www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Old-Ritualists Forum Toll Houses in Old Rite prayerbook

In the Canon to Christ in the Old Rite Prayer Book, it refers to "aerial toll houses" in the concluding prayer. Can anyone here elaborate on why that is in there? Who composed the prayer? What is the theology (pre-Seraphim Rose) that got that in there?

Thanks

I may be mistaken, but I have the impression that the concept of the toll houses originates in early Christian Egypt.

Fr. Serge

Could you say more about that Father? What is the pre-Seraphim Rose Eastern Christian/Patristic understanding of "toll houses". My priest who is Belorussian says that the sense of the word "toll house" in Slavonic has a different meaning then in say the English. The Slavonic, he says, had the idea of "process" in it, whereas the English has a fixed-objective meaning.

Alas, I am no expert in such matters!

Fr. Serge

I rejoice to hear you say that, Fr Serge. With the Eastern Catholic Churches committed to the maintenance (or restoration) of authentic Orthodox theology within their Churches, I as a non-toller rejoice to hear this from your lips.

May Christ Have Mercy on Us! and please forgive me if I am in any way motivated sinfully in my response.
What is pre-Seraphim (Rose) theology? Have you, and I don't mean this in a mean way, read Fr.Seraphim's book The Soul After Death?
Fr.Seraphim always, always endeavoured to only faithfully transmit Orthodoxy and relied on the Fathers to provide the answers. Sadly Fr.Seraphim has been wrongfully smeared with slanders that he relied solely on St.Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and was presenting an obscure and heretical teaching on the afterlife. No one who has read the book could possibly state this without the intent of deceiving people. Both Fr.Seraphim and St.Ignatius quoted from a large number of Fathers. Please read the book above particularly the chapter on the Toll-houses.
To be more direct to the issue of the Russian Old-Rite and toll-houses it is important to remember that the Reforms begun by Patriarch Nikon were implemented only 330 years ago. The works which mention the toll-houses date from before this, most from VERY long before this. Undoubtedly though the single work which can be looked to for "popularising" the toll-houses in Russia is that life of St.Basil the New, the Russian fool for Christ who confronted Ivan the Terrible and now lies at the Cathedral in Moscow which has taken on his name "St.Basil's", which relates the journey of Blessed Theodora through the toll-houses. Every Russian Icon of the Last Judgment painted before the time of the Raskol specifically shows the twenty toll-houses mentioned in this hagiography. In the Slavonic Psalter used in Services The Homily on the Departure of the Soul by St.Cyril of Alexandria (d.444), which is very specific and detailed about the toll-houses and demon "tax collectors" is always included. Also St.Ephraim the Syrian, Pope St.Gregory the Great, St.John Chrysostom, St.John of Damascus and many other early Fathers specifically mention the toll-houses.
In the WikiMedia Commons you can see Old Rite Last Judgment Icons such as I mentioned.
There is no such thing as a "non-toller". Either you submit your personal judgments & opinions to the Fathers or you choose not to.

Please forgive me as I made a very bad slip in my last post


St.Basil the New is a tenth century Saint, fool for Christ, of Constantinople (Tsargrad) (March 26) St.Basil the Blessed (August 2) is the fool for Christ buried at the famous Moscow Cathedral and the one who confronted Ivan the Terrible (16th Century).

Also

I'm sorry for making such a judgmental statement for I just proved people can also be forgetful and vain as I clearly am.

Still read Fr.Seraphim's book. It is well worth it!

Ah, the Toll Houses. One of Fr Ambrose's favourite subjects. He'll be kept occupied for a while now.

Fr David Straut

At the moment I am content and my shillelagh is quietly in the cupboard.

On another Forum a very well known archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church (Abroad) stated that the toll house are dogma for the Russian Church Abroad. Yes, dogma!!

Bishop Jerome of Manhattan stated that it was impossible for the Synod of bishops of the Russian Church Abroad to make any such declaration since the toll houses are not part of the universal faith of the Church. God bless Bishop Jerome.