Preaching Another Christ

Preaching Another Christ
An Orthodox View of Evangelicalism
A letter by
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Translated by Dr. Dimitri Kagaris
Copyright © 2001, 2011 by Orthodox Witness.
The content of this book may not be physically reproduced,
transmitted electronically, or stored in an electronic storage
system without written permission from the publisher.
Second Edition.
ISBN 978-0-9778970-4-9
Published by Orthodox Witness.
Chicago, Illinois USA.
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Translated from Greek by Dr. Dimitri Kagaris.
Greek edition entitled: jAntimetwvpisi~ JEno;~ AiJretikou`
Published by: JIera; Monh; Paraklhvtou, JWrwpo;~ jAttikh`~
Russian edition entitled: Святителя Феофана Затворника
Против лжесвидетелей (Из писем к разным лицам)
Издание монастыря Параклита
Published by: Оропос Аттикис, Греция
Book design by Anthony Hatzidakis.
Biblical quotations throughout
are from the King James Version.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
so your minds should be corrupted from
the simplicity that is in Christ. For if
he that cometh preacheth another Jesus,
whom we have not preached, or if ye
receive another spirit, which ye have not
received, or another gospel, which ye have
not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
(2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
From the Publisher
Orthodox Witness is pleased to present this, the second edition
of Preaching Another Christ, which succeeds our now exhausted
2001 edition. The book has been updated both inside and out.
On the inside, a number of improvements to the translation have
been made, biblical passages throughout the text are now from the
familiar King James Version, and the text has been outlined with
headings in order to facilitate study. On the outside, the cover has
a new look and the binding is more durable. We trust that you will
find this new edition to be an effective vehicle for communicating
the Saint’s important message.
[ 7 ]
Resurrection of Christ Church, St. Petersburg, Russia
Introduction
by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Dear Reader,
May the Lord be with you.
What you hold in your hands are precious words, written by a
contemporary Father of the Church, St. Theophan the Recluse. The
fact that the author is a Saint and a Father of the Church has the
following important implication: what he expresses in this booklet
is not just his opinion, but it is the distillation of the teachings of
all those who preceded him in the faith. He wrote it under the
inspiration of the same Holy Spirit that inspired the writers of
the New Testament and all the Fathers of the Church. We should
therefore approach his words with the same reverence we show
when we read the holy Scripture: prayerfully, and with our hearts
open to receive the message of salvation and act upon it.
In his letter St. Theophan the Recluse addresses the great and
most serious problem of heresy, that is, the alteration and forgery
of the correct and safe way to salvation. We follow the loving and
wise counsels of this shepherd of souls, addressed to an Orthodox
Christian whose faith has been seriously shaken, having fallen
victim to a heretical preacher. Although this letter was written over
100 years ago, it remains fresh and pertinent even in our own times.
Some of the things mentioned in this letter may sound harsh to
contemporary ears, especially to non-Orthodox Christians, but even
to the Orthodox. Living in a modern, multicultural, free, highly
progressive, and “politically correct’’ society, some readers may
find the language and/or tone used by the Saint as austere, fanatic,
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or simply out of place and time. We surely do not know how the
Saint would have approached the same subject if he were directly
addressing a non-Orthodox person. The evangelical preacher
mentioned in the letter was someone who consciously regarded
the Orthodox as misguided Christians and who took great pains
to make them follow his teachings, which explains the general tone
of the letter. Although this letter was written to guide Orthodox
Christians, we believe that it contains many useful points on
the subject matter of “What is the True Faith” to be reflected
upon by non-Orthodox as well. After all, Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). So we should ask for
divine illumination to understand what is being said, because
without the grace of the Holy Spirit and humility on our part, we
will not derive spiritual benefit.
Our Lord also said some harsh things (This is an hard saying
(John 6:60) ) and as a result those who had no love and humility
went back, and walked no more with him (v. 66). The Apostle Paul
also said: Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you
the truth? (Gal 4:16), and the Apostle Peter wrote about the letters
of the Apostle Paul: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing
ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with
the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness (2 Pet. 3:16-17).
So we must definitely pray for humility and divine illumination to
discern the truth, going beyond what first strikes us as “harsh.”
May we all fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), and may the
God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you (1 Pet. 5:10).
[ 10 ]
A Short Biography
saint theophan the recluse (in the world, George
Govorof) was born on January 10, 1815, in the province of Orlov,
Russia. His father was an Orthodox Christian priest. He grew up
in an ecclesiastical environment which is, he later wrote, the most
beneficial environment for the proper upbringing of children.
