A long full beard is an essential attribute of an Orthodox priest, according to most Russians. Is it possible to imagine a clean-shaven priest? Meanwhile, in some cases, the priests do not wear their traditional beard.
Orthodox tradition
The custom of walking with long hair and facial hair came to Rus' along with the spread of Christianity.
The fact is that even the Old Testament Jews wore beards, following the instructions of the book of Leviticus: “Do not cut your head around, and do not spoil the edges of your beard” (chapter 19, verse 27). The holy apostles, rejecting many biblical traditions, adhered to the same views regarding shaving the beard. Jesus Christ himself, judging by the iconography and sacred texts, wore long hair and facial hair.
The difference between Orthodox Christians and Catholics is also linked to this theme. It is known that the Romans traditionally shaved, but the Greeks did not. The Western clergy believed that the pastor had the right to decide for himself whether to wear a beard or not. The hierarchs of the Byzantine Church were categorical in this matter, they forbade all men (not only priests) to cut and shave their beards. After all, God made them that way.
Since Christianity came to Rus' from Constantinople, a corresponding tradition was established in our country. The Stoglavy Cathedral, which was held in Moscow in 1551, even forbade the burial of the beardless dead according to the canons of the Orthodox Church.
Now opinions among the clergy are divided. Conservative priests consider shaving a beard a sign of apostasy, while their more progressive counterparts do not see a direct connection between facial hair and a person's spirituality. At the same time, they admit that although a beard is not an obligatory attribute of a priest, a stable stereotype has formed in the minds of Russians. A clean-shaven priest is perceived by the parishioners with apprehension: why does he not follow church traditions?
The beardless priest contradicts the established cultural paradigm, arouses suspicions of a secret adherence to sectarianism, so the clergy do not want to challenge public opinion with their appearance.
Russian Church Abroad
All of the above applies only to our country. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) is much more democratic on this issue. A religious organization operating in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany and other countries where there are immigrant communities allows its employees to shave.
As you know, in the 60s of the twentieth century, America and Europe were swept by a wave of hippie youth protest movement. Guys and men who declared their values "sex, drugs and rock and roll" expressed their protest against the foundations of bourgeois society, including their appearance. They wore beards.
Then the priests of the foreign Orthodox Church faced a problem: they began to be mistaken for hippies. This was unacceptable for two reasons:
Christian morality is incompatible with the ideology of this youth movement;
police officers often mistook young priests for rebel protesters, and misunderstandings arose.
In such a situation, the ROCOR leadership decided that shaving the beard was permissible, and it was better not to stir up discord in society with your appearance. Now most of the employees of the Orthodox Church Abroad shave also so that vigilant citizens and special services do not confuse them with Muslims, mistaking them for possible terrorists.
Renovators
The year 1917 was a turning point for our entire country; they also tried to reform the Orthodox Church. Renovationism arose - a movement for the democratization of Russian spiritual life, the modernization of parish management. Many religious leaders urged the clergy to abandon outdated rites, they believed that the church should keep up with the times.
Emphasizing their reformist ideals, the spiritual hierarchs of the Renovationists cut their hair short, and carefully shaved their beards and mustaches. For example, Alexander Ivanovich Vvedensky (1889-1946) did not wear any facial hair. He led the Living Church, as the religious movement was also called, from 1922 until his death.
However, the attempt to modernize Russian Orthodoxy did not find support among the majority of priests and flocks. Having lost the patronage of the Soviet authorities in the 30s of the 20th century, renovationism gradually came to naught.
Doesn't grow naturally
In some men, the beard and mustache by nature either do not grow at all, or individual shreds of hair break through the skin in places, which looks ugly. Scientists identify four main reasons for this phenomenon:
hormonal imbalance, when the body does not produce enough testosterone;
lack of nutrients necessary for hair growth;
damage to hair follicles as a result of various skin diseases;
heredity, if one of the ancestors had the same feature.
