Letters to my Family 1

St. Seraphim’s Fellowship
P.O. Box 351656
Jacksonville, Fl 32235-1656

Dear Inmate:

Letters to my Family

Sometime ago, a long time friend of mine was drawn to the Orthodox Church. He had spent a great deal of time reading and studying the Faith and felt he had found Truth. He came from a bible-believing Christian home, one that loved Jesus and tried to live a faithful Christian life. His family went to church regularly and tried to encourage him in his faith, but they were confused and concerned for his new interest in a church that they considered to be wrong in so many ways. They were afraid he was falling into error and his parents expressed their concern with many phone calls and letters. In these they expressed their concern and tried to encourage him to stick to the bible and not be influenced by the traditions of men. He loved his family and he understood how they felt, but he knew he had found truth and because he loved his family he wanted them to understand why he had embraced the Orthodox Church. These are his letters.

Dear Parents:

After our phone conversation last night, I decided it would be easier to explain why I have become an Orthodox Christian in writing and respond to your questions by letter. In that way, I will have time to think about your questions and organize my thoughts so that my answers will be to the point, and you will have time to consider my answers and ask any further questions that you may have. I have decided to start our correspondence with a discussion about the foundation of our beliefs; that is, what authorities do we recognize as being final authorities on the Truth and why. Then, perhaps in the next letter, I can answer your many specific questions about the doctrines and practices of the Orthodox. Finally, I ought to write to you about the Church itself, who its members are and what the Church teaches about ecumenism.

First, let us discuss the Bible. You look at Eastern Orthodoxy and see many things Orthodox Christians do and believe which are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. You then wonder how we can justify doing and believing these things. This apparent discrepancy exists because the Orthodox accept other authorities as sources of Truth in addition to the Bible. But before I explain about these other authorities, I wish to research this belief in the Bible. When I first began to study Orthodoxy, I was bothered by the question, why should I believe that the Bible is the Word of God? Why should it contain the books that it does? Why not other books, or should all those it includes be there? You see, I discovered that the Christians of the first several centuries had differences of opinion as to which books of Scripture were from God and which were writings of mere men (perhaps holy, wise men, or perhaps false and heretical books, but nevertheless not divinely inspired writings). For example, even in 300 A.D. there were questions about the validity of the books of James, II Peter, II and III John and a definite division about the Apocalypse (the Revelation of John). There was a book called the Gospel according to Peter in existence. There is the letter called the Didache, which is the letter from the first century sent by the Apostles after they met in council at Jerusalem (see Acts 15:1-32). There are letters from Sts. Polycarp and Ignatius, disciples of St. John the Apostle, just as Sts. Mark, Matthew and Luke were disciples of various of the Twelve Apostles and yet those three Gospels were included in the Bible but not the letters of Sts. Polycarp or Ignatius. Yet I have read their writings and do not think they were denied admittance to Holy Scripture because they were strange or because the authorship was doubted; rather they seem very good and holy letters, yet they are not regarded as Scripture. And these are just some of the books and letters which might have been considered Holy Scripture. So who judges which books and letters are human and which divine?

Historically, I can tell you that you read and revere the collection of books known as the Bible as a result of the decisions of church councils which were held to decide this issue (in addition to others). Local councils were held in 58-65? 364, and 419, and the councils of the whole church took place in 691, and 787 A.D. They made their decisions, which together with the Church’s confirmation and emendation became the established Word of God. Much later, when the Protestants rebelled against and separated from the Roman Catholics (1400 A.D. on) they kept most of the doctrine about Scripture even though they discarded many other doctrines. Thus you were taught that these books are the Bible, God’s communication to mankind. This is historically why you believe the Bible to be God’s Word.

So it was these councils which decided with the Church’s approval what constituted Holy Scripture. What criteria did they use? Basically, there were two criteria: (1) who wrote the book (and how certain it was that the alleged authorship was valid), and (2) whether or not the teachings of the book agreed with apostolic tradition (also called Holy Tradition). I do not imagine that you would object to the first criterion. As for the second, in the early Church the canon of Scripture was not completely set; heresies were rampant and the Church was often in turmoil. Some people invented strange new doctrines and terrible heresies and started their own “churches,” seeking to deceive if possible even the elect (Matt. 24:24). These heretics would sometimes write their own pseudo-apostolic books to try to lure the faithful away from the true Church. Therefore, Christians had to judge the correct way to believe and act by the oral as well as by the written teachings of the Apostles as they were passed down from one generation to another. For the Apostles taught that Christians were to obey all that they were taught whether by word or letter (2 Thess 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.)( 1 Cor 11:2 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.)( Phil 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.) Some would argue that these oral traditions were ultimately included in one or more of the writings of the New Testament. If this were so, then why would God leave us these purposeless instructions in Holy Scripture? These three verses would then be totally superfluous. No these verses must refer to teachings of the Apostles given in unrecorded sermons, as well as to lessons taught by their manner of living. It is in accordance with these traditions that the validity of the books was judged.

