December 13, 2024

On the Canons of the Ecumenical Councils - Fr. Seraphim Rose

7 minutes

A few passages from Fr. Seraphim Rose regarding the canons of the Ecumenical Councils. There are other passages from Fr. Seraphim one should find and read (see link below, for example). This collection presents a good overview of his views. The canons are laid down by the fathers of the Ecumenical Councils, are the teachings of the Holy Spirit, and are the responsibility of bishops and priests to apply and enforce. But they are also profitable for laypeople to know, as long as divine discernment is applied. As Fr. Seraphim says, the canons "have their place", but "we must go deeper into our faith" "if we are to remain in the Church in these difficult times."

0:00 Beginning

0:08 Concerning Canons - Letter dated Oct. 18/31, 1972 to Fr. Alexey Young (excerpt)

2:50 We Must Go Deeper - "Orthodox Christians Facing the 1980's" (excerpt)

3:50 Iconoclast and Met. Sergius - Letter Mar. 25/Apr. 7, 1971 to Daniel Olsen (excerpt)

6:44 Advice for a New Convert - Letter Apr. 20/May 3, 1979 to Barry (excerpt)

📖 Fr. Seraphim's unpublished letters:

https://thoughtsintrusive.wordpress.com/letters-of-fr-seraphim-rose-1961-1982/

📖 The Rudder (Pedalion; Collection of Canons with Commentary) by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

https://www.scribd.com/doc/113651636/The-RUDDER-Copyright-Ralph-J-Masterjohn-2006

🎧 Fr. Seraphim Rose - Articles and Teachings (PLAYLIST)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYjDHTp3rJVE7B66juR7bDzI

⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:

https://orthodox-world.org/

https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/

_______

Fr. Seraphim Rose wrote:

The canons were made for man, and not man for the canons. Some canons simply cannot or should not, at certain times or in certain circumstances, be applied with strictness; hence the Church’s “economy.” Also, as a rule, the application of the canons (and their “economy”) is the business of bishops, and they do as much as possible with mutual consultation. How much more, then, should the rest of us refrain from trusting our own judgment with regard to them? Some of them, to be sure, that concern us directly, we must know about and, if possible, being taught by or consulting with others wiser in the faith, must be prepared to defend—for example, the canons regarding common prayer with heretics, the transgressing of which involves a betrayal of the very idea of the Church of Christ. Other canons, such as the permissible age for ordination to diaconate or priesthood, do not involve any such betrayal and are none of our business, and if we were to start making bishops accountable (to ourselves!) for them it would be exactly the same as if the bishops were to start interfering in the home and job life of ordinary parishioners. In general, however, the canons are doubtless too much stressed in polemics, and if we are to remain in the Church in these difficult times it will be primarily because we are faithful to the Spirit of the Church, and not to the canons.

In the testimony of the Catacomb bishops of the late 1920’s one finds again and again that the GPU agents asked them first of all whether they were for or against Sergius, and if they were against, then these agents demonstrated that Sergius had “violated neither dogmas nor canons”! Thus, either the atheist torturers are “defending the Church”—or else there is something dreadfully wrong, and the Church is up against an extremely formidable enemy. As it turns out, however, there are several dogmatic and canonical grounds on which Sergius was wrong; but first of all the Orthodox soul sensed that he was on the wrong side.

_______

Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

...more