The absence of a beard is rare. As a rule, most men do not know such a problem. Although among different peoples the number of beardless representatives of the stronger sex varies.
The presence of minor health problems or hereditary characteristics are not an obstacle to accepting the priesthood. Although such a father has a hard time. He needs to explain to the leadership and parishioners that he is naturally beardless. It is far from easy for every person to report his hormonal imbalance to all the curious, to explain that he is not a sectarian and not an apostate. Among such priests there are also spiritually strong people who managed to overcome the stereotype established in society, but some beardless priests are forced to refuse to serve.
Seminarians
Students of theological seminaries who are preparing to become priests, as a rule, shave. So accepted. Only after accepting the priesthood is the young man entitled to let go of a long and bushy beard. An exception is made only for the Old Believers, out of respect for their traditions.
Seminarians are made clear that fine facial hair is an attribute of a clergyman, as is long hair. Hairstyles of students should be neat, not distinguishing them from their peers. Although a very short haircut is also not allowed, in order to avoid resemblance to skinheads.
Needless to say, the presence or absence of a beard in a priest is a matter of both religious and political, and cultural and reformist.
Cassocks, beards and long hair
“Why can’t priests be like everyone else? Stand out less from the crowd: cut their hair, shave and wear suits. Over there, among Catholics, priests are shaved, trimmed and in a suit. They are distinguished from the laity only by a white assistant around their neck instead of a tie. And ours ?!”
This is often heard from people. Orthodox priests have never aspired to be like everyone else, their traditions have not changed for two millennia and are not going to change, they must be perceived as they are. Their ministry is so detached from worldly life that it requires the preservation of external attributes as a cover from everything external. The priest is in the service, and therefore wears a uniform; The military is also required to wear a uniform.
So what, according to tradition, should an Orthodox priest look like? The most important attribute of Russian priests is the beard. In some places, due to the strong influence of the West, not all clergy wear beards.
There are several traditions that are directly related to the radical or liberal attitude of the clergyman.
The old priests, who came from the intelligentsia, have always been very fond of short professorial beards, and those who come from the common people, as a rule, wear lush full spade beards. As a rule, the more liberal the priest, the shorter his hair and beard.
Wearing long hair is rooted in deep Old Testament antiquity, when those dedicated to God did not cut their hair, nails and did not drink wine; however, the last two points do not apply to modern priests. Untrimmed nails will look especially funny.
Now about clothes. Before the revolution, white priests (that is, married ones) always wore cassocks and wide-brimmed hats, while monastics did not wear hats. Now the priests have not worn hats for a long time, they were replaced by more traditional skufs (dome-shaped cap). Pectoral crosses appeared only under Emperor Paul.
In Soviet times, priests were forbidden to wear cassocks outside the church. Over the years, they got so used to it that when the Union collapsed along with all the large payday loans prohibitions, they continued to stubbornly follow this new tradition, sometimes even forbidding young priests to wear cassocks. In the early nineties, these traditions were still so strong that not every priest dared to go down the subway or walk down the street in a cassock. Now the situation has changed radically, now there are far fewer priests wearing secular clothes.
The cassock is a long, wide garment with very wide sleeves covering almost the entire palm. But a cassock is outerwear, under it it is supposed to wear a cassock, which differs from a cassock in narrow sleeves with cuffs, like on a shirt, a narrower cut and the presence of deep pockets, in which a breviary must be placed - a rather weighty book of a small format containing texts of treb . The cassock has no pockets, so the plucking thieves have a rest.
Regarding the lack of pockets in the cassock - another anecdote from our reality. The priest is on the subway. And suddenly he feels that someone is trying to get into his non-existent pocket. Batiushka pretends not to notice anything, watching what will happen next. The thief makes another futile attempt to find the coveted priestly purse. The next moment, the hand of the thief falls into the hand of the laughing priest. “Well, have you improved your financial situation?”
I must say that the cassock retains heat well in the cold and protects from heat in the heat. True, in extreme heat, all black can melt, so summer clothes are usually light colors.
