Pearls from the Pedalion: Bishops Must Vow to Uphold the Holy Canons

Read the two-part introduction to the "Pearls from the Pedalion" series here.

From the Orthodox Ethos: Canon 2 of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, along with the Interpretation, Concord and accompanying footnote from St. Nikodemos the Hagriorite; explains that a candidate for the episcopacy must have a deep understanding of the Holy Scriptures and all of the Holy Canons before their consecration, as bishops vow uphold the Holy Canons when they are consecrated and may be removed from the episcopacy for failing to follow the canons.

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Canon 2 of the Seventh Ecumenical Council [OE1]

Since as a matter of fact we are binding ourselves to God by chanting: “I will meditate in Your statutes; I will not forget Your words” (Psalm 119:16), it befits all Christians to keep this for their own salvation, but more eminently so those invested with a clerical dignity. Hence we decree that anyone who is about to be promoted to the rank of bishop shall by all means know the Psalter, in order that he may be able to admonish all the clergy about him to become initiated; and that he be scrupulously examined by the metropolitan as to whether he is cheerfully willing to read searchingly and not cursorily the Holy Canons and the Holy Gospel, the book of the divine Apostle, and all the divine Scripture, and in accordance with the divine commandments to hold intercourse with and teach the laity about him. For the essentiality of our prelacy are the words taught by God, or, at any rate, the true science of the divine Scriptures, just as great Dionysios declared. But if he should be in doubt, and not care to do and teach thus, he must not be ordained. For God has said prophetically: “Because you have rejected knowledge I will also reject you from functioning as my priest” (Hosea 4:6).

Interpretation [OE2]

While all Christian laymen ought to meditate in the rights of God, and not forget His words, just as they chant and promise every day with the prophet, this is eminently so in the case of those in Holy Orders. For this reason the present Canon decrees that anyone who intends to become a bishop must without fail be acquainted with the thoughts in the psalter, in order to teach his laity from there so that they may learn them too. Likewise any such person must be examined by the metropolitan scrupulously as to whether he is cheerfully willing to read, not superficially and as to the words alone, but with regard to depth and with understanding of the thoughts, the Holy Canons; which we have enumerated above[OE3], the Holy Gospel, the Apostle, and all the divine Scripture, and not only to know these, but also to conduct himself both publicly and privately just as they prescribe, and to teach his fold in accordance with them. For, as Dionysios the Areopagite declares, the essence and structure of the ecclesiastical is the words taught by God, or, more precisely speaking, the true comprehension and exact knowledge of the divine Scriptures. If not, and he is in doubt, and is not minded to do these things himself, and to teach others too, let him not be made a bishop; for God says through the prophet Hosea (in paraphrase): “Since you have spurned knowledge of my laws, I too will spurn you as my priest.”

St. Dionysios the Areopagite

Concord [OE4]

In agreement with the present Canon, Canon XXIV of Carthage expresses the following decree: that those who intend to ordain a bishop, or a clergyman, must first teach him the Canons of the Holy Synods, in order that, by acting in accordance with the definitions and canons of the Fathers, they who are to be ordained may not repent later, as transgressors of them [Footnote 13 directly below]. For this reason, too, God commands the one who has become a ruler of the people not only to read the book of Deuteronomy throughout his life, in order to learn from there to fear the Lord, and to keep all His commandments, but He even makes it necessary for him to copy it himself with his own hand.

“And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this Deuteronomy in a book obtained from the priests who are Levites” (Deuteronomy 17:18). And the reason why He commands him to copy it himself is that a person who merely reads it easily forgets the thoughts that are read, whereas a person who also writes it impresses the thoughts upon his memory, because he takes time and leisure to think about each particular one of them, and until he has comprehended a sentence well he takes care not to write another: thus does Philo Judaeus interpret the matter. And if God compels secular rulers to do this, much more does He the ecclesiastical prelates who are the shepherds of his people.”

Footnote 13 [OE5]

Bishops’ Oath Is To Uphold All the Canons

Novel 123 of Justinian, too, commands that a person intending to become a bishop be taught the divine Scriptures and the Holy Canons for three months; and that anyone who has not been ordained in such a manner be deposed, and that the one who ordained him be suspended; since it is a shameful and illogical thing for one who ought to teach others to be taught by others after his ordination.

But see also (page 440 of Jus Graeco-Romanum) where after the Creed (or Symbol of Faith) every bishop at the time of his ordination utters also the following commitment: “In addition I accept the Seven Holy and Ecumenical Synods which convened for the purpose of safeguarding the venerable dogmas, solemnly promising to recognize and keep the Canons decreed by them, and all the holy ordinances that have been formulated at various times by our Holy Fathers, accepting all which they accept and rejecting all that they reject.”

OE Endnotes

1. Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite and Monk Agapios, translated by Denver Cummings, edited by Ralph Masterjohn. The Rudder, (Chicago, IL: The Orthodox Christian Educational Society, 1957), p. 890.

2. Ibid.

3. Canon 1 enumerated and ratified the Holy Canons of the previous Ecumenical Councils as well as the canons of the Holy Apostles, the Regional Councils and the Holy Fathers.

4. Ibid., p. 891-892.

5. Ibid., p. 939-940.