The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality

<= SPAN=20 style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: underline">Let Us Attend Orthodox=20 Apologetics

The Holy Fathers of Orthodox=20 Spirituality
by Fr Seraphim of Platina = (+1982)

From "The Orthodox Word", Issues = 10-12=20 (Sept.-Oct. 1974- Nov.-Dec. 1975)
Originally Available Online at the = Orthodox=20 Christian Information = Center

Part I:=20 The Inspiration and Sure Guide to True Christianity Today
Part=20 II: How to Read the Holy Fathers
Part=20 III: How Not to Read the Holy Fathers

I. The Inspiration and Sure Guide to True = Christianity=20 Today

Remember your instructors, who have spoken the = word of God=20 to you, whose faith follow, considering the end of their life... Be = not led=20 away with various and strange doctrines. (Hebrews 13:7,=20 9)

NEVER HAS = THERE BEEN=20 such an age of false teachers as this pitiful 20th century, so rich in = material=20 gadjets and so poor in mind and soul. Every conceivable opinion, even = the most=20 absurd, even those hitherto rejected by the universal consent of all = civilized=20 peoples=97now has its platform and its own "teacher." A few of these = teachers come=20 with demonstration or promise of "spiritual power" and false miracles, = as do=20 some occultists and " charismatics"; but most of the contemporary = teachers offer=20 no more than a weak concoction of undigested ideas which they received = "out of=20 the air," as it were, or from some modern self-appointed "wise man" (or = woman)=20 who knows more than all the ancients merely by living in our = "enlightened"=20 modern times. As a result, philosophy has a thousand schools and = "Christianity"=20 a thousand sects. Where is the truth to be found in all this, if indeed = it is to=20 be found at all in our most misguided times?=20

In only one place is there to be found the fount of true teaching, = coming=20 from God Himself, not diminished over the centuries but ever fresh, = being one=20 and the same in all those who truly teach it, leading those who follow = it to=20 eternal salvation. This place is the Orthodox Church of Christ, the = fount is the=20 grace of the All-Holy Spirit, and the true teachers of the Divine = doctrine that=20 issues from this fount are the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church.

Alas! How few Orthodox Christians know this, and know enough to drink = from=20 this fount! How many contemporary hierarchs lead their flocks, not on = the true=20 pastures of the soul, the Holy Fathers, but along the ruinous paths of = modern=20 wise men who promise something "new" and strive only to make Christians = forget=20 the true teaching of the Holy Fathers, a teaching which=97it is quite = true=97is=20 entirely out of harmony with the false ideas which govern modern = times.

The Orthodox teaching of the Holy Fathers is not something of one = age,=20 whether "ancient" or "modern." It has been transmitted in unbroken = succession=20 from the time of Christ and His Apostles to the present day, and there = has never=20 been a time when it was necessary to discover a "lost" patristic = teaching. Even=20 when many Orthodox Christians may have neglected this teaching (as is = the case,=20 for example, in our own day), its true representatives were still = handing it=20 down to those who hungered to receive it. There have been great = patristic ages,=20 such as the dazzling epoch of the fourth century, and there have been = periods of=20 decline in patristic awareness among Orthodox Christians; but there has = been no=20 period since the very foundation of Christ's Church on earth when the = Patristic=20 tradition was not guiding the Church; there has been no century without = Holy=20 Fathers of its own. St. Nicetas Stethatos, disciple and biographer of = St. Simeon=20 the New Theologian, has written; "It has been granted by God that from=20 generation to generation there should not cease the preparation by the = Holy=20 Spirit of His prophets and friends for the order of His Church."

Most instructive is it for us, the last Christians, to take guidance = and=20 inspiration from the Holy Fathers of our own and recent times, those who = lived=20 in conditions similar to our own and yet kept undamaged and unchanged = the same=20 ever-fresh teaching, which is not for one time or race, but for all = times to the=20 end of the world, and for the whole race of Orthodox Christians.

Before looking at two of the recent Holy Fathers, however, let us = make clear=20 that for us, Orthodox Christians, the study of the Holy Fathers is not = an idle=20 academic exercise. Much of what passes for a ''patristic revival" in our = times=20 is scarcely more than a plaything of heterodox scholars and their = "Orthodox"=20 imitators, not one of whom has ever "discovered" a patristic truth for = which he=20 was ready to sacrifice his life. Such "patrology" is only rationalist=20 scholarship which happens to take patristic teaching for its subject, = without=20 ever understanding that the genuine teaching of the Holy Fathers = contains the=20 truths on which our spiritual life or death depends.

Such pseudo-patristic scholars spend their time proving that=20 "pseudo-Macarius" was a Messalian heretic, without understanding or = practicing=20 the pure Orthodox teaching of the true St. Macarius the Great; that=20 "pseudo-Dionysius" was a. calculated forger of books whose mystical and=20 spiritual depths are totally beyond his accusers; that the thoroughly = Christian=20 and monastic life of Sts. Barlaam and Joasaph, handed down by St. John=20 Damascene, is nothing but a "retelling of the Buddha story"; and a = hundred=20 similar fables manufactured by "experts" for a gullible public which has = no idea=20 of the agnostic atmosphere in which such "discoveries" are made. Where = there are=20 serious scholarly questions concerning some patristic texts (which, of = course,=20 there are), they will certainly not be resolved by referring them to = such=20 "experts," who are total strangers to the true patristic tradition, and = only=20 make their living at its expense.

When "Orthodox" scholars pick up the teaching of these = pseudo-patristic=20 scholars or make their own researches in the same rationalistic spirit, = the=20 outcome can be tragic; for such scholars are taken by many to be = "spokesmen for=20 Orthodoxy," and their rationalistic pronouncements to be part of an=20 "authentically patristic" outlook, thus deceiving many Orthodox = Christians.=20 Father Alexander Schmemann, for example, while pretending to set himself = free=20 from the "Western captivity" which, in his ignorance of the true = Patristic=20 tradition of recent centuries (which is to be found more in the = monasteries than=20 in the academies), he fancies to have completely dominated Orthodox = theology in=20 modern times, has himself become the captive of Protestant rationalistic = ideas=20 concerning liturgical theology, as has been well pointed out by = Protopresbyter=20 Michael Pomazansky, a genuine Patristic theologian of today. [1] = Unfortunately,=20 such a clear unmasking has yet to be made of the pseudo-scholar of = Russian=20 Saints and Holy Fathers, G. P. Fedotov, who imagines that St. Sergius = "was the=20 first Russian saint who can be termed a mystic" (thereby ignoring the = four=20 centuries of equally "mystical" Russian Fathers who preceded him), looks = pointlessly for "originality" in the "literary work" of St. Nilus of = Sora (thus=20 showing that he does not even understand the meaning of tradition in = Orthodoxy),=20 slanders the great Orthodox Saint, Tikhon of Zadonsk, as "the son of the = Western=20 Baroque rather than the heir of Eastern spirituality," [2] and with = great=20 artificiality tries to make St. Seraphim (who is actually so stunningly = in the=20 patristic tradition that he is scarcely to be distinguished from the = great=20 Fathers of the Egyptian desert) into some "uniquely Russian" phenomenon = who was=20 "the first known representative of this class of spiritual elders=20 (startsi) in Russia," whose "approach to the world is = unprecedented in=20 the Eastern tradition," and who was "the forerunner of the new form of=20 spirituality which should succeed merely ascetical monasticism." [3]

Lamentably, the consequences of such pseudo-scholarship often appear = in real=20 life; gullible souls who take these false conclusions for genuine begin = to work=20 for a "liturgical revival" on Protestant foundations, transform St. = Seraphim=20 (ignoring his "inconvenient" teachings regarding heretics, which he = shares with=20 the whole patristic tradition) into a Hindu yogin or a "charismatic," = and in=20 general approach the Holy Fathers just as do most contemporary = scholars=97without=20 reverence and awe, as though they were on the same level, as an exercise = in=20 esotericism or as some kind of intellectual game, instead of as a guide = to true=20 life and salvation.

