holy tradition versus human traditions. a necessary ... david pestroiu... · holy tradition versus...

Holy Tradition versus human traditions. ANecessary Distinction

Pr Conf Dr David PESTROIU

Facultatea de Teologie Ortodoxă, University of Bucharest

[email protected]

AbstractTradition is not defined in a reductionist manner, as permanent

anchoring in the ways of the past, but it constantly looks to the future,

while it supports and professes the perennial values of faith. If we per-

ceive it correctly, as life of the Church, then we can understand even

be;er its dynamism, by which it helps the great Christian family,

throughout history, to reach its highest goal: perfection, that is, deifica-

tion through grace.

Keywords: Holy Tradition, Orthodoxy, deification, grace, sacraments,

authority, salvation

The Orthodox Church is a traditional Church. It professes the be-

lief that God reveals Himself to man, so than man can be saved. Unlike

postmodern deconstructivist notions, abundant in number and forms

but lacking in substantial contents, the Orthodox preaching of the

Gospel is the only endeavor that pursues, in a structural, unadulterated

and unitary way, the apostolic and patristic preaching, based on an es-

sential vector: the Revelation. Paradoxically, although it is the only one

full of all truth (John 16, 13), as it is centered on Christ – the Way, Truth

and Life (John 14, 6), the Orthodox Gospel preaching is also the most sub-

dued, if we consider its concrete results, measurable in the number of

conversions achieved worldwide. Orthodox mission carried out in non-

Christian areas is regre;ably scarce, and its results – quite irrelevant.

Perhaps this type of apophaticism, on the level of mission, is a manner of

following Christ, Who conducted His earthly activity in a clearly defined

area, sending out His disciples into the world only after His ascension

and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

The Revelation, culminating in Jesus Christ, can be perceived

correctly and comprehensively only by addressing the two great paths –

Scripture and Tradition – by which God conveys the message of salva-

tion supernaturally. Ignoring one of them, downplaying either one, or

adding other gnoseological structures, will generate an imprecise, ineffi-

cient revelational message. The importance of preaching lies therefore,

necessarily, in its contents, which lends its authenticity. On the relation-

ship between the Holy Scripture and the Holy Tradition, we quote the

authoritative words of Father Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae:

PESTROIU, David / Jurnal teologic Vol 15, Nr 1 (2016): 139-162.

140

„Tradition is the permanent conveying of the same revealedChrist – the One who was incarnate, crucified and whoresurrected – in the Church, that is, the permanent impartingof the final, dynamic state reached by God in coming closerto man, by way of revelation. Therefore, it is the extension ofGod’s action in Christ, as described by the Scripture. It isonly through Tradition that the Scripture’s contents is keptalive, topical, efficient, dynamic, in its wholeness, for allgenerations throughout the history. Thus, Traditioncompletes the Scripture. Without it, the Scripture orRevelation cannot be fully efficient, or rather – continuouslyefficient. Without it, the contents of Scripture cannot beunderstood and lived to the full. All church chants are basedon scriptural texts, and all liturgical and sacramental actssymbolize and make relevant the instances in the Scripture,in the history of the Revelation”1.

Although it is traditional, the Orthodox Church is not a tradition-

alist one. In relation to history, it is watchful and a;entive. It is not stuck

in the past, but its awareness of the present points to a luminous projec-

tion of the blissful eternity, in an eschaton of hope. According to Jaroslav

Pelikan,

„...the very notion of Tradition seems to be incompatiblewith the notion of history, seen as movement and evolution,since Tradition is seen as ancient, prestigious andunchanged, as it has been established since time

1. Father Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae, Teologia dogmatică ortodoxă (OrthodoxDogmatic Theology), Vol. 1, second edition, EIBMBOR, Bucharest, 1996, pp.45-46


141

immemorial; ... as it is always true and has been preachedsince the very beginnings; only heresy can have a history, asit is manifest in particular epochs and innovations. (...)Tradition without history has uniformized all stages ofdevelopment, defining its truths in a static manner; historywithout Tradition has produced a type of historicism whichhas relativized the development of the Christian doctrine,thus pointing to the distinction between genuine evolutionand dangerous deviations”2.

