Does the Church provide paid services?
The church does not provide any services - neither paid nor free. The Temple of God has nothing to do with the service sector at all; this is a place of serving God and each other, a place where a person meets the Lord and is sanctified by God's grace. Grace is a “good gift” - the saving influence of God on a person, which cannot be sold, bought, or generally assessed by any human standards. As the Apostle Paul writes: by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).
Therefore, there is no and cannot be any “tax” for what is done in the Church. Christ Himself once and for all forbade His disciples - and therefore their successors, bishops and priests - to demand anything from people for the distribution of those grace-filled gifts that the disciples themselves received in the sacrament of the Priesthood through the laying on of hands and the prayer of the bishop. Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10 :8) - only this way and no other way. And when the sorcerer Simon offered the apostles Peter and John money so that they would lay hands on him, he heard an angry rebuke from Peter: Let your money perish with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God with money (Acts 8 : 20). Since then, simony - the sale of sacred positions for money - has been considered one of the most serious sins in the Church.
Apostle Peter and Simon Magus, Avanzino Nucci, 1620
It is generally very dangerous to talk about providing any services in the Church: this is a direct path to spiritual disaster, a dangerous replacement of spiritual life and faith with purely human relationships built on the principle “you - to me, I - to you.” Whatever the priest does - perform a divine service, baptize, preach, bury the deceased, consecrate an apartment - all this is in one way or another connected with distributing to people those grace-filled gifts that he received from the Holy Spirit. And these gifts cannot in any way be the subject of trade.
Crystal tongue
What kind of questions come to mind for lovers of words and buzzwords! You're just amazed. But there is nothing to do, you have to answer... Well, here you go, I received a question: is it true that the word “crystal” was once written “ khruvstal ”?
I answer this question right away: no, it’s not true. I looked through all the dictionaries, first of all, naturally, etymological ones - it is there that you can trace how and when the word appeared, how it developed, in other words, what kind of life it had in the language. So, nowhere is there a hint that the letter “c” once appeared in the word “ crystal
But I learned many other interesting details about this word. I’ll tell you about them - I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.
So, a special kind of glass and products made from it, transparent, shiny, with a beautiful ringing sound. Crystal, in a word. In Russian, “ crystal ” has been known since the 12th century. In Ukrainian it is called “ kryshtal ”, in Belarusian it is called “ kryshtal ”. And in other Slavic languages everything is even more interesting: there “ crystal ” and “crystal” are generally the same thing. And this is no coincidence. After all, the primary source of both words - “ crystal ” and “ crystal ” in these languages - is the Greek word “krystallos”, which means “ice”. Hence the rock crystal, and the crystal, and the crystal vessel.
But with us, with us everything is different. Our Old Russian “khrustal-krustal” goes back not to the ancient Greek “kristallos”, but to its Middle Greek version “krustallo” (“piece of ice”, “crystal”).
Actually, one question remains: where does the initial “хр” come from instead of “кр”? It is not difficult. Remember, in some dialects they said “khrest, peasant” instead of “cross, peasant,” so the replacement could simply be phonetic, sound. In addition, the people, as Dahl writes, derived “ crystal ” from the words “fragile” and “ crunch .” So much for “ crystal ” instead of “crystal”. Only “crystal” was not called “ crystal ” - that didn’t happen.
Moscow was famous for its churches... Or churches?
“FORTY forties” - that’s how many churches there once were in Moscow! And although in the last ten years churches have been restored at a truly rapid pace, we are as far away from these “forty forty” as the sky. Yes, Moscow was famous for its churches, it was famous... So I said this and thought: what is better - “churches” or “churches”?
Both our linguistic intuition and dictionaries all indicate that this word is old. Indeed, it has been known in the Old Russian language since the 11th century, only then it looked like “circles”. However, where it came from is not very clear. The Historical and Etymological Dictionary notes that the word is probably borrowed, not original, not Slavic. There is a hypothesis that it is German: there is a word “kirche” in German. Other linguists think that the origin of the word " church " is Greek.