There is also a kind of priestly fashion; cassocks, cassocks and skullcaps may differ in cut. For example, the so-called Greek cassocks and skufs, which came to Russia from Greece, are now very common. Provincial priests are very fond of multi-colored velvet skufs. And in the seventies and eighties, among the clergy there was a fashion for multi-colored cassocks, which had already passed in the mid-nineties. Among the priests to this day there is a fashion for wide belts embroidered with colored threads and beads, which are put on a cassock.
Priestly and liturgical clothes, as a rule, are made to order; finished products are sold, but in smaller quantities. An ordinary cassock costs two to three thousand rubles. Cassock - up to two thousand. A winter cassock costs like a good coat. True, there are few hunters among the clergy to wear winter cassocks. As winter clothing, priests prefer to wear ordinary coats, sheepskin coats or jackets. Skufya - from three hundred rubles to a thousand. Winter - on natural fur, like a regular fur hat.
We will not describe the liturgical clothes, since you can read about this in any catechism. There are a lot of them, they have completely different purposes. The main ones are the phelonion and stole, without which a priest cannot serve the Liturgy. One thing is worth saying that some elements of liturgical vestments are awards, which, like the military, are given for length of service and other merits.
For example, the very first award is the so-called gaiter, an element of liturgical vestments of a rectangular shape, which is worn on the side, which is why it is called a gaiter. The next award is a kamilavka, a blue or red velvet headdress. They wear it only at worship (not to be confused with the skufia, which is worn outside of 1000 dollar loans fast services and has a different shape). This is followed by a pectoral cross - a gilded four-pointed cross, and not a six-pointed one, as in novice priests. In church slang it is called the "golden cross".
After the gold cross comes a cross with decorations along with the title of archpriest (proto - first or senior, and an ordinary priest - priest). After the cross with decorations - miter, a special headdress made of brocade, decorated with stones or rhinestones. After the miter is a mace, a diamond-shaped brocade decoration worn on the side, like on a gaiter. Here, perhaps, are all the priestly awards.
Leisure
It may seem that the priests do not know how to rest at all. It's not like this yearly free credit report at all. Priests are very fond of sitting at the table in pleasant company, having sincere conversations, and they are very fond of singing. Representatives of the clergy generally have excellent voices, often worthy of an opera house. And don’t feed some bread - let them sing. The repertoire can be very diverse. The priests especially love to compete, who will last louder and longer. Their voices are so powerful that no speakers are needed. And do not feed others with bread - let them argue on theological topics.
Priests also love to go out into nature with friends. Families, or purely male companies, to someone in the country, with a bathhouse. After all, they are also great masters to take a steam bath in a Russian bath and dive into a snowdrift. And the couple is catching up in Russian! A bath is always a company and heartfelt conversations, this is a real Russian pleasure, which only "ulcers" refuse.
The priesthood also has holidays - as it should be, once a year, for a month or for two weeks, depending on the situation in the parish. It is very difficult for rural priests to go on vacation: where there is only one priest in the church, this is fraught with the fact that debt consolidation pros and cons will have to interrupt the liturgical cycle, close the church, explain the situation to the parishioners or look for a replacement for the holidays, and this is almost impossible in the countryside . Therefore, often many rural priests do not go on vacation for many years.
To go on vacation, they write a petition to the diocesan bishop, he, in turn, decides whether to let the priest go or not. By the way, in the official wording there is no such thing as a vacation for relaxation. Formally, a church minister is not allowed to rest. Therefore, in the petition they write "to allow leave for treatment."
A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Priest
So how does a typical day for an ordinary priest go? Let's try to make a daily routine with comments. First of all, it should be noted that the clergy have irregular working hours.
Rise at 6.00-7.00
There is no breakfast. The priest serves the liturgy strictly on an empty stomach. Before the service, after 24 hours, it is strictly forbidden to eat or drink, even medicines.
