Duties of The Most Holy Synod
The Synod functioned under the Ecclesiastical Regulation statute with the goal of administrating and reforming the church. The statute stated that the eleven members of the college were to be of varying classes and ranks. One president, two vice-presidents, four councilors and four assessors comprised the council and each member would get one vote when determining a dispute.
Formed as a reaction to Peter’s views of Russia as compared to Western Europe, the Synod was a concentration of the most enlightened clerics. It worked to gain as much of the disputed church property as possible, and after assuming control of the patriarchal domain the Synod was accountable for the lives of six thousand people. It was to be revered absolutely in all things and possessed “patriarchal power, honour, and authority”.
The primary duties of the Synod were to supervise the direction of the Orthodox faith, instruct people on religious matters, celebrate feasts and determine questions of order and ritual. As mentioned before, the Synod also suppressed heretics, judged miracles and relics and prevented Russian citizens from practicing witchcraft. The Synod was in control of church property and was thus responsible for the creation of monasteries and churches.
Read more about this topic: Most Holy Synod
Famous quotes containing the words duties of, duties and/or holy:
“Columbus stood in his age as the pioneer of progress and enlightenment. The system of universal education is in our age the most prominent and salutary feature of the spirit of enlightenment, and it is peculiarly appropriate that the schools be made by the people the center of the day’s demonstration. Let the national flag float over every schoolhouse in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
“To have the fear of God before our eyes, and, in our mutual dealings with each other, to govern our actions by the eternal measures of right and wrong:MThe first of these will comprehend the duties of religion;Mthe second, those of morality, which are so inseparably connected together, that you cannot divide these two tables ... without breaking and mutually destroying them both.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)
“Europe has always owed to oriental genius its divine impulses. What these holy bards said, all sane men found agreeable and true.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)