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Orthodox Doctrine (Summary of Christian Divinity)

Metropolitan Platon of Moscow, tr. Pinkerton, 1814

39. Part 2, Section 39: Of Traditions and Ceremonies

Exclusive of the above-mentioned mysteries, our church preserveth certain traditions and ceremonies, which either serve to moral edification, or are founded on propriety.

In the church there are many ceremonies which have descended from the days of the apostles themselves, or were instituted by their immediate successors, and have been observed by all holy antiquity; and though our salvation does not consist in them, yet they possess their own share of usefulness, and we are bound, with all due respect, to observe them. Such, for instance, are the traditions following: In performing divine service, the servants of the church use becoming robes and garments;¹ we use candles in our churches as a mark of our burning faith;² we incense with a censer as a mark of the offering up of our prayers;³ we cross ourselves, thereby, testifying our faith in the crucified Saviour;⁴ we consecrate the waters, in remembrance of the Lord’s baptism, as well as of our own;⁵ we adorn our churches with honourable pictures, that in beholding them we may be excited to imitate those whom they represent; we keep different holidays, in remembrance of the gracious acts of God, or of the holy lives of his favourites, and thereby we are the more excited to godliness. These, and such like ceremonies, our church preserveth holy; however, she disclaimeth all superstition, that is, such traditions as are contrary to the word of God, and unknown in holy antiquity.

Notes

The robes in which the priests perform divine service, are made of the most costly silks and velvets, and are generally of gay colours, sumptuously embroidered with gold, and many of them studded with pearls and precious stones. These sacerdotal garments belong to the churches, and are usually presents from the nobility and merchants. Many of them are also made of the palls that are used to cover the coffins at funerals, which the wealthy prepare of the richest materials, and after the interment bestow as a present to the church to which the deceased belonged.
There is scarcely any rite or ordinance performed in the Greek church, whether by day or by night, without lighted candles or lamps. Almost every worshipper, on holidays, devoutly approaches and places his wax candle or taper before the holy Ikons or pictures of the saints. In many of the churches, lamps and candles are kept continually burning; particularly before the pictures of the Saviour, the Virgin, and the Saint to whom the church is dedicated.
The censer is made of silver in the form of a small cup, and slung upon three small chains of the same metal. In this, incense is put, with a little live coal; and in the course of the service the priest, at stated times, perfumes the worshippers, the Ikons, and the altar, by waving it to and fro.
Prostration and crossing, are external signs of religious worship, which are very frequently practised by Greek as well as Roman Christians. Thus, the Russian always crosses himself before and after meat; when about to undertake any thing of importance, to pass a river, or begin a journey, on passing a church, when the thunder roars or the lightning flashes. On every such occasion, he devoutly uncovers his head, crosses himself, and repeats an ejaculation, applicable to his circumstances. The Russians also cross and prostrate themselves very often in the time of prayer, whether in public or private; and people of all classes usually wear a small cross made of gold or silver, or some other less valuable metal, suspended from the neck, which they receive at baptism.
The ceremonies of consecrating or sanctifying of the waters, are two, the great sanctification, which is usually performed upon a river or stream, and is done in “remembrance of our Lord’s baptism, as well as of our own,” as stated above. Hence, the place where this ceremony is performed, is called Jordan. In most churches, this ceremony is celebrated once a year, and in St Petersburgh it takes place on the sixth of January, with great pomp. The lesser sanctification is performed when the priests are in need of water for baptism, or any other holy purpose; but in general the Russians make little use of holy water. For a particular account of the prayers and ceremonies of the benediction of the waters, see Dr King’s Work.