www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology The Fear of Death

Dear Brethren,

I'm looking for a nice, compact explanation of how the "Fear of Death" compels us to sin. This is such a fundamental teaching in Orthodox Tradition, I'm sure someone has done a fine explanation of this already. I need to tap that resource for a study I'm doing.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Ghazar Der-Ghazarian

Dear Ghazar,

I think you mean "how the fear of death compels us NOT to sin?"

The Philokalia and the spiritual teachings of the Desert Fathers holds that the memory of our death and the judgement that follows it should be a daily and integral component of our spiritual life.

St Theophilus of Kyiv who reposed in the 19th century and was a Fool for Christ's sake had a coffin in his cell (as did many saints and ascetics) to remind him of death.

Some Fathers believed that the constant reminder of death would prevent the most hardened sinner from sinning again.

The fear of death is really the fear of the judgement of God since, for the Christian who lives in Christ, there is no fear of death.

To fear death, in another way, signifies a lack of real faith and trust in God, it means that our spiritual condition is not "right" with God and is a tell-tale sign that we need to both repent and to bring forth the works of repentance.

Alex

Dear Alex,

I'm pretty sure Bill meant to write what he wrote, since I too have seen reference to this idea, that fear of death causes us to sin. I don't know much about it, but if I knew how to go about searching for this sort of thing, I might be able to dig something up in the library.

If we look at the word selfishness we find fear as one of the greatest of the selfish acts because it takes us totally away from trusting in God. The only good fear is trust in God, because to fear God we trust totally in his providence.

Pani Rose

This idea comes up often in Orthodox discussions of the fall and ancestral sin: we inherit mortality which leads us to sin. It is sometimes mentioned as a irreconcialable difference with Western perspective, in which we inherit both mortality and an inclination to sin. But a quick look at Orthodox cathechisms indicates that both views (death HENCE inclination to sin; death AND inclination to sin) are Orthodox.

I've commented previously that I find the HENCE perspective uncompelling. If you would plot som measure of sinfulness (frequency and gravity) versus age I would hazard a guess that it would peak in the twenties and steadily decline after that.

But perhaps the sense of the HENCE perspective has changed over time. Now our perspectives are shaped by my being part of the Christian era - in which triumph over death is unceasingly proclaimed. Perhaps more importantly, in the modern era, at least in America, staying alive is not the desperately challenging struggle - fraught with moral dilemmas - that it has been in other times and places.

Dear Catholicos Mor Ephrem,

You know it is sure a PLEASURE to see you here at any time!

Happy New Year!

Then, in that case, I've nothing valuable to offer in this discussion at all!

The fear of death in me compels me NOT to sin!

If I knew I'd live forever, I'd be out having a great time right about now . . .

Alex

Dear Alex,

Thanks for taking the time to attmept to reply to my question. Actually I'm not talking about the "reminder of our mortality" which keeps us focused on fleeing sin and doing good in order to have a good defense before the awesome judgement seat of Christ. This a theme I am very familiar with as a former Catholic and I know its a very profitable, orthodox reflection.

What I am referring to is a view I've only heard treated by Orthodox theologians. To explain it fully and properly would force me to do the thing I was hoping someone would provide me with. I'll attmept to at least give you a sketch of the teaching. It is a very pervasive theme amongst Orthodox as Djs has noted and rooted in the Eastern understanding of St. Paul's doctrine. To explain:
_____________________________

Our first parents, allowing themselves to be deceived by the Liar, ignored God�s warning and did the very thing He so lovingly instructed them not to do. Thus by their disobedience, they ingested the fruit of death. As St. Paul states, as a result of man�s disobedience, �Death passed upon all men� (Romans 5:12). �Thorns and thistle grew therein,� as the Armenian Book of Hours alludes to the Biblical account of the effects of the Fall upon all creation. Our first parents passed-on their broken, death-bound humanity to us, their posterity. All of mankind thus inherited a self-induced sentence of condemnation to death.

Mankind was stung by death, and �the sting of death is sin� (1 Corinthians 15:56). Many understand this to mean the exact opposite. They think the sting of sin is death. For our first parents this might�ve been true, but for us as St. Paul states, actually the opposite is true. The sting of Death, resulting from the Fall, now leads us to sin. After the Fall, as St. Paul states, man -through fear of death- was subjected to a lifelong bondage of sin (cf. Hebrews 2:15). How does the fear of death lead us to sin? Anthony Dragani, an Eastern Catholic writer, explained the historic Orthodox view stating,

�Because of the certainty of physical death, we try to evade the inevitable. This leads us to try and cheat death, which results in sin. We store more food than we need (gluttony), we horde wealth and resources (avarice), we use our reproductive potential wantonly (lechery), etc. In the quest to cheat death we distort natural God-given gifts. Thus, death causes us to sin. We were thus �caught� by death and unable to deliver ourselves. We needed a deliverer, a savior. -excerpt from "Why did Jesus have to Die? http://www.geocities.com/derghazar/tradition.html
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This is exactly what we believe St. Paul is referring to in the important passage in his letter to the Roman Church (5:12). He states:

"Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and thus death passed to all men, on account of which all have sinned."