Service starts at 7:00 or 8:00. The priest appears in the temple long before the official start of the service.
The liturgy lasts two to three hours, immediately after it the temple rites begin - weddings, prayers, funerals, panikhidas, christenings.
The end of the service at 13 or 14 hours. Now note that the priest is on his feet without food or drink by this time already seven o'clock!
Lunch at about 2 pm. Many reproach the priests: they say, very often the priests are fat or with bellies. They probably eat a lot. Their life is so abundant and idle, so they get fat. Let's try to answer the question of where the bellies come from.
Firstly, what do you think, after a six-seven-hour working day, without food or drink, on your feet, with a colossal emotional and mental load - what will be the appetite? What kind of healthy diet in such a situation can we talk about? And after dinner, the priest is given an hour or two of free time, which loans el paso tx no credit check, he tends to use for sleep, as he simply collapses from fatigue. Although it happens that this time does not exist at all. Therefore, if a person is inclined to be overweight, then in these favorable conditions, the weight begins to exceed the prescribed norms.
Secondly, bellies are an occupational disease. Tell me, are there many opera singers without tummies? Probably not. So, the stomach is from voice loads, which are no less than that of professional singers. This is due to physiological changes in the body, when during singing the internal pressure in the lungs increases and abdominal cavity. And priests who do not have a strong voice, as a rule, do not even have a belly.
17:00 - evening service. It may not be, then the priest immediately after dinner and until the evening goes to the treb - this is the communion and unction of the sick at home or in the hospital, the consecration of apartments. It can be a funeral, with a trip to the cemetery.
Many priests teach at various theological courses in the evening. Many visit nursing homes, colonies, hopeless patients, and so on and so forth. The priest has a lot to do.
If there is an evening service, it ends at the earliest at 7 pm, or maybe at 8 pm or 9 pm. And then confession and personal conversations with parishioners.
At 21 or 22 hours - the end of the working day.
After 22:00 dinner.
On this, perhaps, we will stop.
Occupational diseases
Varicose veins - from constant stress on the legs.
Cardiovascular diseases, hypertension - from emotional stress.
Obesity; it was mentioned above.
Gastric diseases - from malnutrition and constant stress.
(8 votes: 4.8 out of 5)Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov
315 years ago, Peter the Great introduced a tax on beards, making an exception for the Church. Father Artemy explains why seminarians today are forced to shave, and whether it is true that conservative priests have longer beards than liberal ones.
Why do Orthodox Christians wear beards?
- Remembering this decree of the All-Russian Emperor, who, thanks to his advisers, was able to replenish the state treasury from nothing, we must admit that the beard is not only the prerogative of the Orthodox world. But all the peoples of antiquity, as evidenced by archeology, painting and literature, saw the beard as an integral part of manhood, obviously identifying it with the virtues of courage, wisdom, stature, and a strong male mind. Middle Ages and modern times largely subordinated the clothes and appearance of people to the European standard.
However, conservative views on this matter have always dominated in the bosom of Russian Orthodoxy. And today, when you see a beard on the streets of the capital city, you can immediately guess that we have either Orthodox Christian, or a representative of some other traditional world religion, because both Jews and Muslims do not disdain beards.
But we, returning to the customs adopted by Orthodox Christians, will say that happiness is not in the beard. It is not necessary to grow a long beard of the mind. And, of course, the moral dignity of a Christian does not in the least depend on how he relates to wearing a beard.
Let us make a reservation that for Orthodox clergymen, the presence of a beard is an essential requirement for their appearance, for everything in the life of pastors must be linked not only to the two thousand-year-old Christian tradition, but also to several thousand years of biblical existence. Even in the Old Testament books of Moses, in particular, in the book of Leviticus, we find a description of the appearance of the clergy and an instruction not to damage the edges of your beard ().
No, of course, we will not argue that such ceremonial decrees are strictly obligatory for a modern priest. But there are subtle, almost imperceptible nuances that are perceived by the sensitive heart of the Orthodox people.