NOT SO ARE TRUE Orthodox scholars; not so is the true Orthodox = patristic=20 tradition, where the genuine, unchanging teaching of true Christianity = is handed=20 down in unbroken succession both orally and by the written and printed = word,=20 from spiritual father to spiritual son, from teacher to disciple.

In the 20th century one Orthodox hierarch stands out especially for = his=20 patristic orientation=97Archbishop Theophan of Poltava (+ 1940, February = 6), one=20 of the founders of the free Russian Church Outside of Russia, and = perhaps the=20 chief architect of her uncompromising and traditionalist ideology. In = the years=20 when he was vice-chairman of the Synod of Bishops of this Church = (1920's), he=20 was widely acknowledged as the most patristically-minded of all the = Russian=20 theologians abroad. In the 1930's he retired into total seclusion to = become a=20 second Theophan the Recluse; and since then he has been, sadly, very = largely=20 forgotten. Fortunately, his memory has been sacredly kept by his = disciples and=20 followers, and in recent months one of his leading disciples, Archbishop = Averky=20 of Holy Trinity Monastery at Jordanville, New York, has published his = biography=20 together with a number of his sermons. [4] In these sermons may be = clearly seen=20 the hierarch's awe and reverence before the Holy Fathers, his = discipleship=20 toward them, and his surpassing humility which will be content only when = he is=20 transmitting nothing of his own but only the ideas and the very words of = the=20 Holy Fathers. Thus, in a sermon on Pentecost Sunday he says: "The = teaching of=20 the Holy Trinity is the pinnacle of Christian theology. Therefore I do = not=20 presume to set forth this teaching in my own words, but I set it forth = in the=20 words of the holy and Godbearing theologians and great Fathers of the = Church:=20 Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Basil the Great. Mine = only are=20 the lips, but theirs the words and thoughts. They present the Divine = meal, and I=20 am only the servant of their Divine banquet."

In another sermon, Archbishop Theophan gives the reasons for his=20 self-effacement before the Holy Fathers=97a characteristic so typical of = the great=20 transmitters of Patristic teaching, even great theologians in their own = right=20 such as Archbishop Theophan, but which is so glaringly misinterpreted by = worldly=20 scholars as a "lack of originality." In his sermon on the Sunday of the = Holy=20 Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, given in 1928 in Varna, = Bulgaria, he=20 offers to the faithful "a word on the significance of the Holy Fathers = and=20 Teachers of the Church for us Christians. In what does their greatness = consist,=20 and on what does their special significance for us depend? The Church, = brethren,=20 is the house of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth=20 (I Tim. 3:15). Christian truth is preserved in the Church = in Holy=20 Scripture and Holy Tradition; but it requires a correct preservation and = a=20 correct interpretation. The significance of the Holy Fathers is to be = found=20 precisely in this: that they are the most capable preservers and = interpreters of=20 this truth by virtue of the sanctity of their lives, their profound = knowledge of=20 the word of God, and the abundance of the grace of the Holy Spirit which = dwells=20 in them." The rest of this sermon is composed of nothing but quotes from = the=20 Holy Fathers themselves (Sts. Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, = Simeon the=20 New Theologian, Nicetas Stethatos) to support this view.

The final Holy Father whom Archbishop Theophan quotes, at great = length, in=20 his sermon, is one close to him in time, a predecessor of his in the=20 transmission of the authentic patristic tradition in Russia=97Bishop = Ignatius=20 Brianchaninov. He has a double significance for us today: not only is he = a Holy=20 Father of almost our own times, but also his search for truth is very = similar to=20 that of sincere truth-seekers today, and he thus shows us how it is = possible for=20 the "enlightened modern man" to turn away from the prevailing slavery to = modern=20 ideas and modes of thought, and enter once again the pure atmosphere of=20 patristic=97that is, true Orthodox Christian ideas and ways of thinking. = It is=20 extremely inspiring for us to read, in the words of Bishop Ignatius = himself, how=20 a military engineer burst the bonds of "modern knowledge" and entered = the=20 patristic tradition, which he received, in addition to books, directly = from a=20 disciple of Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky, and handed down to our own = day.

"When I was still a student," Archbishop Theophan quotes Bishop = Ignatius, [5]=20 "there were no enjoyments or distractions for me! The world presented = nothing=20 enticing for me. My mind was entirely immersed in the sciences, and at = the same=20 time I was burning with the desire to find out where was the true faith, = where=20 was the true teaching of it, foreign to errors both dogmatic and = moral.

"At the same time there was already presented to my gaze the = boundaries of=20 human knowledge in the highest, fully developed sciences. Coming to = these=20 boundaries, I asked of the sciences: 'What do you give that a man may = call his=20 own? Man is eternal, and what is his own should be eternal. Show me this = eternal=20 possession, this true wealth, which I might take with me beyond the = grave! Up to=20 now I see only knowledge which ends with the earth, which cannot exist = after the=20 separation of the soul from the body."

The searching youth inquired in turn of mathematics, physics, = chemistry,=20 philosophy, showing his profound knowledge of them; then of geography, = geodesy,=20 lan. guages, literature; but he finds that they are all of the earth. In = answer=20 to all his agonized questioning he received the same reply similar = searchers=20 receive in our even more "enlightened" 20th century: "The sciences were=20 silent."

Then, "for a satisfactory answer, a truly necessary and living = answer, I=20 turned to faith. But where are you hidden, O true and holy Faith? I = could not=20 recognize you in fanaticism [Papism] which was not sealed with the = Gospel=20 meekness; it breathed passion and high-mindedness! I could not recognize = you in=20 the arbitrary teaching [Protestantism] which separated from the Church, = making=20 up its own new system, vainly and pridefully proclaiming the discovery = of a new,=20 true Christian faith, after a lapse of eighteen centuries from the = Incarnation=20 of God the Word! Oh! In what a heavy perplexity my soul was! How = frightfully it=20 was weighed down! What waves of doubt rose up against it, arising from = distrust=20 of myself, from distrust of everything that was clamoring, crying out = around me=20 because of my lack of knowledge, my ignorance of the truth.

"And I began often, with tears, to implore God that He might not give = me over=20 as a sacrifice to error, but that He might show me the right path on = which I=20 should direct towards Him my invisible journey of mind and heart. And, O = wonder!=20 Suddenly a thought stood before me... My heart went out to it as to the = embrace=20 of a friend. This thought inspired me to study faith in the sources=97in = the=20 writings of the Holy Fathers! 'Their holiness,' the thought said to me, = 'vouches=20 for their trustworthiness: choose them for your guides.' I obeyed. I = found means=20 of obtaining the works of the holy pleasers of God, and in eagerness I = began to=20 read them, investigate them deeply. Having read some, I would take up = others,=20 read them, re-read them, study them. What was it that above all else = struck me=20 in the works of the Fathers of the Orthodox Church? It was their = harmony, their=20 wondrous, magnificent, harmony. Eighteen centuries, through their lips,=20 testified to a single unanimous Teaching, a Divine teaching!

"When on a clear autumn night I gaze at the dear sky, sown with = numberless=20 stars, so diverse in size yet shedding a single light, then I say to = myself:=20 such are the writings of the Fathers! When on a summer day I gaze at the = vast=20 sea, covered with a multitude of diverse vessels with their unfurled = sails like=20 white swans' wings, vessels racing under a single wind to a single goal, = to a=20 single harbor, I say to myself: such are the writings of the Fathers! = When I=20 hear a harmonious, many-voiced choir, in which diverse voices in elegant = harmony=20 sing a single Divine song, then I say to myself: such are the writings = of the=20 Fathers!

"And what teaching do I find in them? I find a teaching repeated by = all the=20 Fathers, namely, that the only path to salvation is the unwavering = following of=20 the instructions of the Holy Fathers. 'Have you seen,' they say, 'anyone = deceived by false teaching, perishing from an incorrect choice of = ascetic=20 labors?=97then know that he followed himself, his own understanding, his = own=20 opinions, and not the teaching of the Fathers' (Abba Dorotheus, Fifth=20 Instruction), out of which is composed the dogmatic and moral tradition = of the=20 Church. With this Tradition as a priceless possession, the Church = nourishes her=20 children.

