Seraphim Rose

[William Thompson]

Can anyone tell me what Church Fr. Rose was in communion with? Are his teachings considered heretical?

[Owen Jones]

Fr. Seraphim was a convert to Orthodoxy in the Russian Church Abroad. He died young as an Orthodox priest/monk in good standing in ROCA. After he died, the order that he had co-founded had a falling out with the Bishop and left ROCA. More recently they have come under Serbian jurisdiction. The order has been instrumental in translations and publications in English and in Russian. The only thing bordering heretical in my mind is a certain overemphasis among some in the order on the End Times. The books and articles that they have published over the years have been a great podvid and I think some bishops have been jealous. They also criticized the academic theology of Myendorff and St. Vladimir's seminary, and, as one might expect, that created quite a negative reaction. They have also been very evangelical, and gone to somewhat unconventional means to seek out converts.

[Bp. Ioan (Lightoller)]

I believe he was in Communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) (aka The Synod in Exile) at the time of his passing.

[Justin]

I have read numerous booklets and articles trying to demonstrate that various teachings of Fr. Seraphim Rose were Neo-Gnostic, Neo-Nestorian, etc., but have not been persuaded in the least by these polemics. It is true that Fr. Seraphim was a bit of a mixed bag. When he was speaking about traditional Christianity, he was normally right on (and it may not be too much of a stretch to say that he understood and articulated traditional Christianity better than any other English-speaking Orthodox Christian to date). On the other hand, when Father Seraphim speculated or gave his own opinion, he often said things that did not pan out in the way he thought they would (e.g., his thoughts on the importance of the protestant charismatic movement vis-a-vis the coming of antichrist seem to have been incorrect). But whatever you think of toll houses or U.F.O's being demons, or whatever else, I've not seen anything heretical in his writings. It is perhaps not unimportant that many of the most vocal people denouncing Fr. Seraphim as a heretic also denounce Bl. Augustine (and other accepted saints).

[Bp. Ioan (Lightoller)]

I was up at Platina years ago, and Fr. Seraphim may have been many things, but a heretic wasn't one of them. My only criticism of an otherwise saintly man is that he and his associate, Fr. Herman (Podmoshensky), are just a bit too fixated on "the end times", though unlike many of those who are fixated on that sort of thing, he at least did not presume to give dates or times.

[Mother Evfrosinia]

I think that Fr. Seraphim's acceptance and vast popularity in Russia and the fact that his books and articles have been translated into all of the "traditional" (Greek, Romanian, Russian, etc.) languages is a good indication that there's nothing heretical in his writings. One can disagree with some of the things that he emphasized, such as the "it's later than you think" approach to the Apocalypse, and absolute denial of evolutionary theory, but those are private opinions. His truly holy and exemplary monastic life are another indication.

[Bp. Ioan (Lightoller)]

I agree completely with you, Mother Evrosinia. There are things which are purely personal opinions and everyone has a right to those. I found him to be basically a good kind-hearted man, very devoted to the ascetic life and that is what matters.

Just as an aside I notice you are in France. Is it the Lesna Convent or another? Just wondered as that is the largest community of which I am aware.

[Mother Evfrosinia]

Christ is Risen! Yes, I'm at the Lesna Monastery. I believe we're still the largest monastic community in France, though the convent at Bussy en Othe has grown in recent years, and Pere Placide Deseille has a fairly large community, too.

[Bp. Ioan (Lightoller)]

How wonderful! Id i might ask how is Sr. Natalia, the cook, doing? I remember her in my prayers and wondered how she is. Also, how is Sr. Anna? (sorry if those are not current names, but I visited back in 1982). Any rate, my greetings and blessings to all of you.

[Catherine Archer]

What about his acceptance and use of the toll house theory? This does seem to have some seeds of Gnosticism in it. Could somebody please explain it? Please?

[Michael Stickles]

Catherine,

We had a full thread devoted to just that question some years back - "Toll houses (http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?1616-Toll-houses)". I think the posts there covered your question pretty well.

[Christophoros]

What about his acceptance and use of the toll house theory? This does seem to have some seeds of Gnosticism in it. Could somebody please explain it? Please?

Read any of the books on life after death translated from Greek or Russian (or Serbian, Romanian, etc), and you'll find references to the toll house teaching. Some North American clergy and laity, raised outside of a traditional Orthodox millieu, were unfamiliar with the concept and thus some reacted based on their limited knowledge and experience with Orthodoxy.

[Jeremy Troy]

I've heard that Fr. Seraphim's writings are very popular on Athos currently, particularly at Dionysiou.

Jeremy

[Benjamin Amis]

Read any of the books on life after death translated from Greek or Russian (or Serbian, Romanian, etc), and you'll find references to the toll house teaching. Some North American clergy and laity, raised outside of a traditional Orthodox millieu, were unfamiliar with the concept and thus some reacted based on their limited knowledge and experience with Orthodoxy.

Right. The Aerial Tollhouses are rooted in Patristic teaching. I believe the current debate is mostly centered around whether or not they should be understood allegorically or literally, with those who favor a literal interpretation also tending to have a greater devotion to Fr. Seraphim Rose, while the more allegorical interpreters have lesser devotion, or occasionally some hostility, towards him.