Our people, conservative and traditional, of course accept any priest. But he still notes to himself: oh, what a pity that the priest cut off his beard, leaving instead a rat tail a la Trotsky or like a stubby beard that belonged to the "All-Union goat", as, if I'm not mistaken, Joseph Stalin called Kalinin.
Seeing a young priest with clean-shaven cheeks, his beard well-groomed in a revolutionary manner, attentive people note - and this is a priest of a “progressive” persuasion, not too concerned about entering into tradition ...
However, these are just psychological observations, and I ask readers to correctly perceive my words. We are now talking more about aesthetics than about ethics, and in no way cast a shadow on those priests who are weary of wearing a long beard.
So is it true that they say that a long beard is a sign of a conservative priest, and a short beard is a sign of a liberal one?
With some stretch, this can be assumed, but we will not give our observations the force of the rule. The main thing, of course, is the quality of your thoughts, the way you think and live. But some hint of the essence of the matter in the features of appearance, of course, is contained. Do you remember the saying of Father Pavel Florensky, who said that clothing, and therefore appearance, is a continuation of a person’s personality, and therefore the smallest details of our dress, clothing, appearance, speak of a certain disposition of the soul.
And if you are Sherlock Holmes, that is, a psychological and observant person, then, of course, meeting a person “by clothes”, you make up some initial impression about him. Moreover, the priest, who is distinguished by experience, has an internal right to his judgment, always being in the spotlight, under the crosshairs of dozens, maybe hundreds of views.
Therefore, any priest should be aware that all his tastes, addictions and habits related to appearance can always become food for intense reflection. This is especially true of the priests who appear in the television window.
- And why are seminarians forced to shave their beards?
- In order to distinguish this estate from those who have already taken holy orders. As soon as a seminarian is ordained a deacon, he begins to differ in appearance from his fellows. However, an exception, as I remember (I taught at Moscow theological schools for more than 10 years), was made for seminarians from the Old Believer agreements. Respecting their conservatism and not wanting any of the dramas that took place under Peter the Great, they were allowed to walk around in black seminary tunics and at the same time wear their thick beards.
Recorded by Kirill Milovidov
There is currently no strict ban on shaving beards among the ministers of the Orthodox Church. But there are many reasons why Orthodox priests have beards.
Faktrum looked into the old codes of church rules and figured out why the priests wear a beard.
What do church canons say about a beard
In the Orthodox Church, the priest, according to tradition, must wear a beard. This rule goes back to the time of the life of Christ. As you know, Christ did not shave his beard and grew long hair, because he was brought up in the Nazirite community. And on all the icons the face of the Lord was depicted exclusively with a rich beard, mustache and long hair.
It was forbidden to shave the beards of priests in Russia according to the apostolic instructions and rules Ecumenical Council. In addition, barbering was openly called a sin in the Old Testament. And in the Bible itself there are references to the fact that ministers of the church and true believers should not cut their beards. According to the Orthodox Church, by shaving facial hair, a person shows his dissatisfaction with the face that the Lord has given. For this reason, the Stoglavy Cathedral in Russia issued a rule on holding a funeral service for the beardless. A deceased man without a beard could not be buried, and after burial for such a person it was forbidden to light candles in churches. And in 1347, in Vilna, for a categorical refusal to shave their beards, pagans executed a trinity of Christians. Before Peter I came to power, the removal of facial hair was condemned by the church. It was even equated with the sin of adultery. For shaving beards, they could well be excommunicated from the church.
The position of the Old Believers on the issue of beards among priests coincides with the Orthodox Church. They believe that only those who wear beards will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, a beardless man cannot enter any Old Believer church. They are also strict in relation to those who once shaved their beard and did not admit it. Old Believers bury such people without proper rituals.
