Zealots of Orthodoxy:

We live in a time when there certainly are diverse currents in the Church. We hear of “ecumenists” and “traditionalist”; we also hear the terms “conservative” and “liberal”.  We hear of those who are zealous for Orthodoxy and those who are modern and worldly.  We do need “to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”(Jude 1:3), but wisely, discreetly, as the Apostle Paul instructs: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)

Zeal for our Orthodox Faith is good but with every good we try to accomplish there are always temptations and erroneous tangents.  And evil often attaches itself to good like a parasite.  So discretion is needed, as the Apostle Paul warns elsewhere, “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (ICor. 10:12)  Having thus introduced my subject I will go on to write something of a warning, referring primarily to writings of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov.  This is meant to be a warning and not meant to be a judgment.  I myself have similarly erred and so I can make bold to warn others. 

St. Ignatius in his book, The Arena, he has a chapter called, “Concerning Animal and Spiritual Zeal”.  So here he writes:

“A monk must be extremely cautious of carnal and animal zeal, which outwardly appears pious but in reality is foolish and harmful to the soul.

“Worldly people and many living the monastic life, through ignorance and inexperience, often praise such zeal without understanding that it springs from conceit and pride. They extol this zeal as zeal for the faith, for piety, for the Church, for God.  It consists in a more or less harsh condemnation and criticism of one’s neighbours in their moral faults and faults against the good order in the church and in the performance of the church services.  Deceived by a wrong conception of zeal, these impudent zealots think by yielding themselves to it they are imitating the holy fathers and holy martyrs, forgetting that they—the zealots—are not saints but sinners.

“If the saints accused or convicted those who were living in sin or irreligion, they did so at the command of God, as their duty, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not at the instigation of their passions.”¹

The Lord said, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Mat. 7:20).  Over the years what I have heard again and again in reference to zealots of Orthodoxy is that although they uphold proper doctrine and are strict with ascetic exercises of the Church they seem to teach their followers to be proud and to judge.  This is what we all need to be careful of.  The Elder John of Valaamo² in a letter once quoted an early desert father who said, “Sin and grace abide in a man at the same time, many who have not understood this have fallen.”  

Now going back to St. Ignatius.  In continuing from the above, after he quotes our Lord’s words, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the log that is in thine own eye? etc….” (Mat. 7:3) He goes on to comment:

“What is a log in this connection? It is the earthly wisdom or carnal outlook, hard as a log which deprives the heart and mind of all capacity for true vision, so that one is quite unable to judge either one’s own inner state or the state of one’s neighbours….

“A Christian after being healed by the word of God and the spirit of God, gains a true view of his spiritual state and that of his neighbours.”³

But how is one to acquire such healing as St. Ignatius mentions?  In commenting about a 19^th century Russia author, Nikolas Gogol, he tells us the following:

“It is evident that this man has turned to God with a fervent heart. For religion, however. This is not enough. If it is to become a true light for the individual per se and if it is to issue genuine light from him to his neighbor, it requires definitiveness [or preciseness, or to be kept within certain boundaries]. This definitiveness consists in precise cognition of truth, in separation of it from all that is false, from all that only seems true. The Saviour Himself said this: ‘The truth shall set you free’ (Jn. 8: 32). Elsewhere in the Holy Scripture it is written: ‘Thy word is truth’ (Jn. 17: 17). For this reason anyone who wishes to acquire definitiveness studies the Gospel thoroughly and directs his thoughts and emotions in keeping with the Lord’s teaching. Then he can define in himself correct and beneficial thoughts and emotions. Then a person enters into purity, as the Lord after the Last Supper told His disciples, who had already become educated with the teaching of truth: ‘Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you’ (Jn. 15:3). However, purity alone is insufficient for a person: he needs revitalization, inspiration. Thus, for a lamp to give light it is not enough to wash the glass; the candle inside it has to be lit as well. The Lord did likewise with His disciples. Having cleansed them with truth, He brought them to life with His Spirit, and they became light for men. Before they received the Holy Spirit they were incapable of teaching humanity, even though they were pure. This course must be effected with the Christian in actuality, and not nominally: first enlightenment with truth, then enlightenment with the Spirit. Admittedly, a person has in-born inspiration which is more or less developed and proceeds from the actions of the emotions of the heart. Truth negates this inspiration as confused and destroys it so that when the Spirit comes He may resurrect it in a renewed state. If, however, he is guided by his inspiration before he is cleansed with the truth, he will radiate from himself to others a confused and deceptive light instead of a pure one because there lies in his heart not simple good but good mixed more or less with evil. Let everyone look at himself and check my words with the experience of his heart: they are very precise and just, based as they are on nature itself.”⁴

His words certainly are fearful.  In writing anything at all one should fear bringing harm to others.  What can we do?  Be humble as possible and pray: “Let Thy good Spirit lead me on a level path” (Psa. 142:10).  Amen.

1. The Arena, Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY 1991, trans. Archimandrite Lazarus Moore, p. 140   
2. His letters are published in the book, Christ is in our Midst, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press
3. The Arena, p. 141
4. This excerpt is taken from The Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, Volume 6, 1988 with very minor editing.