"This thought was sent by God, from Whom is every good gift, from = Whom a good=20 thought is the beginning of every good thing... This thought was for me = the=20 first harbor in the land of truth. Here my soul found rest from the = waves and=20 winds. This thought became the foundation stone for the spiritual = building of my=20 soul. This thought became my guiding star. It began constantly to = illumine for=20 me the very difficult and much-suffering, narrow, invisible path of the = mind and=20 heart toward God. I looked at the religious world with this thought, and = I saw:=20 the cause of all errors consists in ignorance, in forgetfulness, in the = absence=20 of this thought.

"The reading of the Fathers clearly convinced me that salvation in = the bosom=20 of the Orthodox Russian Church was undoubted, something of which the = religions=20 of Western Europe are deprived, since they have not preserved whole = either the=20 dogmatic or the moral teaching of the Church of Christ from her = beginning. It=20 revealed to me what Christ has done for mankind, in what consists the = fall of=20 man, why a Redeemer was necessary, in what consists the salvation = procured by=20 the Redeemer. It inculcated in me that one must develop, sense, see = salvation in=20 oneself, without which faith in Christ is dead, and Christianity is a = word and a=20 name without being put into effect! It instructed me to look upon = eternity as=20 eternity, before which a Thousand years of earthly life is nothing, let = alone=20 our life which is measured by some half a century, It instructed me that = earthly=20 life must lead to preparation for eternity... It showed me that all = earthly=20 occupations, enjoyments, honors, pre-eminence are empty toys, with which = grown-up children play and in which they lose the blessedness of = eternity... All=20 this the Holy Fathers set forth with complete clarity in their sacredly = splendid=20 writings."

Archbishop Theophan concludes his Patristic exhortation with this = appeal:=20 "Brethren, let this good thought [the taking of the Holy Fathers as our = guide]=20 be your guiding star also in the days of your earthly pilgrimage on the = waves of=20 the sea of life!"

The truth of this appeal, as of the inspired words of Bishop = Ignatius, has=20 not dimmed in the decades since they were uttered. The world has gone = forth on=20 the path of apostasy from Christian Truth, and it becomes ever more = clear that=20 there is no alternative to this path save that of following the = uncompromising=20 path of truth which the Holy Fathers have handed down to us.

Yet we must go to the Holy Fathers not merely to "learn about them"; = if we do=20 no more than this we are in no better state than the idle disputants of = The dead=20 academies of this perishing modern civilization, even when these = academies are=20 "Orthodox" and the learned theologians in them neatly define and explain = all=20 about "sanctity" and "spirituality" and "theosis," but have not = the=20 experience needed to speak straight to the heart of thirsting souls and = wound=20 them into desiring the path of spiritual struggle, nor the knowledge to = detect=20 the fatal error of the academic "theologians" who speak of God with = cigarette or=20 wineglass in hand, nor the courage to accuse the apostate "canonical" = hierarchs=20 of their betrayal of Christ. We must go to the Holy Fathers, rather, = in=20 order to become their disciples, to receive the teaching = of true=20 life, the soul's salvation, even while knowing that by doing this we = shall lose=20 the favor of this world and become outcasts from it. If we do this we = shall find=20 the way out of the confused swamp of modern thought, which is based = precisely=20 upon abandonment of the sacred teaching of the Fathers. We shall find = that the=20 Holy Fathers are most "contemporary" in that they speak directly to the = struggle=20 of the Orthodox Christian today, giving answers to the crucial questions = of life=20 and death which mere academic scholarship is usually afraid even to = ask=97and when=20 it does ask them, gives a harmless answer which "explains" these = questions to=20 those who are merely curious about them, but are not thirsting for = answers. We=20 shall find true guidance from the Fathers, learning humility and = distrust of our=20 own vain worldly wisdom, which we have sucked in with the air of these=20 pestilential times, by means of trusting those who have pleased God and = not the=20 world. We shall find in them true fathers, so lacking in our own day = when the=20 love of many has grown cold (Matt. 24:12)=97fathers whose only aim is to = lead us=20 their children to God and His Heavenly Kingdom, where we shall walk and = converse=20 with these angelic men in unutterable joy forever.

There is no problem of our own confused times which cannot find its = solution=20 by a careful and reverent reading of the Holy Fathers: whether the = problem of=20 the sects and heresies that abound today, or the schisms and = "jurisdictions";=20 whether the pretense of spiritual life put forth by the "charismatic = revival,"=20 or the subtle temptations of modern comfort and convenience; whether = complex=20 philosophical questions such as "evolution," or the straightforward = moral=20 questions of abortion, euthanasia, and "birth control"; whether the = refined=20 apostasy of "Sergianism," which offers a church organization in place of = the=20 Body of Christ, or the crudeness of "renovationism," which begins by = "revising=20 the calendar" and ends in "Eastern-rite Protestantism." In all these = questions=20 the Holy Fathers, and our living Fathers who follow them, are our only = sure=20 guide.

Bishop Ignatius and other recent Fathers have indicated for us last=20 Christians which Holy Fathers are the most important for us to read, and = in what=20 order. These indications will be given together with the teaching of the = Holy=20 Fathers, and information on English translations of the Fathers, in = future=20 issues of The Orthodox Word. May this be an inspiration to us = all to=20 place the Patristic teaching as the foundation stone of the building of = our own=20 souls, unto the inheritance of everlasting life! Amen.

II: How to Read = the Holy=20 Fathers

THE PRESENT PATROLOGY will present the Fathers of Orthodox=20 spirituality; therefore, its scope and aims are rather = different=20 from the ordinary seminary course in Patrology. Our aim in these pages = will be=20 twofold: (1) To present the Orthodox theological foundation of spiritual = life=20 =97the nature and goal of spiritual struggle, the Patristic view of = human nature,=20 the character of the activity of Divine grace and human effort, etc.; = and (2) to=20 give, the practical teaching on living this Orthodox spiritual life, = with a=20 characterization of the spiritual states, both good and bad, which one = may=20 encounter or pass through in the spiritual struggle. Thus, strictly = dogmatic=20 questions concerning the nature of God, the Holy Trinity, the = Incarnation of the=20 Son of God, the Procession of the Holy Spirit, and the like, will be = touched on=20 only as these are involved in questions of spiritual life; and many Holy = Fathers=20 whose writings deal principally with these dogmatic questions and which = touch on=20 questions of spiritual life only secondarily, as it were, will not be = discussed=20 at all. In a word, this will be primarily a study of the Fathers of = the=20 Philokalia, that collection of Orthodox spiritual writings which = was made=20 at the dawn of the contemporary age, just before the outbreak of the = fierce=20 Revolution in France whose final effects we are witnessing in our own = days of=20 atheist rule and anarchy.

In the present century there has been a noticeable increase of = interest in=20 the Philokalia and its Holy Fathers. In particular, the more = recent=20 Fathers such as St. Simeon the New Theologian, St. Gregory the Sinaite, = and St.=20 Gregory Palamas, have begun to be studied and a few of their writings = translated=20 and printed in English and other Western languages. One might even say = that in=20 some seminary and academic circles they have "come into fashion," in = sharp=20 contrast to the 19th century, when they were not "in fashion" at all = even in=20 most Orthodox theological academies (as opposed to the best monasteries, = which=20 always preserved their memories as holy and lived by their = writings).

