετο βουλή· ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς. The beginning of Apology by Plato exemplifies Attic Greek from

4018-574: The Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States". The proper address in written correspondence for all deacons of the Latin Church in the United States is "Deacon Name ", although it is not uncommon to see "Rev. Mr." sometimes used. "Rev. Mr.", however, is more often used to indicate a transitional deacon (i.e., preparing for ordination to the priesthood) or one who belongs to

4100-659: The Holy Roman Church. He has the privilege of announcing the new pope 's election and name (once he has been ordained to the episcopate) in the Habemus Papam announcement given from the central balcony at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City State . In the past, during papal coronations, the Protodeacon also had the honor of bestowing the pallium on the new pope and crowning him with the papal tiara . However, in 1978 Pope John Paul I chose not to be crowned and opted for

4182-527: The Latin Catholic deacon are the alb , stole and dalmatic . Deacons, like priests and bishops, must wear their albs and stoles; deacons place the stole over their left shoulder and it hangs across to their right side, while priests and bishops wear it around their necks. The dalmatic, a vestment especially associated with the deacon, is worn during the celebration of the Mass and other liturgical functions; its use

SECTION 50

#1732855160746

4264-423: The Uniting Church are called to minister to those on the fringes of the church and be involved in ministry in the community. Deacons offer leadership in a ministry of service to the world. The primary focus of the ministry of deacons is on care and compassion for the poor and oppressed and in seeking social justice for all people. They take both an active role in leadership in such actions themselves, but are also play

4346-550: The aorist. Following Homer 's practice, the augment is sometimes not made in poetry , especially epic poetry. The augment sometimes substitutes for reduplication; see below. Almost all forms of the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect reduplicate the initial syllable of the verb stem. (A few irregular forms of perfect do not reduplicate, whereas a handful of irregular aorists reduplicate.) The three types of reduplication are: Irregular duplication can be understood diachronically. For example, lambanō (root lab ) has

4428-419: The augment when it was word-initial. In verbs with a preposition as a prefix, the augment is placed not at the start of the word, but between the preposition and the original verb. For example, προσ(-)βάλλω (I attack) goes to προσ έ βαλoν in the aorist. However compound verbs consisting of a prefix that is not a preposition retain the augment at the start of the word: αὐτο(-)μολῶ goes to ηὐ τομόλησα in

4510-424: The bishop does officially approve and appoint deacons to their selected ministry. Deacons may assist the elder in the administration of Sacraments, but must receive special approval from a bishop before presiding over Baptism and holy communion. United Methodist deacons are present in North America, Europe and Africa. The Methodist Church of Great Britain also has a permanent diaconate—based on an understanding of

4592-669: The bishops of their diocese. They have a distinctive role in the liturgy of the Eastern and Western Churches. Deacons are also appointed or elected in other denominations, though this is less commonly seen as a step towards the clerical ministry. The role of deacon in these denominations varies greatly from denomination to denomination; often, there will be more emphasis on administrative duties than on pastoral or liturgical duties. In some denominations, deacons' duties are only financial management and practical aid and relief. Elders handle pastoral and other administrative duties. Beginning around

4674-410: The celebration of marriages, as in Eastern theology the sacrament is conferred by the nuptial blessing of a priest. Diaconal vestments are the sticharion (alb, although it has come to resemble the western dalmatic), the orarion (deacon's stole), and the epimanikia (cuffs). The last are worn under the sticharion, not over it as does a priest or bishop. The deacon usually wears a simple orarion which

4756-438: The center of Greek scholarship, this division of people and language is quite similar to the results of modern archaeological-linguistic investigation. One standard formulation for the dialects is: West vs. non-West Greek is the strongest-marked and earliest division, with non-West in subsets of Ionic-Attic (or Attic-Ionic) and Aeolic vs. Arcadocypriot, or Aeolic and Arcado-Cypriot vs. Ionic-Attic. Often non-West

4838-455: The date of their elevation. In the Archieratikon ( Slavonic : Chinovnik ), the liturgical book containing the services as celebrated by a bishop , the term Protodeacon is used to refer to the senior-ranking deacon who is serving, regardless of whether or not he has actually had that rank bestowed upon him. In the Roman rite , the senior Cardinal Deacon is the Cardinal Protodeacon of