All this is interesting, but has nothing to do with our main question: what is correct - “ churches ” or “ churches ”?
In the Orthoepic Dictionary we find permission to choose any of the two options that we like. If you want, say “ churches ,” if you want, say “ churches .” If you like the word “ churches ” - please, but “ churches ” is also not a mistake. In general, freedom!
Some people will be pleased by this, but others, on the contrary, will only be annoyed... Usually in such cases, the Dictionary of Accents comes to the rescue - the same one that was once called the “dictionary for announcers.” But this time, lovers of certainty will be severely disappointed. Take a look once in a while and see: even this dictionary considers both options absolutely equal.
That is, Moscow could be famous for its churches , or it could be famous for its churches .
So, does the Church have to do without money at all?
No, this is an incorrect conclusion. The apostolic community gathered by the Lord Jesus Christ already had means - this is clear from the Gospel.
The Lord never took any payment from people - neither for conversations, nor for healings, nor for bread, which He miraculously multiplied and distributed to His hungry listeners who found themselves far from home (see Matthew 14 : 13-21, Matthew 15:32 –39, etc.). He did everything absolutely unselfishly and commanded his disciples to do the same.
At the same time, sending his disciples to preach the Gospel in cities and villages, Jesus Christ taught them to stop wherever they were invited and to enjoy the hospitality of their hosts, for the worker is worthy of food (Matt. 10:10).
The Apostle John the Theologian writes about what kind of money the Savior and His disciples lived on when he mentions that the traitor Judas, while he was among the apostles, had a cash box with him and carried what was put there (John 12 :6). It was a donation box into which people who came to listen to Christ or ask Him for help could then throw a coin. The apostles bought bread with this money, and they themselves shared this money with the poor. It’s not for nothing that Judas, who saw a woman pouring precious myrrh on the feet of Christ, a precious fragrance with which it was customary to anoint the bodies of the departed, burst out with an exclamation: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor! (John 12 :5).
Among the people who turned to Christ or asked Him for help, there were both poor and wealthy people. One can also recall the leaders of the Jews, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who came to talk with Christ, and after His Crucifixion, they took His body from the Cross and laid it in a cave (John 3 :1-21; John 7 :50-52; John 19 :38-42) . And the Pharisee Simon, who invited Christ and his disciples to his house for a meal (Luke 7 :36-50). And Zacchaeus, chief of the publicans in the city of Jericho (Luke 19 :1-10). And the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, whose daughter was raised by the Savior (Mark 5 :22–24, 35–43). And those women who followed Christ and His disciples, serving Him with their substance (Luke 8 :1-3). These were rich Jewish women who donated part of their savings to the needs of the apostolic community, explained Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, a famous Byzantine writer and theologian, interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. He lived in the second half of the 11th century - the beginning of the 12th century.
These and many other people wanted to make their contribution to the work of saving the gospel to the world, they wanted to protect the Lord and His disciples from worries associated with finding funds. The above-mentioned formula - the worker is worthy of food - became a kind of economic basis for the existence of the original apostolic community.
Likewise, in the Church, which grew out of the apostolic community, there is no “. And there is the personal sacrifice of a Christian.
So the Church has always lived on donations?
Yes, donations have always been the main source of funds thanks to which the earthly Church existed and carried out its work of saving people. This principle was formed in the early Christian Church and received its final form in subsequent centuries of church history.
Even the Apostle Paul, while preaching around Asia Minor, regularly collected funds from the Christians there to help the Church of Jerusalem. His messages are filled with calls to help churches in need, and he even introduced a rule on how to organize donations: When collecting for saints, Christians themselves called each other saints in the first decades of the existence of the Church. What was implied was not so much the actual holiness of their lives (although they were often people of holy lives), but rather their belonging to the holy Church of Christ. — Approx. ed. do as I have commanded in the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week, let each of you put aside and save as much as his fortune allows, so as not to have to make preparations when I come. When I come, those whom you choose I will send with letters to bring your alms to Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1–3).
