Therefore, these thoughts about the high appointment of ‘clergy’ should generate in those chosen by the people a feeling of their own unworthiness and complete unfitness for apostolic ministry. Here are roughly the thoughts necessary for the one chosen by the people: I accidentally occupy the place of a ‘clergyman,’ as there is nothing in me that corresponds to this heavenly ministry. Only God’s servant (chosen by God), who has the fullness of the Holy Spirit, would know how to help the brothers and sisters of our community-parish. Therefore, in nothing that requires actions and reflections, will I act independently (self-willed), but always after praying for God’s help, I will consult with the entire community: thus acted Bishop Cyprian, who said that ‘the bishop is in the church and the church in the bishop,’ but did nothing without consulting God’s people (parishioners). Therefore, all high words about the rank of the presbyter-bishop have one goal: to implement the life of the community in the conciliarity of the church, to encourage, through the humility of the steward (hierarchy), the conciliar life of each believer and all communities-parishes, dioceses… (about hierarchical ministry (as the ministry of realizing the conciliarity of the church) we spoke in Part II; and we will still speak (about the ministry of the presbyter) when we talk about the parish, parish life).
Let us also note a few more things. We said that bishops are called to guard the truths of the faith. Their duty is indicated in the apostolic testament: ‘Keep what you have received, adding nothing and subtracting nothing.’ They received the written truth, laid out in formulas-dogmas (various forms of tradition (‘letter’ in the broad sense of the word—various forms-indications of the experience of the Church (that is, Tradition in the singular): in word, music, colors (icons), rites-orders, architecture, etc.): Scriptures, Creeds, and dogmas-decrees, orders of Services-Sacraments, rites, etc.),—this truth (more precisely, an indication of the truth), fixed in exact words (different cultural forms that point to the truth, the experience of the Church)—the hierarchy guards, preserves. (And we know that ‘the letter kills, but the spirit gives life, and very often the guardians, zealots of the ‘letter’ persecute the spiritual, who remind of the essence of the letter, to whom it points! But undoubtedly, if you lose the ‘letter,’ there will be a complete disaster!).
It is naive to think that the hierarchical clergy only after the ecumenical councils unlearned to fight heresies. No, it was always helpless, powerless. It was from this environment that the main heresiarchs came (‘from among you will arise fierce wolves’—Apostle Paul). And the disputes of ‘clergy’ excessively fueled the initial flame of heresy. From Arianism of various kinds, the flame spread to Nestorianism, from Nestorianism to Eutychianism, and so on. And it was not the bishops who stopped the further spread of heresies, as they now think: ‘Mainly councils consisted of us, bishops.’ No, not them, but those servants of God (chosen by God), whom the Lord sent to the church,—these are the ones who actually were the conquerors of heresies in the church. Here is what we read in the life of St. Cyril of Jerusalem: ‘By God’s providence in places particularly affected by heresy, great lights of the church appear, armed with the power of faith and knowledge, and in life, and in works, true teachers and shepherds. Each of them, by the power of his gift, given to him by God, and by the example of his life, defended his flock from the attack of the Arians and was alone able to keep the church given to him in truth. Orthodox Gaul owed its existence to St. Hilary, Egypt to St. Athanasius, Asia Minor gave three great teachers: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa.’ It is worth mentioning St. Maximus the Confessor and his feats in opposing the heresies of his time.
Councils that decisively rejected heresies were always obedient to holy men (Spirit-bearers), chosen by God (in contrast to the hierarchy—chosen by people). Where such men were not, councils often wandered in darkness and gloom (‘a blind man leads a blind man…’, ‘an unspiritual one discusses spiritual matters (discourses)…’; no matter how many zeros you add, the sum will be zero, and if among those addends there are negative numbers, the result will be lamentable, heretical, brigand; the saints at councils are the unit placed at the beginning of the row, written by zeros (priests-stewards)). That is why there were so many so-called brigand councils. At all councils, many bishops sat, but these self-named (as they called themselves, absolutely groundlessly) successors of the apostles could not protect the truth (that is, the flock with the truth from heresies), if the Lord did not send His faithful witnesses to the councils.
(When we wrote the truth about the essence of the hierarchy, considering the difficult questions in the church and grieving over the imperfection of the hierarchical order and the organization of church life, we did not intend any reform! In the church, no reformation is possible, and no external changes and reorganizations can lead it to a perfect order. The members of the church, themselves internally transforming, bring the state of the church closer to a more perfect one.