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Do Monks cut their hair?
Do monks cut their hair?
Comments
Ofcourse they do, if they didn't they would have afros by now. Speacking about that, does anyone know if Anba David cuts off his beard. It's so long
I thought you weren't allowed to cut the beard?
Ofcourse they do, if they didn't they would have afros by now. Speacking about that, does anyone know if Anba David cuts off his beard. It's so long
Have you ever seen the pic of Pope Kyrillos with his hair long? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=115735445127331&set=a.150772641623611.29673.115552435145632&type=3&theater
There's also a pic of a monk without his qulunsowa, his hair is totally cut. I'll find the link for it
And as far as I know priests are allowed to tidy up thier beards, the priests at my church do..
I actually just was talking to a monk about this.. he said he cuts his hair because it get annoying under his qulansoa when his working but they touch thier beards.
And as far as I know priests are allowed to tidy up thier beards, the priests at my church do..
Did you mean but they do not touch their beards?
[quote author=Athanasius1 link=topic=13478.msg157482#msg157482 date=1341845026]
I actually just was talking to a monk about this.. he said he cuts his hair because it get annoying under his qulansoa when his working but they touch thier beards.
And as far as I know priests are allowed to tidy up thier beards, the priests at my church do..
Did you mean but they do not touch their beards?
Yes sorry, that's what I meant.
Any priest or monk is forbidden to touch their beard.
What is the source for this? I am pretty sure I have seen a priest/monk do this.
Some monks will not take a vow, yet still not cut their hair knowing that at some point it may be too difficult. Since however, no vow is taken they can cut it off (unless their father of confession disagrees).
A monk personally told me, that they cannot trim their beards. So monks cannot. However, priest seems to be a different case. I always had the impression they cannot, and thought it was biblical even - given that it is a sign of consecration. However, it seems like there are different opinions about this.. Id be interested in knowing more!
I have to work for a living and many of my clients want to employ a professional in my field of employment, and are not interested that I might be a priest.
Beards tended to be popular among clergy and monks because it resisted the feminisation of the wider society at various times. Beards were still worn in the West by men in the 17th century. The effete Romans tended to shave their beards. Christians wanted to show that they were not interested in their appearance in the same way, and that their men were men.
There are of course many Orthodox priests who are completely clean shaven. I do not believe it is a theological issue.
When this canon started to become irrelevant, priests of course continued to obey it, since priests are called to a higher standard of obedience, even when rules become a little silly, as long as there is no sin in obeying. This eventually developed into the wrong idea that beards are only for priests.
Today, priests are expected to have beards, but there is no expectation that they should not trim them, and it is certainly expected that they should keep their hair trimmed, and not have long hair like a woman.
Monks are expected to not trim their beards, though this is a spiritual discipline to avoid vanity and develop a lack of care towards worldly things, and it can be dispensed of if beneficial for a monk, by that monk's Father in Confession or abbot as appropriate. Bishops, as monks, are also under the ideal of not shaving their beard. But as wise shepherds they may choose to trim their beards if serving in an area where it would be a cultural hinderance to them not to. It is a discipline, not a written rule.
There is also a discipline that monks, ideally, do not trim their hair, like a nazarite. Again, this is an ideal, and a discipline, not a canon or a requirement. It can certainly be dispensed of by a monk's father in confession if it is for the best. If a monk does not leave their hair uncut, the will normally cut it short. Both serve the purpose of avoiding vanity and worldly care, by either leaving it completely, or by hacking it off.
If we see a priest with a very short beard, we should not judge them. They probably have a good reason to believe that is the best way to serve their community. A priest can have a short beard for practical reasons, or to avoid vanity since some people think a long beard means holy, or for the sake of vanity if they don't like the way it looks. A priest can have a long beard due to lack of care for the world, asceticism, or vanity if they think people will think they are holy. We never know their hearts to know, so we should never judge such externals.
Don't they have a beard to show their wisdom?
Don't they have a beard to show their wisdom?
I think its to dedication