In the modern Orthodox Church, the priest's beard is not an obligatory attribute of his appearance. However, the vast majority of priests do not shave their beards. By this they pay tribute to Christian traditions. The hair on the face and head is carefully looked after, because a priest cannot be untidy in front of the parishioners.
Which priest is allowed not to wear a beard?
Young men studying at the seminary are allowed to shave and not grow a beard. Is it a sin for seminarians to shave their beards? No, they remain beardless because it is customary. Only with the end of his studies and entry into the rank can a young priest begin to grow a beard.
They also make indulgences for those clergy whose beard does not grow by nature. According to the canons, the priest must have a long and bushy beard. And if a man who has taken the dignity has a beard growing in untidy shreds, then he has every right to shave it off.
Orthodox priests living abroad may not wear beards. Why do priests wear a beard in Russia, but do without it abroad? Because in the sixties the world was swept by a wave of militant hippies. Priests wearing beards began to be confused with them. In order not to have problems with the police, the foreign priests began to shave their beards with the permission of ROCOR. Also, Renovationist priests, who advocate the modernization of the Orthodox Church, go without a beard.
Catholic priests also do not wear beards and mustaches. It's been that way since the days ancient rome when the absence of a beard spoke of belonging to the upper strata of society. However, some popes wore beards, such as Julius II and Clement XI.
Hthe presence of a beard is rather a kind of dogma today than a real symbol of the priest's spirituality. The fact is that if we take Christianity, then in Kievan Rus it appeared only some 1000 years ago. And at that moment Christianity had already been in Rome for 1000 years. Well, if you read the Bible, you will understand that it consists of two not identical parts. First - the Old Testament, and only then from the New Testament. So the Old Testament takes you and me even further - more than 3 thousand years BC. And then, when the people were still far from being as reasonable as you and I, even then the priests wore beards, and even then it was a dogma and a symbol for the priest. Let's turn to modern interpretations the people of Israel about that time and the orders of that ancient time. Here is an example of Levin's interpretation by Boris Khaimovich, who writes an article on the topic: The scientific foundations of Moses' monotheism. In one of the sections, he dwells on the topic of the norm of life of that priest: SHAVING AND WASHING! What is it? Among the rules of behavior for priests associated with conducting services in the tabernacle, there are, so to speak, hygienic ones: the requirement to shave “with a razor all over your body” (Numbers 8, 7), to wash, and under pain of death, “your hands and your feet” before entering the tabernacle and before the sacrifice (Ex. 30:18-21) and “his body with water” (Lev. 16:4), 
and also put on linen clothing before entering the tabernacle, and this clothing is listed in detail, from head to toe: “he must put on the sacred linen chiton, let the linen underdress be on his body, and let him gird himself with a linen belt, and let the linen kidar puts on” (Lev. 16:4). An electrical spark (“fire from the Lord”) occurs between two objects carrying a dissimilar electrical charge. In order for a priest approaching a charged tabernacle not to suffer "fire from the Lord" (even without touching the metal parts of the tabernacle), he must not carry a charge. And the latter can accumulate on the body as a result of friction, for example, wool on linen. Moreover, the natural hairline of the priest's body can also serve as wool for flax. A shaved body, rubbing against the linen of clothes, does not create an electric charge. Linen clothing, including because of this, is still considered the most environmentally friendly. The final procedure - washing with water - removes an accidentally accumulated electric charge: water simply takes it on itself, taking it away from the body. Moreover, since “the laver is of copper for ablution and its foot is of brass” (Ex. 30, 18), then just touching the grounded conductive washbasin with hands and bare feet to the same foot should have discharged the body. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet out of it; when they entered the tabernacle and approached the altar, then they were washed” (Ex. 40, 31-32). Strange, at first glance, the requirement of the Bible “do not put on clothes made of dissimilar threads, wool and linen” (Lev. 19, 19) from the point of view of taking into account electrostatics acquires a certain meaning. This, first of all, should have prevented the generation static electricity on the human body in order to prevent a dangerous charge from being drawn to it from the tabernacle. It would seem that such a rule should apply only to priests and Levites, that is, only those who have the right to direct contact with the tabernacle. 
