Book by Father Seraphim Rose
The Soul After Death: An Orthodox Christian Exposition
The Soul After Death, serves to elucidate present-day after-death experiences within the framework of Orthodox Christian doctrine and to present the fundamental sources that contain this teaching.
The book addresses a neglect of these traditional texts in modern times, aiming to make them accessible and understandable to contemporary readers. It is asserted as the consistent teaching of the Orthodox Church, handed down from its inception, expressed in patristic writings, the lives of saints, and divine services.
The work draws inspiration from 19th-century Russian Orthodox figures such as Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov and Bishop Theophan the Recluse, and extensively uses the words of Archbishop John Maximovitch for its conclusions. The book also engages with contemporary non-Orthodox after-death literature and certain occult texts, following Bishop Ignatius's example of presenting false teachings to expose their erroneous nature and confirm Orthodox truths.
The Orthodox Christian Doctrine of Life After Death
The Orthodox understanding of the soul's fate after death begins at the very moment of bodily demise, drawing from Holy Scripture, patristic writings, and the lives of saints.
Separation of Soul and Body
Upon death, the soul separates from the body but remains conscious and aware. It exists entirely separate from the physical form, often observing its own body and surrounding events without losing consciousness. This state is described as one of painless warmth and ease, with thought processes becoming quicker than in the bodily state.
The soul is initially unable to affect its environment, leading to a feeling of loneliness and isolation. This experience is what Christians know as the separation of the soul from the body. The mental faculties of the soul are described as becoming quicker after death, indicating that it is the soul, not merely the physical organs, that performs actions such as seeing and thinking.
Angelic and Demonic Encounters
Immediately after death, the soul finds itself among spirits, both good and evil. It tends to gravitate towards those spirits with whom it has a greater affinity, based on its spiritual inclination during earthly life.
Angels
Angels are consistently depicted in Orthodox Christian experience as appearing in forms of dazzling men arrayed in white. Their manifestations are definite in appearance and function.
They are limited by time and space and are described as performing actions in material ways, with some fathers referring to their aerial bodies. Angels act solely to execute God's will and commandments.
The soul of the deceased is often met by two angels, with their mission being to guide the soul on its journey into the afterlife.
Demons
Fallen angels, or Demons, are described as inhabiting the air between heaven and earth. They are also limited by time and space but possess abilities far surpassing human perception and speed.
Demons' primary function is to tempt, frighten, and drag men into perdition. While they can appear in their own hideous forms, they frequently assume various guises, including those of bright angels, to deceive. Their activities often involve producing illusions and performing seemingly miraculous acts.
The Aerial Realm and Toll-Houses
The space between heaven and earth, the entire expanse of the air visible to humanity, serves as the dwelling for fallen angels. This realm is where newly departed souls encounter them. The Holy Apostle Paul refers to fallen angels as "spirits of wickedness under the heavens" and their chief as "the prince of powers of the air".
As a Christian soul leaves its earthly dwelling and strives through the aerial spaces towards heaven, demons attempt to impede its progress. They strive to find a kinship with themselves and their sinfulness, seeking to drag the soul down to hell. This is done by a right they are believed to have acquired.
For the testing of souls as they traverse the air, separate judgment places and guards have been established by dark powers. These layers in the air, from earth to heaven, are guarded by legions of fallen spirits, each division responsible for a specific form of sin, which they use to test the soul. These aerial demonic guards and judgment places are termed toll-houses, and the spirits serving them are called tax collectors.
The understanding of toll-houses is presented as a spiritual rather than crude or sensuous concept, with specific details often being symbolic or metaphorical. However, the reality of the testing by demons is affirmed: they appear in frightful but human forms, accuse the departed soul of sins, and physically attempt to seize the soul's subtle body, which is firmly held by angels.
Many holy fathers, including Saint Athanasius the Great]], Saint Macarius the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, and Saint Cyril of Alexandria, teach concerning the toll-houses, asserting that Christians must battle these spirits. The Orthodox Church's divine services also contain numerous references to the toll-houses, emphasising the need for prayers to be delivered from them.
Particular Judgment
The passage through the aerial toll-houses constitutes a part of the particular judgment, which determines the soul's fate until the Last Judgment.