4920-558: The deacon is not permitted to perform any sacred mysteries (sacraments) on their own, except for Baptism in extremis (in danger of death), conditions under which anyone, including the laity, may baptize. When assisting at a normal baptism, it is often the deacon who goes down into the water with the one being baptized ( Acts 8:38 ). In contrast to the Roman Catholic Church , deacons in the Eastern Churches may not preside at

5002-522: The deacon's own ruling bishop . The rite of elevation is identical for both a protodeacon and an archdeacon, and is normally done during the Little Entrance of the Divine Liturgy . A protodeacon has precedence when serving with other deacons, regardless of the date of his own ordination to the diaconate. If several protodeacons serve at the same time, their order of precedence is determined by

SECTION 60

#1732855160746

5084-534: The deacons are also members of the local church council. A special feature of the Dutch Reformed churches is the fact that the diaconate of each local church is its own legal entity with its own financial means, separated from the church itself, and governed by the deacons. In the Uniting Church in Australia , the diaconate is one of two offices of ordained ministry. The other is Minister of the Word. Deacons in

5166-508: The deacons' role was indeed to help, their assistance involved more liturgical, teaching and leadership functions than purely charitable work. The Greek word diakónissa ( διακόνισσα ), meaning deaconess, is not found in the Bible. However, one woman, Phoebe , is mentioned at Romans 16:1–2 as a deacon or deaconess ( διάκονος , diákonos ) of the church in Cenchreae . Nothing more specific

5248-433: The diaconate as an order of ministry . Permanent deacons are deacons who are not transitioning into the priesthood , in contrast to those continuing their formation , who were then called transitional deacons . The word deacon is derived from the Greek word diákonos ( διάκονος ), which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiter", "minister", or "messenger". Recent research has highlighted

5330-649: The diaconate as well. This practice is rooted in the holy eucharist and is in acknowledgement and respect of the eucharistic role members of the clergy play in preparing, handling and disbursing the sacrament during the Divine Liturgy, and in building and serving the church as the Body of Christ. In the Lutheran Churches of the Scandinavian tradition, there is a threefold ministry of "bishops, priests, and deacons". Until

5412-430: The diaconate. The effect of this was the creation of a large and overwhelmingly female diaconate for a time, as most men proceeded to be ordained priests after a short time as a deacon. Anglican deacons may baptize and in some dioceses are granted licences to solemnize matrimony , usually under the instruction of their parish priest and bishop. Deacons are not able to preside at the eucharist (but can lead worship with

5494-563: The dialect of Sparta ), and Northern Peloponnesus Doric (including Corinthian ). All the groups were represented by colonies beyond Greece proper as well, and these colonies generally developed local characteristics, often under the influence of settlers or neighbors speaking different Greek dialects. After the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, a new international dialect known as Koine or Common Greek developed, largely based on Attic Greek , but with influence from other dialects. This dialect slowly replaced most of

5576-401: The distribution of already-consecrated communion elements where this is permitted), nor can they pronounce God's absolution of sin or pronounce the Trinitarian blessing. In most cases, deacons minister alongside other clergy. An Anglican deacon wears an identical choir dress to an Anglican priest: cassock , surplice , tippet and academic hood . However, liturgically, deacons usually wear

5658-433: The faith; is a sign of merciful kindness in the parish and society at large, and in all things serves Christ in the neighbour". In Anglican churches, such as the Church of England and the Free Church of England , deacons are permitted to marry freely before or after ordination, as are Anglican priests. Most deacons are "transitional deacons", that is, preparing for the priesthood and they are usually ordained priests about

5740-518: The fifth century, there was a gradual decline in the diaconate as a permanent state of life in the Latin Church . The development of a cursus honorum (sequence of offices) found men entering the clerical state through tonsure , then ordination to the minor orders of lector, porter, exorcist, acolyte before ordination to the major orders of sub-deacon and deacon, all stages on the path to priesthood. Only men destined for priesthood were permitted to be ordained deacons. As seminaries developed, following

