Finally, one cannot pass over in silence Fr. Tarasy’s views on the number of the Mysteries of the Orthodox Church.
[See:
https://www.pravmir.com/the-false-teaching-about-the-seven-sacraments/]
He overturns the
teaching concerning the seven Mysteries for the reason that it is allegedly, by
its origin, a [Roman] Catholic teaching. “The striving for completeness and
definiteness,” says Fr. Tarasy, “forced Western theologians to treat the
external Christian sacred rites with unequal attention, to select from them the
most important ones and to single them out from the series of the others on the
basis of their special importance.” [842] According to Fr. Tarasy, this
Catholic and scholastic teaching about the seven Mysteries was transferred by
the Kiev theologians into the Russian Church in the 17th century. Moreover, the
Russian people accepted this teaching without protest, thanks to their
simplicity of heart. [843]
With regard to this
view of Fr. Tarasy, we must first of all say that the Orthodox Church contains
within itself the teaching concerning the seven Mysteries not for the reason
indicated by him, but because this teaching has as its foundation Divine Revelation
and the patristic writings. Long before the appearance of Catholicism, the Holy
Church possessed a great multitude of testimonies of Holy Scripture and the
holy Fathers, by virtue of which it established from the very apostolic times
precisely seven, neither more nor fewer, Mysteries for the communication
through them of the salvific grace of the Holy Spirit to the faithful. We will
not set forth the incontrovertible truth of the sevenfold number of the
Mysteries and adduce testimonies of Holy Scripture and the holy Fathers to
prove the existence of seven Mysteries in the Church from the very apostolic
times. All this has already been done excellently, clarified in detail, and set
forth in the dogmatic systems of Archbishop Philaret, [844] Metropolitan Makary,
[845] and Bishop Silvester. [846]
In the given
dogmatic works, on the basis of God-revealed and patristic testimonies, it is
indicated that the seven Mysteries were founded by the Apostles. In these
testimonies we even have an indication that the founder of these Mysteries was
the Lord Himself—either through the imparting of Divine teaching, which became
the basis for the introduction into ecclesiastical life by the Apostles of
chrismation, [847] repentance, [848] and marriage; [849] or through the
granting to them of a direct command concerning the establishment of the
Mysteries of baptism [850] and communion; [851] or, finally, through the
command in general to observe all that He had commanded them. [852] To the
fulfillment of this general Divine command one must undoubtedly ascribe the
establishment by the Apostles of the Mysteries of priesthood and anointing with
oil, although with regard to the latter there is even a direct fore-indication
in the words of the Savior. [853]
In general, much of
what was done by Christ did not enter into the Gospel, as the Evangelist John
notes. [854] But everything that the Apostles performed proceeded from their
Divine Teacher. All the more must this be said with regard to their God-revealed
testimonies in general and, in particular, with regard to the establishment by
God of the Mysteries of anointing with oil and priesthood, as well as of the
other five Mysteries.
In the Dogmatic
Theology of M. Makary, we even find a clarification of the question of why
there exist in the Church precisely seven Mysteries, and neither more nor
fewer. According to our renowned dogmatist, the reason for this is hidden in
the will of the Founder of the Mysteries, the Lord Jesus Christ. “We can only,”
says M. Makary, “following others, find here a correspondence with the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2–3), communicated to the faithful through
the seven Mysteries of the Church; with the seven loaves that miraculously fed
whole thousands of people (Matt. 15:36–38); with the seven golden lampstands,
in the midst of which the seer of mysteries was deemed worthy to behold the Son
of Man (Rev. 1:12–13); with the seven stars which the Lord Jesus then held in
His right hand (Rev. 1:16); with the seven seals by which the book seen
thereafter by the Prophet in the right hand of God was sealed (Rev. 5:1); with
the seven trumpets which, upon the opening of the mysterious book, were given to
the seven angels standing before God (Rev. 8:1–2), and so forth.” [855]
In addition to what
has been said by M. Makary in clarifying the question of why seven Mysteries
have been established in the Church, one should recall the words of the Optina
elder, great in grace-filled gifts, hieroschemamonk Fr. Ambrose, spoken by him
in the explanation of a certain wondrous dream concerning the final destinies
of the world. From this explanation it is evident that the number seven has
great significance in ecclesiastical enumeration. It denotes fullness and
perfection. Therefore, Fr. Ambrose, illumined by the Holy Spirit, in his
explanation of this significant dream, says: “The Orthodox Church is maintained
and guided by the rules of the seven Ecumenical Councils. There are seven
Mysteries and seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in our Church. The Revelation of
God was manifested to the seven Churches of Asia. The book of the destinies of
God, seen in the Revelation by John the Theologian, is sealed with seven seals.
There are seven bowls of the wrath of God poured out upon the impious. All this
sevenfold enumeration pertains to the present age and with its end must also
come to an end. The age to come, however, in the Church is designated by the
eighth number. The sixth psalm has the following superscription: A Psalm of
David unto the end, in songs concerning the eighth—according to the
interpretation, concerning the eighth day, that is, concerning the universal
day of the resurrection and the coming fearful judgment of God... The week of
Antipascha, or of St. Thomas, in the Triodion of Flowers is called the week of
the eighth, that is, of the eternal and unending day, which will no longer be
interrupted by the darkness of night.” [856]
Thus, bearing in
mind the significance which M. Makary and the elder Fr. Ambrose ascribe to the
number seven, we may say that the Holy Church established seven Mysteries
because in precisely this number they embrace the entire fullness of our
Christian life and correspond to all its needs.
It is also
necessary to note that Fr. Tarasy overturns the teaching concerning the
sevenfold number of the Mysteries not only because it is allegedly established
by Catholics and scholastics. As we have seen, he also rises up against this
number on account of what he considers an inadmissible singling out of seven
Mysteries as the most important from among all other sacred rites, which Fr.
