"Thank you for all the additional info. I would agree that Paul did not appear to be the biggest fan of marriage. I never got the impression that Paul thought marriage was "bad", just not optimal in a spiritual sense."
You are right that he didn't say that marriage is bad. You are also very correct that he didn't view it as optimal in the spiritual life. This is an important distinction, since many non-Orthodox tend to look at things in black and white -- something is either great or it is a terrible sin. Things usually aren't that simple.
I would point out that a great deal of St. Paul's time discussing these matters involve issues of remarriage. He very specifically encourages widows not to remarry. The Orthodox Church just follows this. Again, as I said before, it is far easier to live a celibate life when one is older and has had more years to work on controlling the passions than it is to do so from a young age. No great mystery there. Interestingly, the Orthodox monastic tradition has tended to be to have boys/men become monastics quite young -- the theory here is that the sooner they get into the structured life of a monastic community, the easier a time they will have of it.
Starting the day at 3 AM with Midnight Office and Matins in the Church has a way of dampening the passions...
"Given what Catholics say about clerical celibacy, is this a matter of contention between Catholics and Orthodox, and did it play a role in the split?"
As annalex says, Catholic clerical celibacy is a matter of discipline, not dogma. I would say, though, that I have had a number of lengthy encounters on FR with Catholics who are followers of a new and aggressive historical school within Catholicism that states that the ancient and apostolic tradition was clerical celibacy from the earliest New Testament times -- clergy, according to this interpretation, were married, but completely stopped all sexual activity with their wives once they were ordained.
This school of thought maintains that it is the Eastern/Orthodox tradition of married clergy that is the deviation from apostolic norms. The Orthodox Church obviously maintains just the opposite (as does most Catholic scholarship).
This might not seem like much, but saying to Orthodox Christians that they are going against apostolic tradition is like throwing sand in our faces. Interestingly, some of the most vehement opposition to this school of historical thought (which arose to try to shore up Catholic clerical celibacy) has come from Uniates (Catholics who follow Eastern traditions). They have just been recovering from centuries of second-class citizenship within Catholicism, and take great exception to the implication from their western Catholic brethren that their traditions are a deviation from apostolic norms.
The Orthodox Church does not claim that universal clerical celibacy is wrong, it just maintains that it is unwise. You have to believe me when I say that there is no schadenfreude involved in the Catholic sexual abuse scandals. But we definitely look at Catholic norms and say, "what did you expect would happen?"
As I said, the standard of the Orthodox Church is that celibacy is best lived in a monastic setting. There are certainly unmarried priests serving in parishes, but they are an uncommon exception, and most are monastics that have been called to meet parish needs, or are unmarried clergy who later take on monastic vows, perhaps because they realize that this will help them.
"Does that mean you actively encourage singles toward marriage? I ask because I know several singles in our church, some of whom are even my age, and I know that no one thinks "less" of them because of it. (I'm not saying that you do.) While we are very "pro-marriage", there is no expectation of it."
In "the old countries," celibacy outside of monastic settings is relatively uncommon. I remember having a friend tell me that he talking to his father-confessor after confession, and his father-confessor said "so what are you going to do? Get married or become a monastic? It is not good for man to live alone." He is now married, quite happily. So yes, there is definitely some pressure to marry, primarily because of acknowledging how difficult it is to live a chaste life outside of marriage or monasticism. In practice the expectations come from families and the old match-making women.
"...what are the career advancement possibilities for a married priest? Are all monastics already priests, but don't "run a church"?"
Two separate questions. A married priest can become the dean of a diocese or the chancellor or an archdiocese/metropolia (i.e. be the bishop's right-hand guy in administrative matters.) But that's it. A priest shouldn't be thinking in terms of career advancement, anyway (not that that stops some of them.) Being a priest is a responsibility and a service, not a perk or honor.
Sacramentally, bishops are to be unmarried, although this is a matter of discipline that wasn't put into formal canons until the Council in Trullo, relatively late.
The ideal is for a bishop to be an experienced monastic. As an experienced monastic, he will have the tools (and wisdom that comes with age) needed to deal with living a celibate life out in the world (which is where bishops have to live and work to care for their flocks.) The responsibilities of a bishop are huge. It would be very difficult to be a good bishop and be married. It would also put the priest's wives into competition with each other and introduce a level of competition between priests that is just unhealthy.
In Orthodox monasticism, very few monks are ordained clergy. A monastery will have as many ordained clergy as are necessary to serve the full cycle of services, and no more. Being a priest is a service, not a privilege. Good monastics don't *want* to be ordained, and tend to avoid it, since it has a tendency to distract from the prayer and ascetic life of a monastic. They view themselves as having given up something to become priests.
"In "the old countries," celibacy outside of monastic settings is relatively uncommon."
Traditionally, this is true, but I have noticed over the past 15 years or so that it is becoming more common with people in their thirties being unmarried. Frankly they seem a bit sad and there is definite pressure to get married. It is more common among professional people than otherwise and there is a certain deperation among most of them after they hit, say, 30+. Monasticism is still considered a viable option for these people. I saw this in my own family over there but we've got all but two of them married off now, and one of those became a nun. :)
"So yes, there is definitely some pressure to marry, primarily because of acknowledging how difficult it is to live a chaste life outside of marriage or monasticism. In practice the expectations come from families and the old match-making women."
And match-making old men? :) Contrary to popular Western belief, sometimes such matchmaking is a good thing. Older, married people have the knowledge to spot a good match in terms of compatible personalities/mindsets, family backgrounds, and here, religious belief. Lets face it, being married is better than not being married, at least for those of us not headed for a monastery and a good spouse who brings strengths to the marriage which might be lacking in the other party helps in making for a good family and married life. In our community this sort of thing goes on almost continually and there is a great prayer component in all of it.
I didn't know that, could you point me in the direction of where it says that in scripture?
Starting the day at 3 AM with Midnight Office and Matins in the Church has a way of dampening the passions...
I imagine it would! :)
As annalex says, Catholic clerical celibacy is a matter of discipline, not dogma.
I want to thank all of you for your responses on this issue. I have learned much. If I understand the discipline/dogma difference then, I gather that this would be one of those things that the Church "could" change, without it being some major contradiction in faith or something. If circumstances were that too few young men were entering the priesthood for this reason, then the Church could change the standard?
The Orthodox Church does not claim that universal clerical celibacy is wrong, it just maintains that it is unwise. You have to believe me when I say that there is no schadenfreude involved in the Catholic sexual abuse scandals. But we definitely look at Catholic norms and say, "what did you expect would happen?"
Oh yes, I believe you, and I am with you. No Christian could have schadenfreude over something like this. And, as a complete outsider, I also agree with your question. My prayers are with my Catholic brothers for God to move and to act to do whatever is necessary to eliminate this situation. They really are.
I remember having a friend tell me that he talking to his father-confessor after confession, and his father-confessor said "so what are you going to do? Get married or become a monastic? It is not good for man to live alone."
Wow! No small hint. :) Do you all have something like a "singles department" in either Sunday School or for social events? We do have one, but frankly, it has been a disaster the last few years. We have even lost some single members to other churches with better programs. That makes me sad, but I can only imagine how hard it must be for Christian adults to meet each other nowadays. That was one problem I was blessed enough to avoid. Since I was engaged at 20, I've never really dated an adult. :)
It would be very difficult to be a good bishop and be married. It would also put the priest's wives into competition with each other and introduce a level of competition between priests that is just unhealthy.
By "competition" do you mean to be promoted to the "next level"? Thank you for all of your comments as to how all of this works. I really enjoy learning about it.