He attended the Orlov Seminary from 1831 to 1837 and the
Theological Academy of Kiev from 1837 to 1841. While in Kiev,
he visited the Lavra Monastery and the monastic caves around it,
which constitute the glorious cradle of Russian monasticism. He
was attracted by the monastic life and was tonsured a monk a few
months before the end of his studies. In the same year (1841), he was
ordained a deacon, and a short time later, a priest. After finishing
his studies at the Academy, he taught philosophy, psychology, ethics,
logic, and Latin in several schools. In 1847, he visited Mount Athos
and studied Greek Orthodox Monasticism for seven years. In 1857,
he became dean of the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg. In
1859, he was ordained a bishop of the province of Tambov, and later
was assigned to the province of Vladimir. In 1866, after twentyfive years of fruitful service to the Church, he retreated to a poor
monastery cell in the Vishensk desert where he lived the remaining
twenty-eight years of his life. The following is from his farewell
address to his flock:
Do not misunderstand my parting from you. The love I have for
you would not let me go, were it not for an irresistible longing for
a loftier life… I will always pray that the Lord grant you every
good, keep you from all calamity, and secure your salvation…
You have learned the path and all the means that lead to salvation.
It is therefore sufficient to remind you of the advice given by the
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Apostle Paul to Timothy: Keep what you have received. Guard
against false teachers. Stay away from all those who do not agree
with what the Church teaches, no matter what position or titles
they may have… Correct faith attracts Divine Grace. With its help,
the pure in heart see God even in this life and have a foretaste of
the blessedness to come.
St. Theophan was a prolific writer. A comment by Leo Tolstoi’s
sister is in fact indicative: “Two of our contemporaries wrote much:
my brother Leo and bishop Theophan. The difference being that
the former wrote unto perdition of souls, whereas the latter unto
salvation.”
St. Theophan’s works are divided into ethics, hermeneutics, and
translations. He translated the famous text of the Philokalia from
Greek into Russian. In addition, thousands of letters on various
issues came to his cell from all over Russia, and he tried to reply
to all of them. His cell became a beacon of Orthodox spirituality.
Though the fervent sermons of the brilliant bishop had ceased, his
letters and writings flooded the vast Russian land.
He fell asleep in the Lord in 1894. One century later, the Holy
Synod of the Church of Russia formally proclaimed his sainthood.
[ 12 ]
Saint Theophan the Recluse
(†1894)
Saint Theophan
“Preaching Another Christ”
A letter by Saint Theophan the Recluse
ith great pleasure i undertake to reply to
your important letter or, better, to discuss with
you what you mention in it. Before the arrival of
your letter, something had already caught my attention,
but I did not give it due consideration at that time.
Now, however, I see that a fire is starting up in your area
and I hasten to write to you whatever God enlightens me.
You write: “A preacher of the faith showed up in our area.
He looks very kind, visits the homes of the rich and poor
alike, reads from the Gospel, preaches faith in Christ, and
urges everyone to repent. A poor bookbinder lives near my
home. The preacher uses his house as a meeting place and
gathers quite a few people. I also have been there twice so
far. It is reported that this preacher visits other places too,
and that his audience is quite large.”
Let us stop right at this point. It is quite obvious here
that this new preacher of the faith is not a preacher of the
Church. How can he go about preaching faith in Christ
without having been first appointed a preacher by the
Church? This is unheard of! You should have thought that
something suspicious is going on and have been on your
guard. Did you act so? Did you use any discernment to
[ 15 ]
examine whether what you heard is correct or beneficial?
This is what you should have done in the first place.
You go on to say that he teaches faith in Christ and
speaks constantly from the Gospels. This is exactly what
should have made you cautious all the more. Why does he
preach faith in Christ to you? Are you perhaps a Tartar or a
Mongol? You have believed in Christ since your childhood
and you have always lived within the bosom of the Holy
Orthodox Church, following the example of all the Saints
who have been glorified by God. So, when he started
preaching faith in Christ to you, who already believe, you
should have thought that perhaps his faith is different from
yours, that is, from the faith of our Church.
When he began exhorting you to believe in Christ, you
should have asked him: “Why are you saying this to us?
Are we perhaps unbaptized pagans?” However, none of
you protested. In fact, by telling you to believe in Christ, he
equated you with pagans. And you passively accepted that,
as if you really were pagans.
If, as it may actually turn out, he preaches a different
faith and you keep listening to him, then you deny your
former faith and condemn our holy Church, along with all
those who have found salvation in her bosom. That is your
second mistake—bigger than the first!
While you were living in peace and quiet, taking care
of the things of your salvation, someone came up and
started preaching to you: “You know something? Christ
died for our salvation. Believe in Him, repent, and you will
be saved.” And you, as though you just heard something
astounding, associate closely with him and are ready to
abandon your Church, your shepherds, and everything you
previously considered a means of sanctification.
This is very strange indeed! Are you not baptized and
striving for your salvation in the name of Jesus Christ?
Are you not receiving remission of your sins through the
Holy Mystery of Confession? Are you not receiving the
most pure Body and precious Blood of the Lord in Holy
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