However, the fact of the matter is that the prohibition to wear wool and linen at the same time was given by God not to the priests and Levites, but just “to the whole community of the sons of Israel” (Lev. 19: 2). In this regard, it seems obvious that this safety rule was developed by Moses not in order to protect fellow citizens from a possible fire from the Lord (they were not allowed to the tabernacle anyway), butonly so that they do not have insight into the nature of both the glory of the Lord (the illumination of the tabernacle) and the fire from the Lord.
INfrom the best answer aboutwhy do priests wear beards? The priest is believed to beconnected withGod in the world. It is believed that Christ wore long hair and a beard. Therefore, in the tradition of Russian Orthodox Church Priests are required to conform to this image of God.
INsome other Christian Churches, incl. and in the Orthodox - this is no longer always observed. But you can answer like this: It is written in the Torah to wear a beard. Therefore, they wear ... God commanded all believers to wear a beard. First, the Jews in the Torah, this also applies to Christians ... then they were ordered to leave a beard and Muslims ... But in order for Muslims to differ from unbelievers, they were ordered to remove their mustaches, leaving their beards. 
Today we see how the majority of Muslims leave their beards ... often it gives them a lot of worries ... Either law enforcement agencies are disturbed, then they are not hired, then people are removed from them ... But they endure for the sake of Allah ... They remove them when there is a threat to life or family .. Why So? It is good for the priests of churches to wear a beard ... It is also normal for a nun to walk covered ... But to observe Islam ... is it not normal? And here is what the Orthodox priest Fomin Igor says: Nevertheless, the tradition of wearing a beard goes back to Christ himself. There is a legend that the Lord was brought up in the Nazirite community - an offshoot of the Jewish religion. The Nazirites were distinguished by the fact that they did not cut their hair - neither beard nor head
. This image was perceived by monastics in the first centuries of Christianity - in imitation of the Savior. Rus', when it adopted religion from Byzantium, adopted the church charter, originally written for monks.Together with the charter, the custom came to us not to cut hair - at first only monastics followed this rule, then priests. The beard distinguishes the clergyman from the rest of the people. As a priest, I can say that wearing a beard and long hair brings certain inconveniences, but at the same time it brings great benefits. What? You are always identified as a priest, they look at you as the Church of Christ. Realizing this, you try to behave in such a way that your behavior does not disgrace the name of God.
M
oh analysis of this question.
Nowin our times, I myself often meet men who do not shave their beards and even have long hair that curls into pigtails at the back. However, other than as a reason to imitate the beard of Jesus Christ, I still do not see it. I'm just sad that modern priests are even uttering such a phrase as the participation of Jesus Christ in the Nazarene sect. They simply cannot delve further into the details of the worldview of this sect of the Essenes. This conclusion also applies to Muslims with their dogma to wear beards, but shave off mustaches. I turn to some revelation fromDolores Cannon - Jesus and the Essenes (Conversations Through the Millennia).
The fact is that after reading many articles about the Essenes, I did not find anything about the mores of the Essenes in relation to the beard. But here are a few other important rituals for us Christians that I liked, so I bring them here. Sandalwood was burned in the censer, because "it is said to help open certain centers within us (chakras?
). But I have not been trained in these mysteries and ceremonies.” Although the circular cup was definitely an Essenes ritual, incense was also used in the rituals of other religions, even among the Romans. It occurred to me that if they had at their disposal one of the rituals known to the Christian church, then perhaps they might have another. I took the opportunity to ask about baptism. Saddi seemed to be bewildered and puzzled because he didn't know the word: This is ablution, ritual cleansing with water. There is a cleansing ceremony. After the boys reach the age of Baromshva, they are called up, and after that they must be considered adults. And they choose whether to follow the Path of Yahweh or perhaps fall away. If they choose the Way, they purify themselves in the waters. And it is said that they wash away their past and from that moment start all over again. Eat different ways perform the ceremony. Some are poured with water from above, others are forced to lie down where the water is.
