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Elders are not appointed by any authority; they are simply recognized by the faithful as being people "of the Spirit". An elder, when not in prayer or in voluntary seclusion, receives visitors (some who travel very far) and spends time conversing with them, offering a blessing (if the elder is an
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cleric) and confession, and praying. People often petition the elder for intercessionary prayers, believing that the prayer of an elder is particularly effective.
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and several other South Slavic languages the word translates literally to "old man". A word with a meaning closer to the translation in
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are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from God as obtained from ascetic experience. It is believed that through
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by his followers, although he was not generally recognised as one. A more modern example of a
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sought advice from the elders of this monastery. They also inspired the figure of Zosima in
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who was popularly recognized as such by many
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to elders are encouraged, although not all of them are ordained to the
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monastery or convent who functions as venerated adviser and teacher.
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Optina Elders in
English version of Orthodox Portal "Pravoslavie.ru"
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bestows special gifts onto the elder including the ability to
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317:anonymous
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384:See also
183:such as
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90:ordained
82:prophesy
45:ста́рица
484:Starets
420:Theoria
320:Russian
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242:startsy
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