The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality, Pt. III - Fr. Seraphim Rose

Part III/III titled “How Not to Read the Holy Fathers“ from Fr. Seraphim Rose’s insight on the most common and deceptive pitfalls for Americans when reading the Orthodox Holy Fathers and the attempt to share in their Mind. Fr. Seraphim examines various specific Orthodox publications and teachers under the following three key pitfalls: 1) Dilettantism: dabbling in Patristics and seeing the Fathers on a similar level as non-Orthodox teachers; 2) “Theology With a Cigarette“: casually approaching Orthodoxy and the Fathers in a worldly spirit and not sharing their struggle; 3) “Zeal Not According to Knowledge“: Immaturity and idealism without the pain of heart needed for true spiritual growth. Avoiding these pitfalls will keep us on the narrow path towards our Christ. This article was first published in The Orthodox Word, Vol. 11, No. 6 (., 1975), 228-239. The text can be found here: Fr. Seraphim, pray