But this very fact presents a great danger which must here be = emphasized. The=20 "coming into fashion" of the profoundest spiritual writings is by no = means=20 necessarily a good thing. In fact, it is far better that the names of = these=20 Fathers remain altogether unknown than that they be merely the = occupation of=20 rationalist scholars and "crazy converts" who derive no spiritual = benefit from=20 them but only increase their senseless pride at "knowing better" about = them than=20 anyone else, or=97even worse=97begin to follow the spiritual = instructions in their=20 writings without sufficient preparation and without any spiritual = guidance. All=20 of this, to be sure, does not mean that the lover of truth should = abandon the=20 reading of the Holy Fathers; God forbid! But it does mean that all of=20 us=97scholar, monk, or simple layman=97must approach these Fathers with = the fear of=20 God, with humility, and with a great distrust of our own wisdom and = judgment. We=20 approach them in order to learn, and first of all we must admit = that=20 for this we require a teacher. And teachers do exist: in our times when = the=20 God-bearing Elders have vanished, our teachers must be those Fathers = who,=20 especially in the times close to us, have told us specifically how to = read=97and=20 how not to read=97the Orthodox writings on the spiritual life. If the = Blessed=20 Elder Paisius Velichkovsky himself, the compiler of the first Slavonic=20 Philokalia, was "seized with fear" on learning that such books = were to=20 be printed and no longer circulated in manuscript form among = some few=20 monasteries, then how much the more must we approach them with fear and = and=20 understand the cause of his fear, lest there come upon us the spiritual=20 catastrophe which he foresaw.

Blessed Paisius, in his letter to Archimandrite Theodosius of the St. = Sophronius Hermitage,[1] wrote: "Concerning the publication in print of = the=20 Patristic books, both in the Greek and Slavonic languages, I am seized = both with=20 joy and fear. With joy, because they will not be given over to final = oblivion,=20 and zealots may the more easily acquire them; with fear, being = frightened and=20 trembling lest they be offered, as a thing which can be sold even like = other=20 books, not only to monks, but also to all Orthodox Christians, and lest = these=20 latter, having studied the work of mental prayer in a self-willed way, = without=20 instruction from those who are experienced in it, might fall into = deception, and=20 lest because of the deception the vain-minded might blaspheme against = this holy=20 and irreproachable work, which has been testified to by very many great = Holy=20 Fathers... and lest because of the blasphemies there follow doubt = concerning the=20 teaching of our God-bearing Fathers." The practice of the mental Prayer = of=20 Jesus, Blessed Paisius continues, is possible only under the conditions = of=20 monastic obedience.

Few are they, to be sure, in our latter times of feeble ascetic = struggle, who=20 strive for the heights of mental prayer (or even know what this might = be); but=20 the warnings of Blessed Paisius and other Holy Fathers hold true also = for the=20 lesser struggles of many Orthodox Christians today. Anyone who reads the = Philokalia and other writings of the Holy Fathers, and even = many Lives=20 of Saints, will encounter passages about mental prayer, about Divine = vision,=20 about deification, and about other exalted spiritual states, and it is = essential=20 for the Orthodox Christian to know what he should think and feel about=20 these.

Let us, therefore, see what the Holy Fathers say of this, and of our = approach=20 to the Holy Fathers in general.

The Blessed Elder Macarius of Optina (+ 1860) found it necessary to = write a=20 special "Warning to those reading spiritual Patristic books and desiring = to=20 practice the mental Prayer of Jesus." [2] Here this great Father almost = of our=20 own century tells us clearly what our attitude should be to these = spiritual=20 states: "The holy and God-bearing Fathers wrote about great spiritual = gifts not=20 so that anyone might strive indiscriminately to receive them, but so = that those=20 who do not have them, hearing about such exalted gifts and revelations = which=20 were received by those who were worthy, might acknowledge their own = profound=20 infirmity and great insufficiency, and might involuntarily be inclined = to=20 humility, which is more necessary for those seeking salvation than all = other=20 works and virtues." Again, St. John of the Ladder (6th century) writes: = "Just as=20 a pauper, seeing the royal treasures, all the more acknowledges his own = poverty;=20 so also the spirit, reading the accounts of the great deeds of the Holy = Fathers,=20 involuntarily is all the more humbled in its way of thought" (Step = 26:25). Thus,=20 our first approach to the writings of the Holy Fathers must be one of=20 humility.

Again, St. John of the Ladder writes: "To admire the labors of the = Saints is=20 praiseworthy; to emulate them is soul-saving; but to desire suddenly to = become=20 their imitators is senseless and impossible" (Step 4:42). St. Isaac the = Syrian=20 (6th century) teaches in his second Homily (as summarized by Elder = Macarius of=20 Optina, op. cit., p. 364): "Those = who seek=20 in prayer sweet spiritual sensations with expectation, and = especially=20 those who strive prematurely for vision and spiritual contemplation, = fall into=20 the deception of the enemy and into the realm of darkness and the = obscurity of=20 the mind, being abandoned by the help of God and given over to demons = for=20 mockery because of their prideful seeking above their measure and = worth." Thus,=20 we must come to the Holy Fathers with the humble intention of = beginning the=20 spiritual life at the lowest step, and not even dreaming = of=20 ourselves attaining those exalted spiritual states, which are totally = beyond us.=20 St. Nilus of Sora (+ 1508), a great Russian Father of more recent times, = writes=20 in his Monastic Rule (ch. 2), "What shall we say of those who, = in their=20 mortal body, have tasted immortal food, who have been found worthy to = receive in=20 this transitory life a portion of the joys that await us in our heavenly = homeland?... We who are burdened with many sins and preyed upon by = passions are=20 unworthy even of hearing such words. Nevertheless, placing our hope in = the grace=20 of God, we are encouraged to keep the words of the holy writings in our = minds,=20 so that we may at least grow in awareness of the degradation in which we = wallow."

To aid our humble intention in reading the Holy Fathers, we must = begin with=20 the elementary Patristic books, those which teach the "ABCs." A = 6th-century=20 novice of Gaza once wrote to the great clairvoyant Elder, St. = Barsanuphius, much=20 in the spirit of the inexperienced Orthodox student of today: "I have = dogmatic=20 books and when reading them I feel that my mind is transferred from = passionate=20 thoughts to the contemplation of dogmas." To this the holy Elder = replied: "I=20 would not want you to be occupied with these books, because they exalt = the mind=20 on high; but it is better to study the words of the Elders which humble = the mind=20 downward. I have said this not in order to belittle the dogmatic books, = but I=20 only give you counsel; for foods are different." (Questions and = Answers,=20 no. 544). An important purpose of this Patrology will be precisely = to=20 indicate which Patristic books are more suitable for beginners, and = which should=20 be left until later.

Again, different Patristic books on the spiritual life am suitable = for=20 Orthodox Christians in different conditions of life: that which is = suitable=20 especially for solitaries is not directly applicable to monks living the = common=20 life; that which applies to monks in general will not be directly = relevant for=20 laymen; and in every condition, the spiritual food which is suitable for = those=20 with some experience may be entirely indigestible for beginners. Once = one has=20 achieved a certain balance in spiritual life by means of active practice = of=20 God's commandments within the discipline of the Orthodox Church, by = fruitful=20 reading of the more elementary writings of the Holy Fathers, and by = spiritual=20 guidance from living fathers=97then one can receive much spiritual = benefit from=20 all the writings of the Holy Fathers, applying them to one's own = condition of=20 life. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov has written concerning this: "It has = been=20 noticed that novices can never adapt books to their condition, but are=20 invariably drawn by the tendency of the book. If a book gives counsels = on=20 silence and shows the abundance of spiritual fruits that are gathered in = profound silence, the beginner invariably has the strongest desire to go = off=20 into solitude, to an uninhabited desert. If a book speaks of = unconditional=20 obedience under the direction of a Spirit-bearing Father, the beginner = will=20 inevitably develop a, desire for the strictest life in complete = submission to an=20 Elder. God has not given to our time either of these two ways of life. = But the=20 books of the Holy Fathers describing these states can influence a = beginner so=20 strongly that out of inexperience and ignorance he can easily decide to = leave=20 the place where he is living and where he has every convenience to work = out his=20 salvation and make spiritual progress by putting into practice the = evangelical=20 commandments, for an impossible dream of a perfect life pictured vividly = and=20 alluringly in his imagination." Therefore, he concludes: "Do not trust = your=20 thoughts, opinions, dreams, impulses or inclinations, even though they = offer you=20 or put before you in an attractive guise the most holy monastic life" = (The=20 Arena, ch. 10). What Bishop Ignatius says here about monks refers = also to=20 laymen, with allowance made for the different conditions of lay life. = Particular=20 comments will be made at the end of this Introduction concerning = spiritual=20 reading for laymen.