In the Orthodox understanding of these words, "on account of which" refers to: death... the fear of which leads us to sin. St. Paul corroborates this understanding in his Epistle to the Hebrew Church (2:14-15). He states:

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage."

Therefore only through Christ are we delivered from the life-long bondage to sin which is a direct result of the "fear of death" St. Paul speaks of.

It is this understanding which prompted St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Corinthian Church to exclaim in referrence to our eventual Resurrection:

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Again, this is something altogether different from the "rememberence of our mortality" of which you are speaking. I hope this helps you to understand our teaching on this.

your brother in Christ's Light,
Ghazar

p.s. I'm not really familiar with the argument Djs refers to and therefore won't attempt to resopnd.

djs:

You posted: "If you would plot som measure of sinfulness (frequency and gravity) versus age I would hazard a guess that it would peak in the twenties and steadily decline after that."

I wish that you'd made that a bet. I can tell you from the fifties that I, for one, haven't been able to make much headway in reducing either frequency or gravity. This hardened old sinner still needs a Savior.

BOB

Theophan:

We all need our Savior.

But, ISTM, that if you aren't experiencing noticable improvment over your teens and twenties, then you must have been a very good man - much better than I ever was - in those younger days.

The Christian Spiritual Life - Asceticism Rewarded by Life in Paradise FOREVER

Elder Hilarion, Recluse of Troekurovo -- + Reposed, November 5, 1853

Rarely since the age of the early desert fathers has God�s grace been so abundantly manifest as in 19th-century Russian through its golden chain of God-bearing elders. Though far removed in time and space from their spiritual progenitors, they are linked together by the same ascetic fervor, self-renunciation and ceaseless inner toil which purified and shaped their hearts into worthy vessels of the Holy Spirit. Most elders were father confessors in monasteries � Optina, Sarov, Glinsk, Valaam � but others were hermits and even lay men and women. Outwardly their paths differed, but they all arrived at the height of spiritual perfection where they were crowned with the gift of discernment, a gift which enabled them to guide thousands of souls in their selfless service to everyone who sought their help.

One of the most extraordinary of these Spirit-filled elders, so akin to the desert fathers of �long ago,� is the little-known recluse of Troekurovo. While we cannot think to imitate his severe ascetic feats, we may nourish our souls with his spirit of fervor and determination, and be humbled by the paucity of our own spiritual efforts.

Elder Hilarion was born in 1774 into a family of state peasants. His early disposition to godliness set him apart from his peers and quite worried his parents who feared he would never be able to make his way in life. And, indeed, Hilarion was very absentminded with regard to practical affairs and suffered no small amount of mockery and reproaches on account of it. Fortunately, he was spared by his grandfather, a simple and illiterate though deeply pious peasant, who took the boy to live with him in his hut. At first the grandfather too was concerned by Hilarion�s exceptionally ascetic habits � he prayed for hours on end and ate only two bread rolls a week -- and he tried to temper the boy�s zeal fearing that it might lead to cold indifference later on. When he realized, however, that it was a sign of God�s special calling, he let the boy follow the dictates of his heart. Together they went on pilgrimages to holy places in Kiev and elsewhere, availing themselves of the wise counsel of those experienced in the spiritual life.

At the age of 14 Hilarion lost his grandfather and had to return to his parental home. By then he had already acquired a firm foundation in his faith and was not easily swayed from his chosen ascetic path. When his parents insisted that he marry, Hilarion acquiesced out of obedience, but he remained a stranger to his wife. Stifled by the household atmosphere and the vexations of his wife and parents, Hilarion found consolation in his visits to the kind-hearted priest of the neighboring Golovinshchino village, Fr. Trofim, whose warm hospitality helped to ward off despondency.

