The concept of hierarchy in integral traditionalism and Orthodox philosophical and theological thought

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the understanding of hierarchy in Orthodox philosophical and theological thought, and to define how this understanding affects the Orthodox worldview. In order to achieve the article’s goal, the author applies the methodology developed by the representatives of the integral traditionalism philosophical school, which is a product of in-depth study and comparison of the experience of different religious traditions and reveals the criteria of the traditionalist worldview as a whole, common for different traditions. The author uses the conclusions of the French traditionalist philosopher Rene Guenon about the sacred and initiatory nature of hierarchy in traditional societies to search for correspondences in the Orthodox religious tradition. He finds such correspondences in the works of the Church Fathers, which are considered canonical for the Orthodox religious tradition and represent the basis of its philosophical worldview. As a result of the study, the author of this publication has found that the Orthodox religious worldview has a hierarchical nature. The idea of ​​hierarchy in it is inextricably linked with the idea of ​​initiation as a process of spiritual knowledge transmission to adepts who are consciously prepared for it. In full accordance with the regularity revealed by the representatives of the integral traditionalism philosophical school, the source of the initiations’ chain in the Orthodox spiritual tradition, has an “over-human” origin, since it is considered to be Jesus Christ, who, according to Orthodox believers, combined divine and human nature. At the same time, the sacrament of ordination acts as an initiatory ritual. There is also a correspondence in the Orthodox religious tradition with the practice of having a double hierarchy in traditional initiatory structures described by Rene Guenon. The so-called “elders” can be described as representatives of the “informal” hierarchy in it. According to the religious community, they are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and therefore have high spiritual authority and the right to give instructions regarding the spiritual development of other adherents. This practice vividly illustrates the fact that for the Orthodox (like any other, according to R. Guenon) religious tradition, the hierarchy is valuable not in itself, but only to the extent that it provides a connection with God, thought of as a transcendent principle and source of all good.