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

I believe the current debate is mostly centered around whether or not they should be understood allegorically or literally, with those who favor a literal interpretation also tending to have a greater devotion to Fr. Seraphim Rose, while the more allegorical interpreters have lesser devotion, or occasionally some hostility, towards him.

Well, sort of. I've read, re-read, and read again, Fr Seraphim's The Soul After Death trying to find the passage where he teaches the toll-houses as literal, and I've never found it. If anyone can help me out here, please do.

My point is, Fr Seraphim never taught the Toll-Houses as literal. Those who agree with him, generally do not think the Toll-Houses are literal. Sure, there may be some folks that do think the Toll-Houses are literal, but don't blame Fr Seraphim for that.

The dividing line is more about Archbishop Lazar (Puhalo) (original name: Ronald Haler), than Fr Seraphim. The premise that Fr Seraphim taught the Toll-Houses as literal has more to do with Vladyka Lazar's assumption that he did so, and Vladyka Lazar's ongoing attacks, strawman arguments, and, to be blunt, hatred, of anything to do with Fr Seraphim Rose, and his willingness to self-publish any number of tracts, booklets, and anything else he can to that end.

Actually, the rift between the two is a bit puzzling. Both Fr Seraphim and Deacon Lev Puhalo were part of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Then Dn Lev seems to have gotten a "bee up his nose" about Fr Seraphim for some unknown reason. It really seems that the argument about the Toll-Houses and this "neo-gnosticism" are merely proxy arguments, and shibboleths. What is really at the heart of Dn Lev's/Archbishop Lazar's hostility is unknown.

Then, the ROCA Synod essentially told Dn Lev to stop stirring up trouble with this argument, and he refused to do so. Depending on who you believe, he jumped ship to some group called the "Free Serbs" either before, or after, ROCA deposed him. He says he had a blessing to go to the "Free Serbs", but, seriously, what Bishop would give a clergyman a blessing to go to another jurisdiction, and then pronounce a decree deposing him, only days later? These "Free Serbs" then ordained him a Priest. I believe it was around this time that he started calling himself a "hesychastic elder" too. Then he jumped ship to the Ukranian Patriarch Filaret, who made him a Bishop. Then he jumped ship to the Milan Synod who made him a Metropolitan (equivalent to a Russian Archbishop!). Finally, he gave up railing against the New Calendar, and the OCA (which had seemed to him to be equivalent to worshipping the devil!), and applied for entrance into the OCA.

For some reason, the OCA decided to accept him as a retired Archbishop, which strains our relations with ROCOR, who still consider him a deposed Deacon.

But, I'd like to re-iterate my point that Fr Seraphim did NOT teach the Toll-Houses as literal. This whole rift between those who think Fr Seraphim is the best think since sliced bread, and those who think he was a heretic, is based on some personal animosity between him and Archbishop Lazar.

[Benjamin Amis]

Thank you for the lesson, Father. I knew of Dcn/Abp Lazar, and his hostility towards Fr. Seraphim, but I didn't know all of his history.

[Christophoros]

Many years ago (late 1980's, early 90's), I attended a parish that was briefly a "dependency" of Archbishop Lazar's monastery. I believe the correct chronology of his movements is this:

1972: ordained a hierodeacon in the ROCOR (which deposed him in 1980)

1980: joins the Free Serbian Orthodox Church (without a canonical release) and is ordained to the priesthood in 1981.

1988: joins the Greek Old Calendarists and is raised to archimandrite by Metropolitan Paisios of North and South America.

1990: joins the Old Calendarist "Milan Synod" (without a canonical release) and is consecrated bishop.

1996: joins the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (without a canonical release) and is raised to archbishop.

2003: joins the OCA as "retired Archbishop of Ottawa".

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

Ah, thank you Christophoros. I was just going off the top of my head, so I apologize if I've mislead anyone.

[Christophoros]

I'm sure no apology is necessary, Father. Trying to remember the activities of certain ecclesiastical adventurers is quite a challenging task!

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

...I apologize if I've mislead anyone.

I don't think it does. Fr Seraphim was continually trying to keep to the middle of the path, neither overlooking any of the provisos others have made here, nor denying what is clearly found in the tradition. In other words what the Tradition expresses- not as allegory but as truth- is accountability for ourselves and with this God's mercy. Fr Seraphim certainly knew of this and referred to it many times.

What we also need to keep in mind though with Fr Seraphim is the times that he lived in. That the 'openness' of his times had led to a mistrust of almost any kind of traditional expression as being 'fanatical' and divisive. In reply to this then, he continually replied in terms of the basic integrity of tradition (not only within Orthodoxy but elsewhere, culturally and even to an extent religiously) and of faithfulness towards this integral life. This is turn I think affected his expression, for he was vividly aware that faithfulness and personal expression are necessarily and intimately connected. In fact he was aware of this truth from early on in his life- as a kind of major revelation that always inspired him- and kept in refined fashion, for his whole life.

Thus the way in which Fr Seraphim chose to live, to dress, to speak, and address Orthodoxy to others, is also revealed in how he presented the issue of the toll houses. If it seemed too baroque to some, this was his way of countering the iconoclast tendencies of his time, which sought to strip almost everything of its 'false exterior'. Fr Seraphim was pointing out therefore, even indirectly, that doing such is a very risky enterprise.

What indeed is a 'correct teaching' shed of its Orthodox expression?

In Christ- Fr Raphael