The book of Acts paints an inspiring picture of the early Church: it was a multitude of believers in Christ who had one heart and one soul; and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common. <…> There was no one in need among them; for all who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the Apostles; and to each one was given whatever he needed (Acts 4:32 , 34-35). Everyone was like brothers to each other, everyone served others as best they could, and together they took care of the weakest - widows, the sick, etc.
Since then, nothing fundamentally has changed in the life of the Church. Perhaps today the amazing spirit of brotherhood that existed in the Jerusalem community is less felt. But the Church’s concern for the poor, the sick, the homeless, and people in difficult life circumstances is still incredibly broad today and in its social effect is comparable to the results of the work of public services.
This is made possible thanks to donations from ordinary Church members.
Appendix 3
Church piety prescribes the observance of certain rules when writing words related to Orthodox church vocabulary. Dictionaries of such words and expressions have long been compiled and used in the Publishing Department (now the Council) of the Moscow Patriarchate and can be recommended to all those writing about the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.
1.
The names of God, the Mother of God
and pronouns and definitions related to them are always written with a capital letter; the word “name” is lowercase.
Lord God: True God, One God, Lord Almighty, “Creator of heaven and earth”, “Our Father who art in heaven...”. “Let us give thanks to the philanthropic God, who cares for our lives” (St. John Chrysostom).
Our Lord Jesus Christ: Son of God, “the Only Begotten, born of the Father.” “For He made you a participant in His blessings, without receiving anything from you Himself... for this reason He washed the feet of His disciples, to show us an example of humility” (St. John Chrysostom).
Holy Spirit: “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth, who is everywhere...” “The Holy Spirit perfects others, but He Himself has no need for anything... He is established in Himself and is omnipresent” (St. Basil the Great).
Most Holy Theotokos: Virgin Mary, Most Pure and Most Blessed, “Mary of Grace”, “Good Mother of the King”, “Unbrideless Bride”. “The Orthodox Church... does not find words to worthily sing of the Mother of God, and knows no boundaries for Her glorification... we sing: “Do not entrust me to human intercession, but intercede and have mercy.”
Most Holy Trinity: “... I thank You, Holy Trinity.”
Nouns and adjectives used in the meaning of nouns when naming the Lord and Mother of God, some adjectives when naming the Lord and Mother of God are also written with a capital letter:
God-Infant, Born, Crucified, Resurrected, to the Chosen Voivode, Zealous Intercessor; “Mistress and Mother of the Deliverer, accept the prayer of Your unworthy servants, and intercede with Him who is born of You: O, Lady of the world, be the Intercessor.”
2.
The names of the ranks of angels
are usually also written with a capital letter:
Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Powers, Dominions, Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones.
Guardian Angel (no hyphen, both words are capitalized).
Heavenly powers.
The Heavenly Forces are ethereal.
Heavenly army.
3.
Names related to the cross:
words denoting the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified are written with a capital letter:
The Cross of Christ, the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, the Tree of the Cross, “Ascended to the Cross.”
In all other meanings, “cross” is written with a lowercase letter: to take upon oneself the cross of Christ (suffering), to overshadow oneself with a cross, an altar cross, a pectoral cross, a cross with decorations.
4. Names related to the Church
, written with a capital letter:
Holy Church, One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church (without commas).
The church is written with a lowercase letter in the meaning of the temple (the church of Nikita the martyr) and the church in the meaning of a specific meeting of believers: Greet... Nymphas
and his home church
(Col. 4, 15);
Of course, a “church” that is heretical, schismatic, etc. is written with a lowercase letter, for example: the church of the wicked
(Ps. 25:5).
5. Names of saints
are written with a lowercase letter: apostles, martyrs, saints, reverends, etc. The naming of this or that saint with a proper name or without a name is with a lowercase letter: St. Spyridon, St. Seraphim, “the apostle visited Corinth,” etc.