These were the criteria used. Now what about the method used to determine the contents of the Bible, a council of bishops meeting to judge a doctrinal issue? This is the very method the Apostles taught should be used, and the Bible itself bears witness to this. In Acts 15: 1-32, we are told there was a doctrinal dispute over whether Gentile Christians should have to follow the Jewish rites. The Apostles met and decided they should not and sent a letter to all the Churches informing them of their decision. Thus a doctrinal dispute was judged by a council of the Apostles. “But that council,” you may say, “was composed of Apostles. What entitles bishops to do this? It is historically certain that the Apostles taught that the bishops they set up in each city were to do the work that they themselves had been doing; that is the bishop should preside over the services, appoint elders (presbyters or priests) in each church, consecrate the people chosen to be deacons, and to meet in councils to decide doctrinal or other disputes, etc. Thus when a doctrinal dispute arose, bishops would gather to decide the issue. This is the tradition we have and follow. This is the foundation for believing that councils are an authority Christians must obey. This authority is established by Scripture and attests to the validity of the Scriptures. It is established by God to winnow the wheat from the chaff of new problems, questions and heresies.

However, a council of bishops is not necessarily infallible (although mistakes are very rare). Notice that in Acts, chapter 15, the letter to the church did not state, “This is the truth, the final decision, the immutable law, “ but said that this seemed good to the Holy Spirit and the Apostolic council. By this it can be inferred that the Apostles were offering their decision for the Church’s confirmation and approval, i.e. “It seemed good to us, do you agree?” For if their decision was final, surely the Apostles would have made some statement such as, “The Holy Spirit told us so,” or if any disagree, let him be to you as an unbeliever.” Considering the number of disrupters of the Church at this time, according to St. Paul’s testimony, the Apostles must have made as strong and as powerful a statement as possible. Therefore, their use of the word “seemed” indicates, as the Church professes, that a council is not valid if the Church as a whole rejects it. When approved by a consensus of the Church, a council's decisions become dogma and are to be followed by all Christians. In this way, the Church has held many councils. Some were local councils held to suppress some local heresy or to decide local matters of order and discipline. But several were councils representing the whole Church, the doctrinal decisions of which are recognized by the whole Church as true. This is the basis of the authority of the Church as a whole to judge councils. The official statement of the Church was stated by St. Vincent of Lerins in 450 A.D. (The criteria of truth in such instances are the dogmas and canons of the universal Orthodox Church or, to cite the words of St. Vincent of Lérins († ca. 450), "that which is believed always, that which is believed by everyone, and that which is believed throughout the whole world.”)
Now let us consider the Church’s authority in matters apart from councils. It is one of the consistent teachings of the Bible that the Church is one Body, not a loose organization of free individuals trying to find the truth on their own. The Church is a unity, collaboration, a mutual submission of each member to each other. Thus the Church as a whole, all members functioning together, discerns good from evil by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides the entire Church, not each individual.

If God granted individuals separate revelations, disregarding the level of their spiritual or emotional maturity, He would be giving them opportunity to fall into the sin of pride, the subtlest of sins and the most difficult to discover and purge. Thus, rather than tempt “weaker” Christians, God speaks through the consensus of the entire Church and through certain saints, fathers, and holy men and women. God chooses to speak through these individuals because they are spiritually mature and holy Christians whose life-style bears eloquent testimony to their faith, and again, it is the Church who confirms the truth of their message. For though the gates of hell can prevail against individuals, they cannot prevail against the Church which Christ founded; for He will not allow His Body to fall into error.

