Topic: Scholarly resources needed on Eastern use of married clergy

[StGeorge]

I'm doing a 10-page paper based on a book that I am presently reading, Clerical Celibacy in East and West.ÂÂ  It is written by a Ukrainian Catholic, Roman Cholij, and attempts to argue that mandatory clerical celibacy has Apostolic roots and that the common Eastern Orthodox practice of allowing married men to become clergy is not in line with the early tradition which stressed celibacy for the unmarried or lifelong continence for those priests already married.ÂÂ  By implication, the Roman Catholic Church is much more correct in requiring all priests to be celibate, or at least continent.ÂÂ  The book makes much out of the so-called Council of Trullo.ÂÂ  The writer portrays the Orthodox Church as making concessions to human weakness in allowing married men to become priests, and furthermore of allowing them to continue the conjugal act after ordination.

Are there any accessible Orthodox works or documents which might defend the Orthodox position of allowing married men to become priests and to have children?

I really appreciate your help!ÂÂ  

[GiC]

I'm doing a 10-page paper based on a book that I am presently reading, Clerical Celibacy in East and West.ÂÂ  It is written by a Ukrainian Catholic, Roman Cholij, and attempts to argue that mandatory clerical celibacy has Apostolic roots and that the common Eastern Orthodox practice of allowing married men to become clergy is not in line with the early tradition which stressed celibacy for the unmarried or lifelong continence for those priests already married.ÂÂ  By implication, the Roman Catholic Church is much more correct in requiring all priests to be celibate, or at least continent.ÂÂ  The book makes much out of the so-called Council of Trullo.ÂÂ  The writer portrays the Orthodox Church as making concessions to human weakness in allowing married men to become priests, and furthermore of allowing them to continue the conjugal act after ordination.

Are there any accessible Orthodox works or documents which might defend the Orthodox position of allowing married men to become priests and to have children?

I really appreciate your help!ÂÂ  

Though not written by an Orthodox Christian, I would Strongly Recommend 'History of Sacerdotal Celibacy' 1867 by Henry Charles Lea, who though a Quaker wrote an excellent history of Sacerdotal Celibacy, though he primarially focused on the western Church. It should give you everything you need to count the opinion of this latin author.

[JoeS]

http://www.byzantines.net/epiphany/ordination.htm

JoeS   

[minasoliman]

If I'm not mistaken, St. Peter was also married.  There is no canon in the Orthodox Church that asked for priests to be celibate before being ordained (I can't even find one for bishops either).

God bless.

[Justin Kissel]

You could always try Vested in Grace: Marriage and Priesthood in the Christian East (edited by Joseph Allen), which Amazon.com has for $20. I didn't get much out of it (I found it to be a bit too liberal), but you might have a different reading experience.