Nowadays we hear so much talk about the “canonical” bishop or synod, but little do they explain to you what canonical really means. In the understanding of World Orthodoxy (wordly Orthodoxy), what is generally referred to as canonical is the ability to trace a bishop back to the Apostles through the bishop that anointed him.

From a physical standpoint, all confessions claim this sort of canonicity, including Catholicism. Does this mean they are trully canonical? Yes, one who understands little about True Orthodoxy might say. In reality the answer is NO!

The answer is NO because canonicity has two inseparable aspects: the physical canonicity (which is the only one invoked by today’s bishops and synods) and spiritual canonicity, which is almost impossible to find any more. These two aspects are never to be considered in isolation if one would indeed mean to refer to the true meaning of canonicity. Yes, physically, a bishop is anointed by two other bishops, but in the process there is also a spiritual transfer of authority involved – meaning the new bishop will continue into teaching the same doctrine, unchanged, following the same model in which teachings are passed down from the spiritual father to the spiritual son. It is the same principle that applies to the anointing of bishops. If the spiritual son continues in the same teachings, then the canonicity is continued, if not it is broken and heresy starts.

Separating the physical aspect from the spiritual one would be like separating the Holy Trinity, Christ from the Holy Spirit. When Christ anointed the apostles, He also transfered to them the Truth of the divine Ortodox teachings with the explicit warning: “That who loves Me, keepeth my commandments”, My teachings. It is clear that the breaking of these teachings would mean breaking the canonicity, just as the Catholic Church did centuries ago.

Therefore let us ask, which one of today’s bishops can trace their spiritual canonicity back to the Holy Ecumenical Synods and to the Apostles? Are they continuing in the same teachings, or has the spiritual canonicity been broken somewhere down the line in most instances? The truth is if they are not in the same spirit, not teaching the same doctrine, then their “canonicity” claim is really only an assumption, and their Orthodoxy caries just an Earthly meaning.