Such a situation could not last long. Realizing that family ties had shackled him hand and foot, and having reached that point when the desire to serve God takes entire hold of a man and carries him away from all earthly bonds and relations, Hilarion decided to make a clean break with all worldly expectations. At the age of 20 he left home and became a wanderer.[1]

After some time he decided to settle in a monastery, but twice he was chased out after his wife wrote appeals to the diocesan administration. Hilarion then fled into the wilderness, into a ravine where he dug out several caves connected by passages. The severity of his ascetic exploits there can only be compared to that of the ancient desert fathers. For six years he survived on radishes which he planted. Often he would go without water for days on end, waiting for rain. Summer and winter he walked about barefoot, clad only in a long linen shirt and a robe of white cloth which concealed heavy chains. His ceaseless prayers and prostrations roused the anger of the evil spirits who would appear in the guise of wild beasts or foul creatures.

One evening Fr. Trofim came to see the recluse. While he was there, Hilarion had to go to the village for candles. He warned his guest not to let anyone in without the Jesus Prayer. Left alone the priest felt terrified.

Suddenly he heard urgent knocking on the door. Thinking that it must be Hilarion he went to open the door, but then he remembered the warning and said: �Say a prayer!�

�Open up!�

�I won�t let you in without a prayer.�

Fr. Trofim then heard furious noises behind the door. He made the sign of the Cross over the entrance and prayed. Terrible laughter and hand-clapping were heard, and then there was silence. Hilarion found the priest pale with fright.

Meanwhile, rumors about the struggling ascetic began to spread. People came to see him, rich and poor, seeking consolation in their sorrows, or asking for good advice in their misfortunes. Hilarion received everyone; he accepted whatever the rich people gave him and passed their offering on to the poor. However, the crowds also distressed him. So as not to be disturbed in his vigils, he would from time to time leave his caves and climb a tree in the depth of the forest where he would spend two or three days without food or sleep.

While cherishing his solitude, the recluse did not neglect being present at the holy Liturgy in the village church some miles away. Late one evening he was returning from this village in a terrible snowstorm and lost his way. Barefoot, wearing only his usual light clothing and fighting the wind, he lost all his strength and fell unconscious into the snow. He was found by a peasant riding behind him, who brought him to the village on his sled. It was more than an hour before he gave any sign of life. In a weak voice he asked the priest to read the supplicatory prayer to the Mother of God, the Healer. When the priest brought the cross to his lips, he kissed it in all reverence, then bowed to the priest and walked out of the house despite the raging storm. The next morning people found him in the church where he behaved as if nothing had happened.



Years of Wandering

The unending stream of visitor not only disturbed Hilarion�s seclusion, but drew the attention of the police. Again he began wandering � to Yelets, to Kiev, to Zadonsk. In Kiev, while staying in the Korennoy Monastery near Kursk, Hilarion fell seriously ill; the Abbot who knew him well suggested he should be secretly tonsured a monk. Hilarion agreed, but kept his name. After his recovery he returned to his caves where once again he was beseiged by visitors asking his counsel and his prayers.

The unsleeping adversary of man�s salvation ceased not to stir up trouble for the righteous ascetic. His caves were on private property and he was threatened with eviction. Next he became the victim of an atrocious slander: he was said to be leading a disorderly and immoral life in the caves. As a result, he was sent off to the Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul for a six-month penance.

The years spent in the damp caves impaired his health, and when Fr. Hilarion returned he settled in the village church watch-tower. At that time the crops of Prince Dolgoruky in the neighboring village were about to be destroyed by drought. The Prince wrote to Fr. Hilarion and asked for his prayers; that same day heavy rain poured over his crops. In gratitude the Prince suggested that Fr. Hilarion move to his estate where he was warmly welcomed. After the Prince�s death, however, the servants began to treat the Elder so harshly that it was impossible for him to stay there any longer. There followed another period of moving from place to place until at last he was persuaded by a wealthy landowner to move to his estate of Troekurovo. Fr. Hilarion arrived in early November 1824. The Elder had asked God to guide him in this move and as he was returning from a pilgrimage to Kiev, he had heard a voice in the forest: �Enough of wandering around! Work out your salvation in one place.�

Troekurovo

Fr. Hilarion was 50 years old when he came to live in Troekurovo, and there he spent the last 29 years of his life. He was given three small rooms which were kept warm, as the cold with which the ascetic used to subdue his body had now become unbearable to him. Nevertheless, he continued to fast strictly and to place restrictions on himself. One lovely spring day he walked out into the sunshine in the garden, but soon returned and said to his cell-attendant, �It is lovely outside, very lovely � one might want to enjoy it longer.�

No one could overlook the spiritual beauty of Fr. Hilarion�s appearance Emaciated by fasting, his face was very thin and transparent and unusually fair; his lips would frequently light up with a bright smile. He had long silver hair and a longish beard. Someone remarked: �He looked like an angel of God. One could not even emagine that the Lord would endow His servants on earth which such beauty. Already nearly 80 years old, he seemed to be in the prime of his life.�

In Troekurovo the Elder managed to preserve an awkward equilibrium; he remained a recluse, although he continued to attend church services and receive visitors whom he would greet with the words: �Let�s make three prostrations and pray to our Heavenly Queen.� He spoke simply, brielfy, and often in parables. He was a gentle father to those around him. People would come to him laden with heavy burdens, but they seemed to fly like birds on wings after having seen him.

