Saint rulers as a category of sanctity in Orthodoxy Cover Image

Święci władcy jako kategoria świętości w prawosławiu
Saint rulers as a category of sanctity in Orthodoxy

Author(s): Jarosław Charkiewicz
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku
Keywords: saints; saint rulers; passion-bearers; category of sanctity

Summary/Abstract: In the wide spectre of Orthodox human sanctity, among others, there is also a category of saint rulers. Despite the fact that it’s represented by a significant number of saints, it remains, utterly undeservedly, in the shadow of the others – more known or more deeply rooted historically. On top of that, the situation may result as well from the fact that saint rulers, as a distinct category of saint, are not separately mentioned neither during the proskomedia, nor during the intercessory prayer of the anaphora. Still, the saint rulers definitely should be considered a separate type of sanctity, deserving a somehow wider presentation. Such is therefore the aim of this article. It is also an attempt of suggesting an interior systematic of this category of sanctity. Preserving, appearing in science, classifications of the saint rulers, the author gives also his own proposition. In the category of saint rulers there are four following groups: (1) rulers who weren’t neither martyrs nor monks or passion-bearers, (2) rulers who died martyrs, (3) rulers who long before their death became monks and led monastic life, (4) rulers-passion-bearers.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 17
  • Page Range: 25-29
  • Page Count: 5
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