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Title: The Soul After Death: Contemporary "After-Death" Experiences in the Light of the Orthodox Teaching on the Afterlife by Fr. Seraphim Rose ISBN: 0-938635-14-X Publisher: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Pub. Date: April, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Toll Houses (Custom Houses) Patristically based
Comment: Fr. Seraphim's timely and important book on what the soul can expect to experience after death should be read by all Christians -- Orthodox and otherwise. Since his discussion of 'Toll Houses' generated controversy (principally in American Greek circles), consulting Metropolitan Hierotheos' book, 'Life After Death,' may well serve to extend the discussion of Fr. Seraphim's excellent study. Met. Hierotheos provides important historical information behind what he calls 'Custom Houses.' He points out that the Fathers wanted to use something that the people of their day would readily understand in order to gain some glimpse of the mystery of death. He points out that various Fathers and Saints chose the image of a tax collector because the arrangement between the State, Publicans, and the Publicans' tax collectors was onerous enough on the people that it served as an excellent example (he sites St. Macarius of Egypt in this regard.) Met. Hierotheos' point -- and Fr. Seraphim's as well -- is that the Church teaches that when the soul passes on, it must 'journey through the air' and since as the Gospels note, fallen spirits inhabit the air of this world, the soul will confront them. That this is Patristically based is evident by what many Fathers have said either in their own writings -- St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil, and St. John of the Ladder in his description of the repose of the hermit Stephen. Met. Hierotheos does such an excellent job in assembling sayings from the Fathers, Desert Fathers, and Saints that the idea that Fr. Seraphim's explanation of 'Toll Houses' is an innovation or not Orthodox, is simply incorrect. If one is interested in the Orthodox teaching of life after death, Fr. Seraphim's book is an excellent place to start.
Rating: 4
Summary: An Antidote to New Age Speculation
Comment: It's difficult to place this book within the spectrum of books on life after death. It's even diffcult to place it in the spectrum of religious books. Basically it is a rebuttal of the usual New Age speculation on life after death - the "Great Light", the happy fields, etc., etc.
Having said that, the author was not seeking to explain the life after death phenomenon in terms of mainstream Christianity. Fr. Rose was a convert to Russian Orthodoxy, and his deep commitment to beliefs that many Christians (including some Orthodox) would consider obscurantist, if not downright medieval, may throw off some readers as much as the New Age speculations he seeks to refute. He refers back to the ancient teaching about the "toll houses" that the soul encounters in the first forty days after death, and the spirits of the air that will attempt to ensnare and deceive the soul; in whatever sense that one understands all this, it is a difficult pill to swallow for the average American Christian of Protestant leanings.
Having said that, the teachings that Father Rose draws upon deserve a serious hearing, if for no other reason than that they date back to an extremely remote antiquity in the belief and practice of the Church. The credentials of the original writers upon which he draws show sufficiently that the beliefs expressed are not just pagan holdovers from some obscure corner of the ancient Middle East, but rather were mainstream teaching at one time.
The book shows that there is a another venerable body of teaching on life after death within the Christian tradition that can be frightening, and should give pause to most believing folk.
Rating: 4
Summary: Cure for New Age deception and solidly Orthodox!
Comment: I really liked this book. It made me think a lot about the afterlife and issues like that.
If you read this book with a real Christian interest, you will clearly see that we must be cautious with people who claim NDE (Near Death Experiences). Few people have been blessed with visions of heaven, and they were saints of incredible holiness. Fr. Rose really puts the experiences of Emmanuel Swedenborg, the New Age, and even some "Christian" experiences of near death into their place. At the least, you should really be careful and cautious when anyone proceeds to tell you about "going to see the great light."
Of special interest was his mention that one of the saints said heaven had three main degrees of glory. St. Frances of Rome attested to this also, in saying that the souls in heaven are placed in either the higher, middle, or lower orders of the 9 choirs of angels. St. Gertrude the Great hinted at three special orders for the saints too. But, I'm getting off into a topic that only comprises a couple lines in this book. lol.
Fr. Rose mentioned the Orthodox belief in the "toll-houses." He got a lot of criticism for mentioning that in his book. However, I think it is clear that Holy Orthodoxy has believed, does believe, and should believe in the existence of the toll-houses. He quotes several saints in the book that have had experiences with these "toll-houses."
I also enjoyed his footnote in one of the appendices, which stated that St. Gregory had "baptized the soul of the deceased Roman emperor, Trajan in his tears." I take it that Trajan was in the upper regions of purgatory, and St. Gregory got him to heaven through his prayers. This makes sense, since another saint in the book prayed her brother out of fiery torments. Although I don't know if the term "purgatory" is appropriate since Holy Orthodoxy doesn't believe that anyone's eternal destiny is set until the Last Judgment.
Anyway, yeah this book is great. If you are a Roman Catholic reader (like myself) you will have to ignore some of Fr. Rose's criticisms of the Catholic Church and the charismatic renewal in the book. Despite that, Fr. Rose was an awesome man (memory eternal! +) and truly scored his points writing this book.
Adam
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Title: Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future by Seraphim Father Rose ISBN: 188790400X Publisher: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Pub. Date: December, 1997 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: God's Revelation to the Human Heart by Fr. Seraphim Rose, Damascene ISBN: 0938635034 Publisher: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Pub. Date: 01 February, 1988 List Price(USD): $5.00 |
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Title: The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware ISBN: 0913836583 Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Orthodox Veneration of Mary the Birthgiver of God by St. John Maximovitch, Seraphim Father Rose, John Maximovitch, Abbot Herman, St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood ISBN: 0938635689 Publisher: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Pub. Date: 01 October, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.00 |
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Title: The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware, Kallistos Ware ISBN: 0140146563 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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