5822-506: The historical Dorians . The invasion is known to have displaced population to the later Attic-Ionic regions, who regarded themselves as descendants of the population displaced by or contending with the Dorians. The Greeks of this period believed there were three major divisions of all Greek people – Dorians, Aeolians, and Ionians (including Athenians), each with their own defining and distinctive dialects. Allowing for their oversight of Arcadian, an obscure mountain dialect, and Cypriot, far from

5904-472: The historical circumstances of the times imply that the overall groups already existed in some form. Scholars assume that major Ancient Greek period dialect groups developed not later than 1120 BC, at the time of the Dorian invasions —and that their first appearances as precise alphabetic writing began in the 8th century BC. The invasion would not be "Dorian" unless the invaders had some cultural relationship to

5986-499: The older dialects, although the Doric dialect has survived in the Tsakonian language , which is spoken in the region of modern Sparta. Doric has also passed down its aorist terminations into most verbs of Demotic Greek . By about the 6th century AD, the Koine had slowly metamorphosed into Medieval Greek . Phrygian is an extinct Indo-European language of West and Central Anatolia , which

6068-487: The perfect stem eilēpha (not * lelēpha ) because it was originally slambanō , with perfect seslēpha , becoming eilēpha through compensatory lengthening. Reduplication is also visible in the present tense stems of certain verbs. These stems add a syllable consisting of the root's initial consonant followed by i . A nasal stop appears after the reduplication in some verbs. The earliest extant examples of ancient Greek writing ( c.  1450 BC ) are in

6150-480: The permanent diaconate varies from diocese to diocese as determined by the local ordinary, but it usually entails a period of prayerful preparation and several years of study. Diaconal candidates receive instruction in philosophy , theology , study of the Bible , homiletics , sacramental studies, evangelization , ecclesiology , counseling, and pastoral care and ministry before ordination. They may be assigned to work in

6232-503: The reception of the body at a service in the funeral home, and may assist the priest at the requiem Mass. They can also preside over various services such as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament , and they may give certain blessings. While in ancient history their tasks and competencies varied, today deacons cannot hear confession and give absolution, anoint the sick, or celebrate Mass. The vestments most particularly associated with

6314-508: The role of the deacon "as a co-operator" and "go-between," emphasizing their intermediary position in early Christian communities. It is generally assumed that the office of deacon originated in the selection of seven men by the apostles, among them Stephen , to assist with the charitable work of the early church as recorded in Acts of the Apostles chapter 6. Newer research emphasizes that while

6396-517: The syllabic script Linear B . Beginning in the 8th century BC, however, the Greek alphabet became standard, albeit with some variation among dialects. Early texts are written in boustrophedon style, but left-to-right became standard during the classic period. Modern editions of ancient Greek texts are usually written with accents and breathing marks , interword spacing , modern punctuation , and sometimes mixed case , but these were all introduced later. The beginning of Homer 's Iliad exemplifies

6478-442: The title of protodeacon. In the Greek usage, the chief deacon who is attached to the person of a bishop is called an archdeacon. In the Slavic usage a protodeacon or archdeacon wears a distinctive orarion (deacon's stole). The title of protodeacon is an award, not a distinctive order of ministry ; so while a man may be ordained a deacon, he is said to be 'elevated' to the rank of protodeacon. This elevation may be awarded only by

6560-479: The two other orders, bishops and priests, pray the Liturgy of the Hours ; however, deacons are usually only required to pray morning and evening prayer. In addition to proclaiming the Gospel and assisting in the distribution of holy communion , the deacon censes the icons and people, calls the people to prayer, leads the litanies , and has a role in the dialogue of the anaphora . In keeping with Eastern tradition,

6642-533: The various Presbyterian denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church (USA) , Presbyterian Church in America and Orthodox Presbyterian Church , also elect deacons, along with elders . However, in some churches the property-functions of the diaconate and session of elders is commended to an independent board of trustees . In many Dutch Reformed churches deacons are charged with ministries of mercy. As such,

6724-475: Was Aeolic. For example, fragments of the works of the poet Sappho from the island of Lesbos are in Aeolian. Most of the dialect sub-groups listed above had further subdivisions, generally equivalent to a city-state and its surrounding territory, or to an island. Doric notably had several intermediate divisions as well, into Island Doric (including Cretan Doric ), Southern Peloponnesus Doric (including Laconian ,

#745254