St. Barsanuphius indicates in another Answer (no. 62) something else = very=20 important for us who approach the Holy Fathers much too academically: = "One who=20 is taking care for his salvation should not at all ask [the Elders, = i.e., read=20 Patristic books] for the acquiring only of knowledge, for knowledge = puffeth=20 up (I Cor. 8:1), as the Apostle says; but it is most fitting to ask = about=20 the passions and about how one should live one's life, that is, how to = be saved;=20 for this is necessary, and leads to salvation." Thus, one is not to read = the=20 Holy Fathers out of mere curiosity or as an academic exercise, without = the=20 active intention to practice what they teach, according to one's = spiritual=20 level. Modern academic "theologians" have dearly enough demonstrated = that it is=20 possible to have much abstract information about the Holy Fathers = without any=20 spiritual knowledge at all. Of such ones St. Macarius the Great says = (Homily=20 17:9): "Just as one clothed in beggarly garments might see himself in = sleep as a=20 rich man, but on waking from sleep again sees himself poor and naked, so = also=20 those who deliberate about the spiritual life seem to speak logically, = but=20 inasmuch as that of which they speak is not verified in the mind by any = kind of=20 experience, power, and confirmation, they remain in a kind of = fantasy."

One test of whether our reading of the Holy Fathers is academic or = real is=20 indicated by St. Barsanuphius in his answer to a novice who found that = he became=20 haughty and proud when speaking of the Holy Fathers (Answer no. 697): = "When you=20 converse about the life of the Holy Fathers and about their Answers, you = should=20 condemn yourself, saying: Woe is me! How can I speak of the virtues of = the=20 Fathers, while I myself have acquired nothing like that and have not = advanced at=20 all? And I live, instructing others for their benefit; how can there not = be=20 fulfilled in me the word of the Apostle: Thou that teachest another, = teachest thou not thyself?" (Rom. 2:21.) Thus, one's = constant=20 attitude toward the teaching of the Holy Fathers must be one of=20 self-reproach.

Finally, we must remember that the whole purpose of reading the Holy = Fathers=20 is, not to give us some kind of "spiritual enjoyment" or confirm us in = our own=20 righteousness or superior knowledge or "contemplative" state, but solely = to aid=20 us in the practice of the active path of virtue. Many of the Holy = Fathers=20 discuss the distinction between the "active" and the "contemplative" = (or, more=20 properly, "noetic") life, and it should be emphasized here that this = does not=20 refer, as some might think, to any artificial distinction between those = leading=20 the "ordinary" life of "outward Orthodoxy" or mere "good deeds," and an = "inward"=20 life cultivated only by monastics or some intellectual elite; not at = all. There=20 is only one Orthodox spiritual life, and it is lived by every Orthodox=20 struggler, whether monastic or layman, whether beginner or advanced; = "action" or=20 "practice" (praxis in Greek) = is the way,=20 and "Vision" (theoria) or "deification" is the end. = Almost all=20 the Patristic writings refer to the life of action, not the = life of=20 vision; when the latter is mentioned, it is to remind us of the = goal of=20 our labors and struggles, which in this life is tasted deeply only by a = few of=20 the great Saints, but in its fullness is known only in the age to come. = Even the=20 most exalted writings of the Philokalia, as Bishop Theophan the = Recluse=20 wrote in the preface of the final volume of the Russian-language = Philokalia,=20 "have had in view not the noetic, but almost exclusively the active = life."

Even with this introduction, to be sure, the Orthodox Christian = living in our=20 century of puffed-up knowledge will not escape some of the pitfalls = lying in=20 wait for one who wishes to read the Holy Fathers in their full Orthodox = meaning=20 and context. Therefore, let us stop here, before beginning the Patrology = itself,=20 and examine briefly some of the mistakes which have been made by = contemporary=20 readers of the Holy Fathers, with the intention of thereby forming a yet = dearer=20 notion of how not to read the Holy Fathers.

III. How Not to Read = the Holy=20 Fathers

ENOUGH HAS BEEN SAID to indicate the seriousness and sobriety with = which one=20 must approach the study of the Holy Fathers. But the very habit of=20 light-mindedness in 20th-century man, of not taking seriously even the = most=20 solemn subjects, of "playing with ideas"=97which is what scholars at = universities=20 now do=97makes it necessary for us to look more closely at some common = mistakes=20 which have been made by nominal Orthodox Christians in their study or = teaching=20 of the Holy Fathers. It will be necessary here to cite names and = publications in=20 order to know precisely the pitfalls into which many have already = fallen. This=20 examination will enable us to see more clearly how not to approach the = Holy=20 Fathers.

THE FIRST PITFALL: DILETTANTISM

This, the pit into which the most light-minded of those interested in = Orthodox theology or spirituality usually fall, is most apparent in = "ecumenical"=20 gatherings of many kinds conferences, "retreats," and the like. Such = gatherings=20 are a specialty of the English Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, = as=20 reflected in its journal, Sobornost. Here we may read, for = example, in=20 an address on the Desert Fathers by a supposedly Orthodox clergyman, = "The=20 Fathers of the Desert can play an extremely important role for us. They = can be=20 for all of us a wonderful place of ecumenical meeting." [1] Can the = speaker be=20 so naive as not to know that the Father he wishes to study, like all the = Holy=20 Fathers, would be horrified to learn that his words were being used to = teach the=20 art of prayer to the heterodox? It is one of the rules of politeness at = such=20 "ecumenical" gatherings that the heterodox are not informed that the = first=20 prerequisite for studying the Fathers is to have the same faith as the = Fathers=20 of Orthodoxy. Without this prerequisite all instruction in prayer and = spiritual=20 doctrine is only a deception, a means for further entangling the = heterodox=20 listener in his own errors. This is not fair to the listener; it it is = not=20 serious on the part of the speaker; it is exactly how not to = undertake=20 the study or the teaching of the Holy Fathers.

In the same periodical one may read of a "pilgrimage to Britain" = wherein a=20 group of Protestants attended services of various sects and then an = Orthodox=20 Liturgy, at which "the Father made a very clear and illuminating address = on the=20 topic of the Eucharist (Sobornost, Summer, 1969, p. = 680).=20 Undoubtedly the Father quoted the Holy Fathers in his address=97but he = did not=20 bring understanding to his listeners; he only confused them the more by = allowing=20 them now to think that Orthodoxy is just another of the sects they were=20 visiting, and that the Orthodox doctrine of the Eucharist can help them = the=20 better to understand their Lutheran or Anglican services. In an account = of an=20 "Ecumenical Retreat" in the same issue (p. 684), we find a result of the = preaching of "Orthodox theology" under such conditions. After attending = an=20 Orthodox Liturgy, the retreatants attended a "Baptist Communion = service," which=20 was "a breath of fresh air." "Particularly refreshing was the little = sermon on=20 the note of Resurrection joy. Those of us who know the Orthodox Church = have=20 found the same truth expressed there and we were happy to find it in a = Baptist=20 service also." The Orthodox encouragers of such insensitive dilettantism = have=20 doubtless forgotten the Scriptural injunction: Cast not your pearls = before=20 swine.

Of late the same Fellowship has broadened its dilettantism, following = the=20 latest intellectual fashion, to include lectures on Sufism and other=20 non-Christian religious traditions, which probably enrich the = "spirituality" of=20 the listeners in much the way Orthodoxy has been doing it for them up to = now.