6. Names of Churches and religious associations
Orthodox Churches: all words of the name, except prepositions, are written with a capital letter: Orthodox Church of Constantinople, Orthodox Church in Poland, Orthodox Church in America.
Non-Orthodox Churches: all names, except prepositions, are written with a capital letter; Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Methodist Church, Protestant Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches (non-Chalcedonian) (Error! See comments for details).
All words in the names of large religious associations are written in capital letters:
Lutheran World Federation, Baptist World Union, Protestant Federation of France, Conference of European Churches.
Words denoting the religious affiliation of believers in the names of religious associations are written in lowercase letters: World Union of Seventh-day Adventists, Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists.
7. Titles and addresses
All words, except official ones, in the titles of the Primates of Churches (both Orthodox and non-Orthodox) are written with a capital letter, and in relation to the leaders of the Orthodox Churches the words Primate, High Hierarch, First Hierarch are used: His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, His Beatitude the Patriarch (Pope and Patriarch), His Holiness the Pope, His Holiness Catholicos of the East and Metropolitan of Malankara, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, Bishop-President of the Episcopal Church in the USA.
When addressing clergy of any rank, all words are written in capital letters: His Holiness, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy; His Beatitude, the Most Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch; His Eminence (for metropolitans and archbishops); His Eminence (for bishops); His Eminence (for archimandrites, abbots, archpriests); His Reverence (for hieromonks and priests). Deacons do not have special treatment (Father Deacon).
The words "Patriarchal Exarch", denoting the ruling bishops of vast territories, are written with a capital letter. The word “exarch” in the meaning of representative is written with a lowercase letter: exarch of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' under the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
The words Holy Synod (until 1917 - the Holy Synod), the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, are written with a capital letter.
8. Church holidays
a) The Easter holiday and all words, except official ones, in the names of all twelve holidays are written with a capital letter (except for the word temple: Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Easter, Holy Pascha, as well as Antipascha, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Day The Holy Spirit, the Day of the Holy Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (but: the celebration of Pentecost, the forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, the afterfeast of Epiphany).
b) Names of the great holidays: Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.
c) In the names of medium and small holidays, if we are not talking about the memory of saints, the first word is written with a capital letter: Renewal of the Holy Church of the Resurrection (Speaking Resurrection); 7 Conception of the honest, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John; The position of the honorable robe of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos; Transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands (Ubrus) of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Image Not Made by Hands is a name that has become its own); Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers; Cathedral of the Baptist and Baptist John; Mid-Pentecost.
d) The words: “discovery,” “transfer,” “glorification” in relation to the relics of saints are written with a lowercase letter (with the exception of the Finding of the venerable head of John the Baptist).
e) In the names of holidays dedicated to saints and not containing indications of the event or circumstances associated with the establishment of the holiday, all words are written with a lowercase letter: the memory of the prophet Elijah, the memory of the holy martyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
f) Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” (not “icon” and not “icon”).
g) Christmas Eve, Epiphany Eve, Christmastide; new year
9. Names of fasts, weeks and days of the week
The first word in the name of the post is written with a capital letter: Great Lent, Peter's Fast, Dormition Fast, Nativity (Philippov) Fast.
The word “Week” in the meaning of “Sunday” is written with a capital letter (in the plural also to distinguish Sundays from weeks): Week of the Publican and Pharisee, Week of the Blind. Week of the Samaritan, Week of Vai.
The word "week" is always written with a lowercase letter. In the names of the weeks, the words “Passion” and “Bright” are written in capital letters, as well as Easter week and Trinity week.
In the names of the days of Holy Week, all words are written with a capital letter: Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, etc.
In the names of the days of Bright Week, the word “Bright” is written with a capital letter, the day of the week - with a lowercase letter: Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, etc.
In the names of some Saturdays, the word Saturday is written with a lowercase letter, the name - with a capital letter: Trinity Saturday, Dimitrievskaya Saturday, Lazarus Saturday (but: parental Saturday); special spelling - Saturday Akathist.