One of his visitors was a young teacher by the name of A.M. Grenkov who felt a desire to renounce the world and went to ask for Fr. Hilarion�s blessing. The latter told him firmly: �Go at once to Optina.� The young man obeyed the Elder�s injunction and subsequently became himself perhaps the most renowned elder of all Russia, Elder Ambrose of Optina. Throughout the rest of his life he continued to revere Fr. Hilarion whose portrait he kept in his cell.

Fr. Hilarion�s clairvoyance was testified to by circumstances beyond all doubt. Anyone seeking his advice and failing to act on it had to suffer heavy consequences. Very often Fr. Hilarion�s advice served to avert impending misfortunes. It happened that he would advise someone to go to confession and Holy Communion; later it would turn out that this person was at the threshold of death, and would have died unrepentant without the Elder�s forewarning.

Towards the end of his life the Elder made plans for the establishment of a convent. He consoled the community of sisters which had grown up under his guidance soon after his move to Troekurovo: �My spirit of prayer will be forever in this blessed place. In times of sorrows, illnesses, or perplexities � read a molieben and akathist before the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God�then have a memorial service read for me, a sinner.�

Fr. Hilarion quietly passed away on November 5, 1853. More than 10,000 people came to his funeral and all bore witness to the fact that the cell of the departed and the church were filled with an unearthly fragrance emanating from the Elder�s coffin. Even after his repose Fr. Hilarion continued to console the faithful. �I am alive to those who believe in God,� he said in one of his appearances after his death. This is a great mystery in that there is nothing corruptible in the spiritual realm; everything in it keeps gaining strength, until the power of inviolable grace is revealed in the Kingdom of eternal and inalienable bliss.

In His Holy Name,
+Fr. Gregory

Thank you Father Gregory for posting this. The unbelievable spirituality of the Russian saints of the 17th and 18th century always leaves me spell bound.

When I sit here thinking how cold it is, despite a heated home, car, etc. and then read about these holy 'fools for Christ' and saints who wandered the sub-zero Russian countrysides with few clothes, I feel ashamed.

There are so many traditions of spirituality in the Church (East and West) to inspire us. If only more people would concentrate on that, on the salvation of their souls, and not have to destroy it all with prosletyzing and putting down the other! *sigh*

In Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
Alice, who was both elated by a prayer service the other night, and then disappointed by prosletism and triumphalism....

Thank you, Father Gregory, for the wonderful story about the Russian Saints. Forgive me though, for not seeing the connection with the topic of this thread. If you don't mind, could you help me to understand the reason you posted this? Was it just to share or is there some connection I am supposed to get?

Thank you,
Wm. Ghazar

Djs,

It doesn't matter to me if you reject the Orthodox teaching about the fear of death. I'm not interested in convincing others about it. I'm convinced... that's enough for me. Of course this is a free country so you can express your skepticism about our teaching freely. But I was just hoping that perhaps the "Orthodox in Communion with Rome" group on this forum who seem to be in tune with Orthodox teaching, would be able to help me out.

Sorry to bother everyone with this question. I'll search elsewhere for my answer.

Dear Ghazar:

You state in your first post that this is a "fundamental" teaching in Orthodox Tradition.

As I have mentioned before, I have heard this idea primarily in the context of the fall, as has been discussed here, as you know, on several threads on Original Sin and on the Immacualte Conception. And in this context the concept is presented equivocally in Orthodox Cathechisms and other on-line material that I quoted in those threads. I found this ambiguity in the Orthodox materials puzzling, and am therefore interested in learning about your study.

I would be interested in knowing, in what other contexts have you found this teaching, especially in which is assumes a fundamental character. And would likewise be interested to reading any explanations of the idea that you find.

djs

Dear William, Maybe there was a direct connection? I just thought that a thread about "The Fear of Death" might be able to use an example of someone who's perspective was positive and who looked forward to it. Maybe I didn't post well...I've never been the brightest bulb in the box.

In Him Who calls us to life,
+Fr. Gregory