The same corrupt spiritual attitude may be seen on a more = sophisticated level=20 in the "agreed statements" that issue now and again from "consultations = of=20 theologians," whether Orthodox-Roman Catholic, Orthodox-Anglican, or the = like.=20 These "agreed statements," on such subjects as "the Eucharist" or "the = nature of=20 the Church" are, again, an exercise in "ecumenical" politeness which = does not=20 even hint to the heterodox (if the "Orthodox theologians" present even = know it)=20 that, whatever definition of such realities might be "agreed = upon," the=20 heterodox, being without the experience of living in the Church of = Christ, lack=20 the reality thereof. Such "theologians" do not hesitate even to = seek=20 some "agreement" on spirituality itself where, if anywhere, the = impossibility of=20 any agreement should be glaringly evident. Those who can believe, as the = official "Message" of the "Orthodox-Cistercian Symposium" (Oxford, 1973) = declares, that Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican monastics have a = "deep=20 unity between us, as members of monastic communities coming from = different=20 Church traditions," surely are thinking according to the corrupt wisdom = of this=20 world and its "ecumenical" fashions, and not in accordance with = the=20 Orthodox monastic-spiritual tradition, which is strict in its insistence = on=20 purity of faith. The worldly purpose and tone of such "dialogues" is = made quite=20 clear in a report on the same Symposium, which indicates that this = "dialogue" is=20 now going to be broadened to include non-Christian monasticism, = something which=20 will enable "our common Christian monasticism... to identify in some = real way=20 with the monasticism of Buddhism and Hinduism."[2] However sophisticated = the=20 participants in this Symposium may imagine themselves to be, their = dilettantism=20 is by no means superior to that of the Protestant laymen who are awed = just as=20 much by the Baptist communion service as by the Orthodox Liturgy.

Again, one may read, in an "Orthodox" periodical, an account of an=20 "Ecumenical Institute on Spirituality" (Catholic-Protestant-Orthodox) = held at=20 St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York in 1969, where a talk was given by = the=20 "broad-minded" Orthodox professor Nicholas Arseniev on Christian = spirituality=20 East and West. An Orthodox priest thus reports his talk: "One of the = professor's=20 most striking assertions was that there already exists a Christian unity = in the=20 saints of all Christian traditions. It would be interesting to try to = work out=20 the implications of this for a treatment of the doctrinal and = institutional=20 divisions which also clearly exist."[3] The doctrinal deviations of = "Orthodox"=20 ecumenists are bad enough, but when it comes to spirituality there seem = to be no=20 bounds whatever to what may be said or believed=97an indication of how = remote and=20 vague the tradition and experience of genuine Orthodox spirituality have = become=20 to the "Orthodox theologians" of today. A true and serious study of = "comparative=20 spirituality" could indeed be made, but it will never produce an "agreed = statement." To take only one example: the prime example of "Western=20 spirituality" cited by Dr. Arseniev and nearly everyone else is Francis = of=20 Assisi, who according to the standard of Orthodox spirituality is a = classic=20 example of a monk who went spiritually astray and fell into deception=20 (prelest) and was revered as a saint only because the West had = already=20 fallen into apostasy and lost the Orthodox standard of spiritual life. = In our=20 study of the Orthodox spiritual tradition in this book* it will be = necessary to=20 point out (by way of contrast) precisely where Francis and later Western = "saints" went astray; for the present, it is enough to indicate that the = attitude which produces such "ecumenical institutes" and "agreed = statements" is=20 basically the same attitude of frivolous dilettantism which we have = already=20 examined on a more popular level above.

The main cause of this spiritually pathological attitude is probably = not so=20 much the wrong intellectual attitude of theological relativism which = prevails in=20 "ecumenical" circles, as it is something deeper, something involved in = the whole=20 personality and way of life of most "Christians" today. One may see a = glimpse of=20 this in the comment of one Orthodox student at the "Ecumenical = Institute,"=20 sponsored by the World Council of Churches at Bossey, Switzerland. = Speaking of=20 the value of "the personal encounter with so many different approaches = which we=20 had not previously experienced," he notes that "the best discussions" = (which=20 were on the subject of "Evangelism") "took place not during the plenary=20 sessions, but rather when sitting by the fireplace drinking a glass of = wine."[4]=20 This almost off-hand remark reveals more than the "casualness" of = contemporary=20 life; it indicates a whole modern attitude toward the. Church and her = theology=20 and practice. But this brings us to the second basic pitfall we must = avoid in=20 our study of the Holy Fathers.

THE SECOND PITFALL: "THEOLOGY WITH A CIGARETTE"

It is not only "ecumenical" gatherings which can be light-minded and=20 frivolous; one may note precisely the same tone at "Orthodox" = conventions and=20 "retreats," and at gatherings of "Orthodox theologians." The Holy = Fathers are=20 not always directly involved or discussed in such gatherings, but an = awareness=20 of the spirit of such gatherings will prepare us to understand the = background=20 which seemingly serious Orthodox Christians bring with them when they = begin to=20 study spirituality and theology.

One of the largest "Orthodox" organizations in the United States is = the=20 "Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs," consisting chiefly of members of the = former=20 Russian-American Metropolia, which has a yearly convention whose = activities are=20 quite typical of "Orthodoxy" in America. The October, 1973, issue of = The=20 Russian Orthodox Journal is devoted to the Convention of 1973, = at=20 which Bishop Dimitry of Hartford told the delegates: "What I see = here, and=20 I mean this extremely sincerely, is that the FROC is potentially the = greatest=20 spiritual force in all of American Orthodoxy" (p. 18). It is true that a = number=20 of clergymen attend the Convention, usually including Metropolitan = Ireney, that=20 there are daily religious services, and that there is always a seminar = on a=20 religious subject. Significantly, during this year's seminar (entitled, = in the=20 "American Orthodox" spirit, "What? Lent Again?"), "questions arose about = observing Saturday evening as a preparation period for Sunday. Conflicts = arise=20 because American life styles have made Saturday night the 'social night' = of the=20 week." One priest who was present gave an Orthodox answer to this, = question: "On=20 Saturday evening he advocates attendance at Vespers, confession, and a = quiet=20 evening" (p. 28). But for the Convention planners there was quite = obviously no=20 "conflict" whatever: they provided (as at every Convention) a = Saturday-night=20 dance fully in the "American life-style," and on other nights similar=20 amusements, including a "Teenage Frolic" with a "Rock and Roll band," an = imitation gambling casino "with an environment reminiscent of Las = Vegas," and=20 some instruction for men in "the 'cultural' art of belly dancing" (p. = 24). The=20 pictures accompanying the articles show some of these frivolities, which = indeed=20 assure us that "Orthodox" Americans are by no means behind their fellow=20 countrymen in their pursuit of shamelessly inane = entertainments=97interspersed=20 with solemn photographs of the Divine Liturgy. This mixture of the = sacred and=20 the frivolous is considered "normal" in "American Orthodoxy" today; this = organization is (let us repeat the bishop's words) "potentially the = greatest=20 spiritual force in all of American Orthodoxy." But what spiritual = preparation=20 can a person bring to the Divine Liturgy when he has spent the previous = evening=20 celebrating the spirit of this world, and has spent many hours during = the=20 weekend at totally frivolous entertainments? A sober observer can only = reply:=20 Such a person brings the worldly spirit with him, worldliness is the = very air he=20 breathes; and therefore for him Orthodoxy itself enters into the = "casual"=20 American "life-style." If such a person were to begin reading the Holy = Fathers,=20 which speak of a totally different way of life, he would either find = them=20 totally irrelevant to his own way of life, or else would be required to = distort=20 their teaching in order to make it applicable to his way of life.