Souls convicted of unrepented sins are cast down by fallen spirits into hell. Those who successfully pass these trials, guided by angels, ascend into heaven. The external sentence of God is aligned with the inward disposition the soul developed towards God and spiritual beings during life.
First Two Days:
The soul generally enjoys relative freedom and may visit places on Earth that were dear to it. This period allows the soul to roam and, if virtuous, visit places of good deeds. This period is a general rule, with saints often not being attached to earthly things and beginning their ascent immediately.
Third Day:
The soul passes through the toll-houses. It is a fearful day, specifically needing prayers for the deceased. After successfully passing through the toll-houses and bowing before God, the soul, for the next 37 days, visits heavenly habitations and abysses of hell.
Fortieth Day:
The soul's place is appointed until the resurrection of the dead. This period involves being shown the beauties of paradise and the torments of hell before its assignment. These numbers represent a general rule or model, not rigid dogmatic requirements.
The State of Souls Until the Last Judgment
After the 40 days, some souls experience a foretaste of eternal joy and blessedness, while others live in fear of eternal tortures, which will fully commence after the Last Judgment.
Changes are still possible in the condition of souls during this period, particularly through the offering of the bloodless sacrifice (commemoration at the liturgy) and other prayers. The Church's prayers, both public and private, for the dead, are considered beneficial, potentially alleviating their lot and even changing their state.
Heaven and Hell:
Heaven and hell are actual places, not merely states. They are spiritual, not material realities, and exist beyond the coordinates of our conventional space-time system.
Heaven is unequivocally "up" from any point on Earth, and hell is "down" in the Earth's depths. However, these locations are not perceivable by human senses until spiritual eyes are opened.
Heaven:
True Christian experiences of heaven are characterised by an ascent, being conducted by angels, and joining the company of heavenly inhabitants, including martyrs and holy men. They involve dazzling light, the invisible presence of the Lord, and a tangible sense of divine grace, often perceived as an indescribable fragrance. These experiences also invoke a sense of awe, fear, and unworthiness before God.
Hell:
Visions of hell are common in Orthodox literature and often occur to ordinary sinners. They are granted to awaken individuals to the reality of eternal punishments and to inspire a life of Christian struggle. Hell is described as a place of profound suffering, darkness, and inconsolable torment, where the worm that never sleeps and the gnashing of teeth are present. There is no repentance in hell.
Critique of Contemporary and Occult Experiences
Contemporary after-death and out-of-body experiences, while seemingly real, are distinctly different from genuine Christian encounters with the other world.
Nature of Contemporary Experiences
These experiences are primarily out-of-body experiences (OBEs), which are considered an "antichamber" to actual death or "astral travelling".
They occur in an invisible realm close to Earth, variably termed the Bardo Plane, "world of spirits," or "astral plane". This realm is identified as the aerial world of the under-heaven where fallen spirits operate. It is not the ultimate "other world" of heaven or hell, but a region one must traverse to reach them.
Pleasantness and Light
The peace and pleasantness commonly reported in ADEs/OBEs are considered natural to the soul when separated from the body, which is a state more akin to its intended nature.
However, deception enters when these natural feelings are interpreted as spiritual, like the true peace of reconciliation with God or the spiritual pleasure of heaven. The being of light often encountered is deemed a probable demonic masquerade, as true angels are more definite in form and function.
Lack of Judgment and Hell
Many contemporary experiences contradict the Christian teaching of judgment and hell, with individuals reporting no judgment or even humour from the "being of light". This is attributed to a lack of seriousness regarding life and death in the Western world and a desire to deny hell.
Superficiality
These experiences are characterised as superficial and sensuous, lacking the spiritual depth of true Christian visions. They frequently include imagery easily supplied by human imagination, often intertwined with occult philosophies.
The Peril of Occultism and Its Influence
The book identifies a pervasive connection between contemporary ADEs/OBEs and occult ideas and practices.
Occultism is defined as any contact with unseen spirits and powers in ways forbidden by God's revelation. Many researchers in ADEs/OBEs are noted for their reliance on occult texts (e.g. The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Emanuel Swedenborg's writings) or for their direct involvement in occult experimentation.