10. Names of temples and monasteries
If a temple is consecrated in the name of a saint, then in its name all the words, except proper names, are written with a lowercase letter: the temple in the name of St. Trimifuntsky, the Annunciation Cathedral (but the Cathedral is written with a capital letter in the sense of a meeting of bishops - the Ecumenical Council, the Local Council, and also the Council of Saints who have a common memory in the calendar - the Council of Vladimir Saints, the Council of Sinai Saints, etc.).
If the temple is consecrated in honor of any holiday or icon, then the name of the holiday and icon retains the capital letter: the temple in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the temple in honor of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael, the temple in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
If the name of the temple is given in abbreviated form, then it is also written with a capital letter: St. Nicholas Church (or St. Nicholas, depending on the local tradition), Assumption Church.
The names of saints in the names of churches are given in the Slavic vowel: Alexievsky Church (not Alekseevsky), Mikhailovsky (not Mikhailovsky), Dimitrievsky (not Dmitrievsky).
Some temples have additional names that reflect geographical, historical and other realities; these names are written with a capital letter: Tithe Church (for which St. Vladimir gave tithes throughout the Russian land), Kulich and Easter (the rotunda temple is similar to Easter cake, and the pyramidal belfry is like Easter), St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, Prince Vladimir Cathedral (so named to distinguish it from the Vladimir churches in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
The words “cross temple” are written in lowercase letters - the general name for house churches in bishop’s residences. On the contrary, in recent years the name of the main temple of our country has been written in capital letters: the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The names of the monasteries are written in the same way as the names of the temples: Moscow Danilov Monastery, Odessa Assumption Monastery, Vilna Holy Spirit (not Dukhovsky) Monastery, Belogorsky Monastery. The word “Lavra” is traditionally written with a capital letter: Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Pochaev Assumption Lavra; 8, all words in the name of Holy Mount Athos (Holy Mountain, Mount Athos, Holy Athos) are written with a capital letter. The word “desert” is written with a lowercase letter: Optina Pustyn, Akatova Pustyn, etc.
Note.
Since the beginning of the nineties, the practice of adding the word “Holy” through a hyphen to the main traditional names of monasteries and churches has become widespread in Russia. In official documents, on the pages of the church, and then the secular press, St. Kazan, St. Andrew, St. Assumption, St. Archangel churches and monasteries began to be mentioned.
Meanwhile, this practice is an innovation that is not rooted in the Orthodox Russian tradition. If we turn to pre-revolutionary written sources, including the most ancient monuments, we will not find such a combination in any of them.
Currently, the most stable and commonly used phrase of this kind is the name - Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra (along with the Trinity-Sergius Lavra), Although this name came into use only in the 20th century, in this case it is justified, since it comes from a stable term “Holy Trinity”, The word “Holy” in the name of a temple or monastery is also justified when they are consecrated in honor of the Holy Spirit.
Our ancestors always strived for simplicity, which was originally inherent in the Christian Orthodox consciousness and allowed them to focus on the main thing. The same approach is justified in relation to the formulation of the names of monastic monasteries. In Russia, many monasteries were founded in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, but we have only one Optina Monastery, just like the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. It is advisable to distinguish between the full official names of monasteries and their short forms, for example: Moscow Stavropegial Danilov Monastery and Danilov Monastery. Otherwise, complex hybrids appear, like the modern name of the convent in the city of Bolkhov, founded, according to legend, by the same repentant robber Opta: Bolkhov Trinity Nativity of the Virgin Mary Optin Convent. Meanwhile, in the description of Orthodox Russian monasteries in 1910, it was listed simply as the Trinity Optin Monastery.