Let us look now at a more serious "Orthodox" gathering, where the = Holy Fathers are indeed mentioned: the yearly "Conferences" of the=20 "Orthodox Campus Commission." The Fall, 1975, issue of = Concern=20 magazine gives a number of photographs of the 1975 Conference, = whose aim=20 was entirely "spiritual": the same "casual" spirit, with young ladies in = shorts=20 (which puts even the FROC Convention to shame!), and the priest = delivering a=20 "main address" with his hand in his pocket... and in such an atmosphere = Orthodox=20 Christians discuss such subjects as "The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox = Church."=20 The same issue of Concern gives us an insight into what goes on = in the=20 minds of such outwardly "casual" people. A new "women's = liberation"=20 column (with a title so deliberately vulgar that we need not repeat it = here) is=20 edited by a smart young convert: "When I converted to Orthodoxy, I felt = that I=20 was aware of most of the problems that I would meet in the Church. I = knew of the=20 scandalous ethnicism that divides the Church, of the quarrels and = factions that=20 plague parishes, and of the religious ignorance..." This columnist then = proceeds=20 to advocate the "reform" of the traditional forty-day period for = "churching" a=20 woman after childbirth, as well as other "old-world" attitudes which = this=20 "enlightened" modern American finds "unfair." Perhaps she has never met = a=20 genuine Orthodox clergyman or layman who could explain to her the = meaning or=20 convey to her the tone of the authentic Orthodox way of life; perhaps if = she did=20 encounter such a one, she might not even wish to understand him, nor to=20 comprehend that the worst of a convert's "problems" today are not in the = easily-criticized Orthodox environment at all, but rather in the = mind and=20 attitude of the converts themselves. The way of life reflected in=20 Concern is not the Orthodox way of life, and its very = tone=20 makes any approach to the Orthodox way of life almost impossible. Such=20 periodicals and conferences reflect the majority of pampered, = self-centered,=20 frivolous young people of today who, when they come to religion, expect = to find=20 "spirituality with comfort," something which is instantly reasonable to = their=20 immature minds which have been stupefied by their "modern education." = The=20 young=97and many older clergymen of today, themselves having been = exposed to the=20 worldly atmosphere in which young people are growing up=97sometimes = stoop to=20 flattering the young people's easy criticism of their elders and their = Orthodox=20 "ghettos," and at best give powerless academic lectures on subjects far = over=20 their heads. Of what benefit is it to speak to such young people on=20 "Deification" or "The Way of the Saints" (Concern, Fall, = 1974)=97concepts=20 which, to be sure, are intellectually comprehensible to college students = today,=20 but for which they are emotionally and spiritually totally unprepared, = not=20 knowing the ABCs of what it means to struggle in the Orthodox life and = separate=20 oneself from one's own worldly background and upbringing? Without such=20 preparation and training in the ABC's of spiritual life, and an = awareness of the=20 difference between worldliness and the Orthodox way of life, such = lectures can=20 have no fruitful spiritual result.

Seeing this background from which today's young Orthodox Christians = are=20 emerging in America (and throughout the free world), one is not = surprised to=20 discover the general lack of seriousness in most works=97lectures, = articles,=20 books=97on Orthodox theology and spirituality today; and the message of = even the=20 best lecturers and writers in the "mainstream" of the Orthodox = jurisdictions=20 today seems strangely powerless, without spiritual force. On a more = popular=20 level also, the life of the ordinary Orthodox parish today gives an = impression=20 of spiritual inertia quite similar to that of today's "Orthodox = theologians."=20 Why is this?

The powerlessness of Orthodoxy as it is so widely expressed and lived = today=20 is doubtless itself a product of the poverty, the lack of seriousness, = of=20 contemporary life. Orthodoxy today, with its priests and theologians and = faithful, has become worldly. The young people who come from=20 comfortable homes and either accept or seek (the "native Orthodox" and=20 "converts" being alike in this regard) a religion that is not remote = from the=20 self-satisfied life they have known; the professors and lecturers whose = milieu=20 is the academic world where, notoriously, nothing is accepted as = ultimately=20 serious, a matter of life or death; the very academic atmosphere of=20 self-satisfied worldliness in which almost all ''retreats'' and = "conferences"=20 and "institutes" take place=97all of these factors join together to = produce an=20 artificial, hothouse atmosphere in which, no matter what might be said=20 concerning exalted Orthodox truths or experiences, by the very context = in which=20 it is said and by virtue of the worldly orientation of both speaker and=20 listener, it cannot strike to the depths of the soul and = produce the=20 profound commitment which used to be normal to Orthodox Christians. By = contrast=20 to this hothouse atmosphere, the natural Orthodox education, = the=20 natural transmission of Orthodoxy itself, occurs in what used = to be=20 accepted as the natural Orthodox environment: the monastery, where not = only=20 novices but also pious laymen come to be instructed as much by the = atmosphere of=20 a holy place as by the conversation of a particularly revered elder, the = normal=20 parish, if its priest is of the "old-fashioned" mentality, on fire with=20 Orthodoxy and so desirous for the salvation of his flock that he will = not excuse=20 their sins and worldly habits but is always urging them to a higher = spiritual=20 life; even the theological school, if it is of the old type and not = modelled on=20 the secular universities of the West, where there is opportunity to make = living=20 contact with true Orthodox scholars who actually live their faith and = think=20 according to the "old school" of faith and piety. But all of this=97what = used to=20 be regarded as the normal Orthodox environment=97is now disdained by = Orthodox=20 Christians who are in harmony with the artificial environment of the = modern=20 world, and is no longer even part of the experience of the new = generation. In=20 the Russian emigration, the "theologians" of the new school, who are = eager to be=20 in harmony with intellectual fashion, to quote the latest Roman Catholic = or=20 Protestant scholarship, to adopt the whole "casual" tone of contemporary = life=20 and especially of the academic world=97have been aptly called = "theologians with a=20 cigarette." With equal justification one might call them "theologians = over a=20 wine glass," or advocates of "theology on a full stomach" or = "spirituality with=20 comfort." Their message has no power, because they themselves are = entirely of=20 this world and address worldly people in a worldly atmosphere=97from all = this it=20 is not Orthodox exploits that come, but only idle talk and empty, = pompous=20 phrases.

An accurate reflection of this spirit on a popular level may be seen = in a=20 brief article written by a prominent layman of the Greek Archdiocese in = America=20 and published in the official newspaper of this jurisdiction. Obviously=20 influenced by the ''patristic revival" which hit the Greek Archdiocese = and its=20 seminary some years ago, this layman writes: "The phrase 'to be still' = is a much=20 needed one today. It is actually an important part of our Orthodox = tradition,=20 but the fast world in which we live seems to crowd it out of our = schedule." To=20 find this silence he advocates "making a beginning, even in our homes... = At the=20 table before eating, instead of a rote prayer why not a minute of silent = prayer,=20 and then jointly reciting the 'Our Father'? We could also experiment = with this=20 in our parishes during the services. Nothing need be added or detracted. = At the=20 end of the service merely forego any audible prayer, chanting, singing = or=20 movement, and just stand in silence, each of us praying for God's = presence in=20 our lives. Silence and body discipline are very much part of our = Orthodox=20 tradition. In centuries past it was called in the Eastern Church, the = 'hesychast=20 movement'... To be still. That is a beginning toward the inner renewal = we all=20 need, and should be seeking." (The Orthodox Observer, Sept. 17, = 1975,=20 p. 7.)

The author obviously means well, but like the Orthodox churches = themselves=20 today he is caught in a trap of worldly thinking which makes it = impossible for=20 him to see things in the normal Orthodox way. Needless to say, = if one=20 is going to read the Holy Fathers and undergo a "Patristic revival" only = in=20 order to fit into one's schedule now and then a moment of purely outward = silence=20 (which is obviously filled inwardly with the worldly tone of = one's=20 whole life outside of that moment!) and to inflate it with the exalted = name of=20 hesychasm=97then it is better not to read the Holy Fathers at all, for = this=20 reading will simply lead us to become hypocrites and fakers, no more = able than=20 the Orthodox youth organizations to separate the sacred and the = frivolous. In=20 order to approach the Holy Fathers one must be striving to get out of = this=20 worldly atmosphere, after recognizing it for what it is. A person who is = at home=20 in the atmosphere of today's Orthodox "retreats ..., conferences," and=20 "institutes" cannot he at home in the world of genuine Orthodox = spirituality,=20 which has a totally different "tone" from that which is present in these = typical=20 expressions of "religious" worldliness. We must face squarely a painful = but=20 necessary truth: a person who is seriously reading the Holy = Fathers and=20 who is struggling according to his strength (even if on a very primitive = level)=20 to lead an Orthodox spiritual life=97must be out of step with the times, = must be a=20 stranger to the atmosphere of contemporary "religious" movements and=20 discussions, must be consciously striving to lead a life quite different = from=20 that reflected in almost all "Orthodox" books and periodicals today. All = this,=20 to be sure, is easier said than done; but there are some helps of a = general=20 nature which can aid us in this struggle. To these we shall return after = a brief=20 examination of yet one more pitfall to avoid in our study of the Holy=20 Fathers.