Do you go down to the Dead Sea for this? No, no one will enter the Sea of Death. This is usually done in one of our fountains. Is there any special dress for this occasion? Or a linen shirt, or nothing at all. This is part of the purification, the exposure of the human soul. Is the ceremony performed by a priest? Yes, or one of the elders. This usually happens once in a lifetime. This could explain where John the Baptist borrowed the rite of baptism from. When he baptized the people in the Jordan, it was nothing new. He was simply following the existing custom of the Essenes. Moreover, the place of baptism was 3 km from the place of life of the Essenes.
PThe translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls are aware of this coincidence. The scrolls mention these two ceremonies many times. Many specialists who worked with the scrolls came to the conclusion that these rites testify to the direct connection of John the Baptist with the Essenes, that at some time in his life he was under their influence. The Essenes dressed very simply. Both men and women wore plain shirts made "from spun and woven sheep's hair (from wool) or worked linen." The shirts were belted and were floor-length. They were thought to be cold. Under the shirt, the men wore a loincloth. Regardless of gender, everyone wore sandals. Shirts have always beenwhite
, although sometimes they were "rather the color of heavy cow's cream. Not quite white." It rarely got chilly enough to wear anything else, but if it did, cloaks of different colors were worn.Adult men wore beards: "This is a sign of belonging to the male community." Outside Qumran, there were men who preferred to go around clean-shaven. “There are communities where men never cut their hair. Romans wear short hair. We are allowed any length as long as the hair is clean and well-groomed. Most prefer hair somewhere to the shoulders. 
If someone went outside the community, into the outside world, he was asked to dress as they dress there, so the Essenes in such cases were no different from other people. Those who did not belong to the Essene community did not wear white shirts, they wore multi-colored clothes and various headdresses. So in this respect the Essenes were unique, and would have been instantly recognizable if they had been among the rest. Ancient texts corroborate these facts about Essenes clothing. It must be remembered that the Essenes were in danger outside the walls of the settlement. But if no one knew who they were, they didn't risk anything. As Suddi remarked, "We are not piebald." No doubt they were not easy to recognize when they dressed like everyone else. But back at Qumran, they all wore, so to speak, “uniforms” of the same pattern. It would seem that they all looked exactly the same, but they had a way to distinguish between "ranks". They tied strips of cloth around their heads, which differed in color depending on what place its owner occupied in the community. It was a kind of insignia, so the Essenes could quickly determine the position of each other. Take the gray color - it is for younger students. The color green is the seekers. They are above the level of students. They have already learned what is mandatory for everyone, yet they are looking for more. They have only recently been called. Their souls still yearn for knowledge. They are still learning, they are not mentors. But those who wear blue are those mentors. A White color- for the elders. There is also red. The one who wears it does not belong to any of those whom I have named. He is on his own. He studies, but maybe for some other purpose. This is for visiting students to show that they are only guests. The red color tells us that although they are similar to us in mind, they seem to be not quite ours. Only green, blue and white - for ours, and even gray for younger students.
conclusions : The latest information about the Essenes shows that modern priests keep the form (let go of beards) and have forgotten the spiritual content. Namely:Adult men wore beards: "This is a sign of belonging to the male community." Outside Qumran, there were men who preferred to go around clean-shaven.But God still exists, and he sees in each of us not only the form, but also the content. And it should be in SERVICE TO OTHERS. Yes, and: “The general is higher than the private” and “The spiritual is higher than the material”, and “Justice is higher than the law”, “Power is higher than property”. Well, what about the presence of a beard, you say? And we parishioners don't care if we have a beard or not! But it is desirable that all the priests observe the laws of Spiritual Ethics that Jesus Christ commanded us, they were strictly observed by the Essenes, from whom he learned this - namely the spiritual.
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