Sinkell ( Greek: σύγκελλος, σύνκελλος - literally: “with a cell man living in one cell ”, from the Greek. Συν- (συγ-) - prefix with the meaning: “joint action, complicity ” + Greek. Κέλλιον - “closet, kennel basement; cell ») - a church rank in the Orthodox Church under the Byzantine patriarchs or bishops.
The term has been known in the East since the 5th century and at first denoted that cleric who lived in the same cell with the bishop.
In the West, this position corresponded to contubernal ( lat. Contubernalis , from lat. Con- (cum-) - “c, together” + lat. Taberna - “hut” ). Gregory the Great , having removed all the laity from his episcopal home, ordered that clergy and monks take their place in his palace. The edict of Theodoric, the bishop with the deacons and elders was ordered to live in the same room, to be roommates (concellanei). In Spain, the same was established by the Toledo and Tours Cathedrals.
Since the VI century in the East, Sinkell became a post assigned by the patriarch, and she no longer assumed cohabitation. In the East, the patriarch had with him a corporation of Sinchells, which was under the control of protosincella (the “first syncellus”), which accompanied the patriarch to all the cathedrals. Usually, bishops chose more educated people as synkels who could help them in solving critical issues. In Greece, this institution was more developed, so often the bishop was surrounded by a whole crowd of church dignitaries; between them were his old friends in the monastery, persons who rendered service to him in difficult times, troubled, sometimes just ordinary advisers and interlocutors. Protosynkels have always played a very important role, especially in the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Protosinkell was usually the first candidate to succeed his patron.
In Russia, the church rank of Sincella, known since the 10th century, he passed from Byzantium and was assigned to individual clergy, for example, he had Metropolitan George , who occupied the metropolitan throne in 1062-1077. Old Russian names for this post: Sinkel, Siggel, Sunkel . The rank existed in Russia at least until the 16th century, inclusive.
The Chin Sincella currently exists in the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and in the Serbian Orthodox Church .
Notes
- ↑ presumably this is Athanasius (Metropolitan of Moscow)
Literature
- in Russian
- Barsov N.I. Sinkell // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- Materials for the dictionary of the Old Russian language Labor I. I. Sreznevsky. St. Petersburg, 1893. Volume 3. col. 357
- in other languages