THE THIRD PITFALL:

"ZEAL NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE"(Rom. 10:2)

Given the powerlessness and insipidity of worldly "Orthodoxy" today, = it is=20 not surprising that some, even in the midst of worldly "Orthodox" = organizations,=20 should catch a glimpse of the fire of true Orthodoxy which is contained = in the=20 Divine services and in the Patristic writings, and, holding it as a = standard=20 against those who are satisfied with a worldly religion, should become = zealots=20 of true Orthodox life and faith. In itself, this is praiseworthy; but in = actual=20 practice it is not so easy to escape the nets of worldliness, and all = too often=20 such zealots not only show many signs of the worldliness they desire to = escape,=20 but also are led outside the realm of Orthodox tradition altogether into = something more like a feverish sectarianism.

The most striking example of such "zeal not according to knowledge" = is to be=20 seen in the present-day "charismatic" movement. There is no need here to = describe this movement.[5] Each issue of the "Orthodox charismatic" = magazine,=20 The Logos, makes it ever clearer that those among Orthodox = Christians=20 who have been drawn into this movement have no solid background in the=20 experience of Patristic Christianity, and their apologies are = almost=20 entirely Protestant in language and tone. The Logos, to be = sure, has=20 quoted writings of St. Simeon the New Theologian and St. Seraphim of = Sarov on=20 the acquisition of the Holy Spirit; but the contrast between these true = Orthodox=20 teachings on the Holy Spirit and the Protestant experiences described in = the=20 same magazine is so glaring that it is obvious that there are two = entirely=20 different realities involved: one, the Holy Spirit, Who comes only to = those=20 struggling in the true Orthodox life, but not (in these latter times) in = any=20 spectacular way; and quite another, the ecumenist religious "spirit of = the=20 times," which takes possession precisely of those who give up (or never = knew)=20 the "exclusive" Orthodox way of life and "open" themselves to a new = revelation=20 accessible to all no matter of what sect. One who is carefully studying = the Holy=20 Fathers and applying their teaching to his own life will be able to = detect in=20 such a movement the tell-tale signs of spiritual deception = (prelest),=20 and also will recognize the quite un-Orthodox practices and tone which=20 characterize it.

There is also a quite unspectacular form of "zeal not according to = knowledge"=20 which can be more of a danger to the ordinary serious Orthodox = Christian,=20 because it can lead him astray in his personal spiritual life without = being=20 revealed by any of the more obvious signs of spiritual deception. This = is a=20 danger especially for new converts, for novices in monasteries=97and, in = a word,=20 for everyone whose zealotry is young, largely untested by experience, = and=20 untempered by prudence.

This kind of zeal is the product of the joining together of two basic = attitudes. First, there is the high idealism which is inspired = especially by=20 accounts of desert-dwelling, severe ascetic exploits, exalted spiritual = states.=20 This idealism in itself is good, and it is characteristic of all true = zealotry=20 for spiritual life; but in order to be fruitful it must be tempered by = actual=20 experience of the difficulties of spiritual struggle, and by the = humility born=20 of this struggle if it is genuine. Without this tempering it will lose = contact=20 with the reality of spiritual life and be made fruitless by = following=97to cite=20 again the words of Bishop Ignatius=97"an impossible dream of a perfect = life=20 pictured vividly and alluringly in his imagination." To make this = idealism=20 fruitful one must find out how to follow the counsel of Bishop Ignatius: = "Do not=20 trust your thoughts, opinions, dreams, impulses or inclinations, even = though=20 they offer you or put before you in an attractive guise the most holy = monastic=20 life" (The Arena, ch. 10).

Second, there is joined to this deceptive idealism, especially in our = rationalistic age, an extremely critical attitude applied to = whatever=20 does not measure up to the novice's impossibly high standard. This is = the chief=20 cause of the disillusionment which often strikes converts and novices = after=20 their first burst of enthusiasm for Orthodoxy or monastic life has faded = away.=20 This disillusionment is a sure sign that their approach to spiritual = life and to=20 the reading of the Holy Fathers has been one-sided, with an = over-emphasis on=20 abstract knowledge that puffs one up, and a lack of emphasis or total=20 unawareness of the pain of heart which must accompany spiritual = struggle. This is the case with the novice who discovers that the rule = of=20 fasting in the monastery he has chosen does not measure up to that which = he has=20 read about among the desert Fathers, or that the Typicon of Divine = services is=20 not followed to the letter, or that his spiritual father has human = failings like=20 anyone else and is not actually a "God-bearing Elder"; but this same = novice is=20 the very first one who would collapse in a short while under a rule of = fasting=20 or a Typicon unsuited to our spiritually feeble days, and who finds it=20 impossible to offer the trust to his spiritual-father without which he = cannot be=20 spiritually guided at all. People living in the world can find exact = parallels=20 to this monastic situation in new converts in Orthodox parishes = today.

The Patristic teaching on pain of heart is one of = the most=20 important teachings for our days when "head-knowledge" is so much=20 over-emphasized at the expense of the proper development of emotional = and=20 spiritual life. This will be discussed in the appropriate chapters of = this=20 Patrology. The lack of this essential experience is what above all is=20 responsible for the dilettantism, the triviality, the want of = seriousness in the=20 ordinary study of the Holy Fathers today; without it, one cannot apply = the=20 teachings of the Holy Fathers to one's own life. One may attain to the = very=20 highest level of understanding with the mind the teaching of the Holy = Fathers,=20 may have "at one's fingertips" quotes from the Holy Fathers on every = conceivable=20 subject, may have "spiritual experiences" which seem to be = those=20 described in the Patristic books, may even know perfectly all the = pitfalls into=20 which it is possible to fall in spiritual life=97and still, without pain = of heart,=20 one can be a barren fig tree, a boring "know-it-all" who is always = "correct," or=20 an adept in all the present-day "charismatic" experiences, who does not = know and=20 cannot convey the true spirit of the Holy Fathers.

All that has been said above is by no means a complete catalogue of = the ways=20 not to read or approach the Holy Fathers. It is only a series = of hints=20 as to the many ways in which it is possible to approach the Holy Fathers = wrongly, and therefore derive no benefit or even be harmed from reading = them. It=20 is an attempt to warn the Orthodox Christian that the study of the Holy = Fathers=20 is a serious matter which should not be undertaken lightly, according to = any of=20 the intellectual fashions of our times. But this warning should not = frighten=20 away the serious Orthodox Christian. The reading of the Holy Fathers is, = indeed,=20 an indispensable thing for one who values his salvation and wishes to = work it=20 out with fear and trembling; but one must come to this reading in a = practical=20 way so as to make maximum use of it.

Endnotes=20

Part = I

1. "The Liturgical Theology of Fr. A. Schmemann," in The=20 Orthodox Word, 1970, no. 6, pp. 260-280.

2. A thesis thoroughly refuted by Nadejda Gorodetsky in Saint = Tikhon=20 Zadonsky, Inspirer of Dostoyevsky, SPCK, London, 1951.

3. See Fedotov's introductions to the writings of these Saints in = A=20 Treasury of Russian Spirituality, Sheed & Ward, New = York,=20 1948.

4. A brief life of him in English may be read in The Orthodox = Word,=20 1969, no. 5.

5. From Volume I of Bishop Ignatius' Collected Works in Russian, pp.=20 396-40l.

From The Orthodox Word, Vol. 10, No. 5 = (Sept.-Oct. 1974),=20 pp. 188-195.

Part II

1. From the Optina Edition of the Life and Writings of Elder = Paisius,=20 pp, 265-267.

2. In his collected Letters to Monks, Moscow, 1862, = pp.=20 358-380 (in Russian).

Part III

1. Archimandrite Demetrius Trakatellis, "St. Neilus on Prayer,"=20 Sobornost, 1966, Winter-Spring, page 84.

2. Diakonia, 1974, no. 4, pages 380, 392.

3. Fr. Thomas Hopko, in St. Vladimir's Theological=20 Quarterly, 1969, no. 4, p. 225, 231.

4. St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 1969, no. 3, p. = 164.

5. A detailed description may be read in Orthodoxy and the = Religion=20 of the Future, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1975.

Email Joseph=20 Suaiden