Spirit Guides and Demonic Deception
Figures like Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, despite her humanitarian efforts, are engaging in contacts with "spirit guides" that are identified as fallen spirits of the aerial realm. These entities are described as capable of convincing deceptions, such as imitating handwriting or providing persuasive advice, to lead individuals away from Christian Truth.
New Age Philosophy
The philosophy accompanying these experiences often aligns with New Age ideas: death as a harmless transition to a higher state of consciousness, unlimited growth and self-realisation rather than eternal salvation, and a rejection of judgment and hell. This teaching is devised by Demons to overturn traditional Christian doctrine.
Reincarnation
The concept of reincarnation, popular in modern Western culture, is firmly rejected as fundamentally un-Christian. It is critiqued for failing to provide true justice for suffering and for contradicting key Christian dogmas:
- Resurrection of the Body: Christ's resurrection in His physical body serves as the pattern for all humanity's bodily resurrection and reunion with the soul for eternity, contradicting the idea of multiple bodies for one soul.
- Redemption by Jesus Christ: Salvation through Christ's sacrifice on the cross provides forgiveness for Sins, making the concept of repeated incarnations to "work out karma" unnecessary and abrogating the "cold and dreary legalism of pagan religions".
- Single Judgment: Human life is a definitive period of trial, after which there is one judgment, with no second chances. Claims of past-life remembrance, often facilitated by regressive hypnosis, are largely dismissed as products of imagination, suggestion, or demonic influence, as demons are capable of providing convincing but deceptive information.
The Christian Attitude Towards Death
The Orthodox Christian attitude towards death is one of sober realism, encompassing both fear and a hopeful anticipation of eternal life, grounded in repentance and spiritual struggle.
Fear and Humility
True Christians approach death with a sober humility about their own salvation, acknowledging that human effort alone is insufficient and that God's judgment is distinct from human perceptions of worthiness.
Even great saints, despite their spiritual achievements, expressed deep humility and a continued need for repentance at the hour of death. This contrasts with the fearlessness promoted by occultists and some non-Orthodox Christians, which is seen as stemming from a lack of awareness of what truly awaits in the afterlife and a misguided certainty of salvation.
Repentance and Spiritual Struggle
Life on Earth is viewed as a preparation for the future, with death marking the end of the time for spiritual struggles and the beginning of recompense.
Continuous repentance, cleansing of sins, and engagement in spiritual warfare are paramount. The encounters with demons at the toll-houses after death serve as a final manifestation of the unseen warfare that each Christian must wage throughout their life. Therefore, the teaching of the toll-houses is given to inspire present struggle against demons.
Prayer for the Dead
Prayer for the dead is an integral and ancient practice in the Orthodox Church, rooted in apostolic tradition.
It is considered highly beneficial, particularly the commemoration at the Divine Liturgy, which is seen as more powerful than even the prayers of saints. The Church's prayers for the departed are believed to alleviate their lot and, in some cases, even change their state, delivering them from confinement in hell.
This practice, especially crucial during the 40 days after death, is a tangible expression of love for the deceased and is supported by numerous accounts in the lives of saints. The efficacy of such prayers is seen as a synergy of God's will and our prayers.
Significance for Modern Times
The increasing prevalence of after-death experiences and occult phenomena in contemporary society is a significant sign of the times and of the world's approaching end. This heightened receptivity to another world is attributed to both the waning of Materialistic Humanism and a general search for religious experience.
The book posits that while these experiences offer hints of an afterlife, they are frequently misinterpreted due to a widespread loss of Christian discernment.
Many interpretations lead to subtle deception and false teaching, serving as a preparation for the coming reign of Antichrist. The departure of Western Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) from traditional Orthodox doctrine and spiritual practice is identified as a key factor in this lack of discernment, making them susceptible to accepting occult explanations.
The work concludes by emphasising the necessity of preserving the authentic Orthodox tradition and piety towards the other world and criticises modernist Orthodox theologians who dismiss traditional teachings like the toll-houses as myths or fables, attributing such views to western rationalism and a disregard for traditional Orthodox piety.
The severe and sober demands of the true Orthodox teaching on life after death are essential for spiritual struggle and preparedness for the Heavenly Kingdom, contrasting with contemporary tendencies towards comfort and self-centered spiritual ideas.