If this doctrine about the Church seems strange to you, I offer to you a verse that greatly affected my own conversion to Orthodoxy: The Church, the pillar and foundation of the truth (I Tim 3:15) If the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, then we ought to listen to her and obey her teaching. Christ said to the disciples that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth (John 16:13) In the Greek text, this “you” is plural and so must refer to the Church as a whole, or to the disciples. Either way you interpret it, it leads you to Orthodoxy. If you interpret it to mean the Church, then you follow her teachings which mandate Orthodoxy. If you interpret it to mean the disciples, then you must obey the Scriptural passages I have mentioned in this letter about the Church councils and the traditions, and again you come to Orthodoxy. The Holy Spirit does not lead each Christian individually and separately, for Christians can be deceived, mistaken, or immature; rather, the Holy Spirit makes His will known through the consensus of the Church. For we believe in the infallibility of no man except the God-Man Christ Jesus. Whether pope, sincere Protestant, or holy saint, all are subject to error. But the Holy Spirit will present the Church to her Bridegroom without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27). And if you think that sincerely believed but false doctrines are not really spots or wrinkles, just read what St. Paul says to the Galatians about the error into which they were falling (Gal. 1:6-9; 5:4. 7-10). So the Church as one Body, speaking through the experiences and advice of her holy saints and fathers, guides Christians in their beliefs and actions.

Thus, it is obvious that Scripture testifies to the authority of Holy Tradition, the councils and the Church. These in turn have a very important function to perform in the interpretation of the Scriptures. We all know how differently people have interpreted Scripture and how easily it can be misunderstood or twisted. Therefore, we need apostolic teachings (as St. Paul indicated, see above) to guide us in Scriptural interpretation. How can we rightly discern what Scripture is saying when we ignore the Scripture’s instructions about oral tradition, councils, and the Church? We would be ignoring the very thing we are trying to understand. The Scriptures themselves indicate that their interpretation is not to be a solitary activity; No prophesy is of any private interpretation (II Pet. 1:20). Here St. Peter briefly mentions that each Christian is not supposed to be on his own, having to find the truth individually (which is the Protestant belief). For through the councils and Holy Tradition and through her ancient teachings, the Church holds the Truth collectively in herself, differentiating between the false interpretations and the true; not contradicting Scripture, but confirming it and guiding in it’s interpretation.

If the idea of having the Church or councils establish new rituals, further revelations or more complete interpretations of past teachings seems strange, then realize that God has always given progressive revelations to His people. Of course, God does not change the truth, but He often adds to and clarifies the information already known. For example, Enoch was translated, but God established His chosen people out of Abraham. Abraham was a friend of God, but did not have the later revelation of the law which God gave to Moses. And what Moses knew increased from his first experience at the burning bush through the building of the Ark of the Covenant and the revelation of the Law. Then we have a further revelation of truth through the history of the Israelites. God also gave us the teachings of the Prophets and the Books of Wisdom, not contradicting what went before, but supplementing and enriching it. Then there is the revelation God gave through St. John the Baptist.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of God, and you might think that there need be no further revelation. Surely after Christ’s ascension all the Church needed was teaching on what Jesus said and did and was. But instead, God revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus, following which St. Paul spent years in the desert learning from God (although he did confer with the other apostles later to ensure he had learned correctly). And besides this, there is the testimony in Acts of prophets in the Church (Acts 11:27, 13:1, 15:32, 21:9, also Eph. 4:11 and other Epistles). There is also the verse, If any have a tongue, an interpretation, a revelation, a doctrine, let all be done unto edifying. (1 Cor. 14:26). So you can see from the testimony of Scripture that God continues throughout the ages to reveal His Truth to His people.

I have not covered some of the reasons that the Orthodox Church does and believes many things not specifically mentioned in the Bible. For it was the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, which determined, through what the Holy Tradition taught her, the contents of the Bible in the first place. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the bishops and the Church found that these books, are God’s Word. In turn, however, testifies to the authority of the Church in doctrinal matters.
1 Tim 3:14-15
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

And also testifies to the authority of Holy Tradition; I Cor. 11:2, Phil. 4:9. and II Thess. 2:15. The Scriptures and Tradition teach us about the authority and office of bishops and about the correct method of finding the answer to doctrinal questions not each person having his own opinion, but the bishops of the Church, conferring in council and the Church testifying by the Holy Spirit to the truth or falsehood of the decision. These different authorities; the Bible, Holy Tradition, councils, bishops, and the Church are not opposed to one another. They do not contradict one another or deny each other or get into conflict with each other. Rather, each agrees with the other and supports the other. Actually, these are much more interdependent than I have succeeded in expressing. God established each of them so that they would be interrelated and interdependent, checking and balancing each other, that we might not be deceived by the evil one “who lies in wait to deceive,” but that we might be children of God in whom there is no lie or falsehood. That is all I am going to write about at this time. Please think and pray about what I have said here. You are in my prayers, for I know you need help to understand and deal with these ideas. I pray that God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, by the power of The Holy Spirit, might grant you to find the truth and to walk in His ways.

Much Love as always,
Your son Peter


In Christ’s Mercy,

Brother Seraphim