Tarasy also calls Mysteries. He declares that Mysteries should be called not
only those known to us as seven in number, but also the events in the life of
the Lord, Christian doctrine, the feasts of the Nativity and Baptism, and
tonsure into monasticism. [857] Having in view the assertion in the catechism
of Lavrenty Zizany that the Mysteries are only seven, Fr. Tarasy writes that
this number “was indicated by the scholastics arbitrarily and artificially;
that discussions about the greater or lesser necessity for salvation of one or
another Mystery are senseless, since salvation is accomplished not by separate
sacred rites, even the most important ones, but by union with the whole of
ecclesiastical life, in which there is nothing of little importance; that
certain sacred rites, for example, the great blessing of water, tonsure into
monasticism, and the burial service for the departed, have a power and
significance no less than the majority of the Mysteries.” [858]
Of course, the word
Mystery is used not only with reference to the seven Mysteries, but also
in a broader sense. One may call a Mystery even tonsure into monasticism,
which, as the lives of St. Anthony the Great and the venerable John and Simeon
the Fool-for-Christ testify, [859] may even be called a second baptism, since
through tonsure the Lord forgives all sins committed from birth. One may also
call a Mystery every rite and prayer in the Church, since here our faith in
God’s help is expressed, which is communicated to us by God invisibly and
mystically. But in the proper sense, only seven are recognized by the Church as
Mysteries. Thus believes the Holy Church, which in its full entirety contains
within itself grace and truth. And thus we, her members, must believe in
humility, so as not to fall, through divergence from the Church, into pride,
not to depart from her and not to perish forever. Therefore, it is not we who
fall into senselessness by recognizing only seven Mysteries and thereby
singling them out as the most necessary for salvation in comparison with other
sacred rites. In this preference for the seven Mysteries we manifest only our
faith in the infallibility of the Church’s teaching concerning the God-revealed
origin of the seven Mysteries, whereas Fr. Tarasy undermines this faith. It is
clear from this who falls into senselessness: those who recognize the seven
Mysteries on the basis of God-revealed and patristic teaching, or Fr. Tarasy,
who overturns the sevenfold number of the Mysteries contrary to the teaching of
Holy Scripture and the holy Fathers of the Church, and thus diminishes the
salvific significance of these Mysteries?!
Fr. Tarasy lowers
these Mysteries still further and even completely devalues them by his
assertion that salvation is accomplished not by separate sacred rites, even the
most important ones—by which he understands the principal Mysteries—but by
union with the whole of ecclesiastical life.
Here a genuinely
sectarian view of salvation is expressed. Together with the Holy Church we
confess that salvation is accomplished by the inner, regenerating grace of the
Holy Spirit, which is granted to us in the Mysteries of baptism and
chrismation. Together with the Holy Church we testify that this grace is
unfolded within us with the cooperation of our free will, that is, through our
striving always to be in union with Christ and the Orthodox Church by means of
the fulfillment of the Divine commandments and our zealous participation in the
prayers, divine services, and Mysteries of the Church. The realization of this
union is impossible without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit. This
grace-filled union of ours with the Holy Church is precisely ecclesiastical
life, by virtue of which our salvation is accomplished. Thus, the principal
power and foundation in this union, or in our salvation, is the inner,
regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit.
One may ask: how,
then, can our salvation be accomplished, and what will our union with
ecclesiastical life represent, if it proceeds without the Mysteries, that is,
without grace, and especially without the grace of holy baptism, chrismation,
repentance, and communion? To say that “salvation is accomplished not by
separate sacred rites, even the most important of them, but by our union with
the whole of ecclesiastical life” means not to have an Orthodox understanding
of salvation, not to know the essence of Christianity, which consists in our
reception and the unfolding within us of the grace of holy baptism and
chrismation—what was the purpose of the sufferings and death of Christ, [860]
and what, according to the teaching of St. Symeon the New Theologian and St.
Seraphim of Sarov, is also the purpose of our entire Christian life.
Therefore, the view
of Fr. Tarasy on the sevenfold number of our Mysteries and on the
accomplishment of salvation apart from these Mysteries with their inner,
regenerating grace must be acknowledged as heretical and absurd.
NOTES
842. “A Turning Point in Ancient Russian Theology,”
pp. 175–176.
843. Ibid., pp. 176–177.
844. Archbishop Philaret. Dogmatic Theology,
part 2, pp. 201–354. Chernigov, 1864.
845. Metropolitan Makarii. Dogmatic Theology,
vol. 2, pp. 313–518. St. Petersburg, 1883.
846. Bishop Silvester. Dogmatic Theology, vol.
4, pp. 353–583; vol. 5, pp. 1–63. Kiev, 1897.
847. John 7:37–39.
848. John 20:21–23.
849. Matthew 19:3–12.
850. Matthew 28:19.
851. Matthew 26:26–28.
852. Matthew 28:20.
853. Matthew 10:1, 8; cf. Mark 6:13.
854. John 20:30; 21:25.
855 M. Makarii. Dogmatic Theology, part 2, p.
512.
856. Archimandrite Agapit. “The Life of the Optina
Elder Hieroschemamonk Ambrose.” Appendix 6–11. Moscow, 1900; cf.: the works of
St. Gregory the Theologian, vol. 1, pp. 576–578.
857. “A Turning Point in Ancient Russian Theology,” p.
179.
858. Ibid., p. 181.
859. Chetii-Minei, January 17 and July 23.
860. John 16:7.
Russian source: Искажение православной истины в
русской богословской мысли [The Distortion of Orthodox Truth in
Russian Theological Thought], by Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev), Sofia, 1943.
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