In modern church onomastics one can find such names of monasteries as Svyato-Rozhdestvensky, Svyato-Uspensky, Svyato-Pokrovsky and even Svyato-Bogoroditsky. But by calling the Most Pure Virgin Mary the Mother of God, we thereby testify to the greatest spiritual and moral height to which She ascended, worthy to become the Mother of the Son of God. This very name already contains an indication of Her holiness. If you think more deeply about the meaning of the word “holiness”, it will become obvious that it in itself indicates a special, unearthly, grace-filled state. For example, when we say “Saint Sergius,” we already mean that this Sergius differs from other people with a similar name in that he is spiritually perfect, that God’s grace rests on him. Only in this case can a temple be erected in his name, and it becomes completely unnecessary to add the word “Holy” to the name of this temple. In a similar way, one cannot help but recognize every church holiday as initially holy. Every celebration performed by the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is of Divine origin. Can, for example, the Resurrection of Christ or the Dormition of the Mother of God not be holy?
In most cases, ignoring these obvious things is a consequence of the lack of church culture and bears the imprint of neophyteism.
11. Names of parts and accessories of the temple
The names of all parts of the temple are written with a lowercase letter: the vestibule, the meal, the altar, the apse, etc. The names of all the accessories of the temple are also written with a lowercase letter - the throne (this word is written with a capital letter if the Throne of God in the Kingdom of Heaven is meant), the altar , soleya, high place, iconostasis, etc., as well as sacred vessels, objects and clothes (paten, star, spoon, stole); the exceptions are the words: Holy Chalice, Holy Shroud.
12. Liturgical terminology
The words Rule (church), Liturgy (in scientific literature, where this word is a technical term, it is often written with a lowercase letter), Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (but: Divine Liturgy), Body and Blood of Christ are written with a capital letter. The names of the services of the daily circle are written with a lowercase letter (vespers, compline, matins, hours of Good Friday, great vespers, Christmas hours, royal hours, baptism hours) and the names of readings and chants (with the exception of the Theotokos, Trisagion).
When singing or reading is dedicated to a saint, then in the title of the prayer books the name of the saint is placed in the dative case: troparion to St. Sergius; if it is a holiday, then the name of the holiday is put in the genitive case: the service of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The names of all seven sacraments are written with a capital letter: the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of the Priesthood, the sacrament of Marriage, the Holy Eucharist, Holy Baptism, etc. In the word “Mysteries,” denoting the Body and Blood of Christ, the letter “th” in the genitive case is usually replaced by “and”: to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
About the service of two or more bishops: “The Liturgy was performed by the metropolitan... and the archbishop... and the bishop...”, a clergyman can “co-serve” the bishop, and a bishop can also “co-serve” the Primate of the Church.
Donation or payment for a service - what's the difference if the meaning is the same?
No, the meaning is different. If you go to a store to buy a TV and say that you don’t have money, they won’t sell it to you. Maybe you will take it home, but only along with the loan, which will then have to be repaid in double amount.
If you bring your car to the workshop, but you don’t have the amount needed for repairs, the mechanic won’t even talk to you.
And the Church will not refuse you in any case. Yes, it is customary here to donate to the temple, but if a person does not have money, he will always receive what he came for for free. That’s why it’s a donation, because it’s always voluntary and not one-time.
People donate more than just money to the Church. Someone brings food to the general tea party after the service. Some people use lamp oil. Someone teaches children in Sunday school for free. Someone is clearing snow around the temple...
But you can also donate money. Firstly, it is easier than going out and buying what the parish needs (for example, frames for new icons or coal for lighting a censer). Secondly, the parish itself needs money to buy candles, prosphora, pay for electricity, provide for the lives of priests and their families, and pay for the work of various parish workers.
In the Ancient Church, everything that was required for the performance of worship - bread, wine, oil, candles - was brought to the temple by the Christians themselves, who at that time were very few in number. In this way, they participated directly in the service and maintenance of the life of the community. It is no coincidence that the main divine service of Christians is called liturgy, in Greek - “common cause” (λειτουργία).
Today, when there are often dozens and even hundreds of parishioners in churches, people have to do it differently. The laity donate money - and the church servants themselves will purchase and prepare everything necessary for performing the service (and more). The form of donation has changed, but not the essence.
