Diak is ... A word-confusion

Sometimes when reading a particular literature relating to the history of Ancient Rus, as well as tsarist Russia, we meet the word "deacon", but not everyone knows its exact meaning, and moreover, they confuse with the word "deacon" close to sounding and writing More correctly - a deacon). Let's see what the meaning of the word "deacon" is. In the Explanatory Dictionary of Ozhegov one can find the following definition: "the clerk is an official in state institutions." Consequently, the clerk is a civil servant, more often a boss who manages the work of local government. Sometimes this word indicated both rank and office at the same time. Such an order was until the second half of the 17th century, and then other state officials came to replace the clerks.

The origin of the word "deacon"

As it was said before, readers often confuse "deacon" and "deacon", and this is not surprising, since both these words originated from one Greek word - a servant ("diakonos", διακονος). However, they serve differently. If the deacon is a person in the public service, then the deacon is a servant of the church at the first, inferior, priesthood level. He helps the priest during rituals, in divine services, and also lights the censer.

Do not be surprised that many confuse two words so similar. Even the great prose writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol in his story "Viy" confuses these concepts - "I would like to know what you are taught in the seminary: whether it is the same as the deacon reads in the church, or something else?"

History

So who are these clerks and what were they doing in the civil service? Initially, they belonged only to the role of writing, but already in the middle of the 16th century, during the reign of Basil III, the clerks took over all the proceedings of the Duma, thanks to which a new state rank-the Duma clerk-appeared. Gradually they began to specialize in those or other sovereign affairs, and later their activities ceased to extend only to the affairs of the Duma. The clerks first became secretaries, and then as managers began to appear in the regions. Already in the XV century. The clerk is not only a petty official, but also often a parlementer, who takes into his own hands communication with representatives of foreign powers. A little later on these employees are assigned to clerical work on military-operational matters, and at the end of the XV century. They are in charge of the communications service.

conclusions

So, proceeding from the above, we can say that the clerk is a civil servant who at first acted as a scribe or secretary, and later took on many other duties, whether it be assistance in the management of the region, the management of the communications service or military records management.