Thus, Tradition is not defined in a reductionist manner, as per-

manent anchoring in the ways of the past, but it constantly looks to the

future, while it supports and professes the perennial values of faith. If

we perceive it correctly, as life of the Church, then we can understand

even be;er its dynamism, by which it helps the great Christian family,

throughout history, to reach its highest goal: perfection, that is, deifica-

tion through grace. This presupposes communion, which in the Church

is achieved even in the earthly human life, through the work of the di-

vine grace in the Holy Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, which

confers the supreme union with Christ, who sacrificed Himself for the

sins of the world, but was transfigured through Resurrection in a glori-

2. Jaroslav Pelikan, Traditia creștină. O istorie a dezvoltării doctrinei (ChristianTradition), Vol. 1: Nașterea Traditiei universale (100-600), Romaniantranslation Silvia Palade, Polirom, Iași, 2004, pp. 31-33


142

ous body, offered to those who freely seek communion with Him. Father

Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae states:

„Tradition, as constantly enriched elucidation of one and the

same Christ, cannot be separated from the fact of receiving

Him as unchanged contents of the Tradition, from the

conveying of the same grace, or from the receiving of the

same Person of Christ in the Church through the Holy

Sacraments and the sermons about Him”3.

Orthodoxy does not grant Tradition an exclusive role and

supreme authority in conveying the Revelation. Tradition can only be

perceived correctly if it is constantly placed in relation to the Scripture,

which it actually generated, and both of them must necessarily be under-

stood and interpreted under the authority of the Church. The la;er acts

as a stability factor, balancing the static and the dynamic aspects, in the

reception of the divine Revelation. According to Father Prof. Mihai

Himcinschi,

„The main concern of Christians cannot be with a mere

remnant of an ancient tradition – the Church seen as a

museum – but it lies in the continuous updating and

experiencing the apostolic faith, under particular cultural

circumstances and at particular times”4.

3. Rev. Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae, op. cit., p. 45

4. Rev. Prof. Mihai Himcinschi, Misiune și mărturie. Aspecte misionare însocietatea actuală (Mission and Testimony), Reîntregirea, Alba Iulia, 2008, p.179


143

Tradition is also known as „the living memory of the Church”5

or, more theologically termed, it is „the life of the Church in the Holy

Spirit”6. The dynamism of Tradition, as inspiration from the Holy Spirit,

is described by the theologian Georges Florovsky as „the testimony of

the Spirit, the perpetual revelation of the Holy Spirit and the preaching

of the good life”7.

This dynamism of the Tradition has been interpreted in multiple

ways, not all of them quite orthodox. Many authors have pointed out

that distorted – and thus dangerous – forms of the doctrinal revealed

message can hide under the guise of updated „Traditions”. Father Pr.

Prof. Ion Bria states:

„The authenticity of Tradition is highly important, and this is

why beliefs and church practices must be sanctioned by the charismatic

discernment exerted by the entire Church – both clergy and laymen (ex

consensu ecclesiae). Distortions and doctrinal aberrations, heresies, may

seem a;ractive due to their intellectual speculation, but the Church has

5.Prof. N. Chițescu, Pr. Prof. Isidor Todoran, Pr. Prof. I. Petreuță, TeologiaDogmatică și Simbolică (Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology), Vol. 1, second

edition, Renașterea, Cluj Napoca, 2004, p. 151

6. Ibidem, citat din Vl. Lossky

7.Georges Florovsky, The Catholicity of the Church, apud Pr. Prof. Mihai

Himcinschi, op. cit., p. 178


144

not left room for opinions and tenets that are incompatible with the

perennial values of the Gospel and with the dogmas formulated by the

Councils”8.

How did such distortions, such human traditions, such pseudo-

traditions emerge?

A first explanation lies in the fact that, from the earliest concrete

actions of Gospel preaching, Christ’s apostles applied the principle of ac-

culturation as missionary strategy: this encourages contact with various

non-Christian cultures, resulting in mutual enrichment (acculturation).

The respective cultures become Christianized, accepting divine Revela-

tion as fundamental gnoseological tenet, while Christianity itself consoli-

dates its position, especially since piety is manifest through a wide

range of expressions coming from the cultures assimilated. It has been

objected lately that the phenomenon of acculturation had brought about

a failure, as it had lent a „pagan” character to Christianity. Many local

traditions, marked by occult, demonic practices, had allegedly been as-

similated and included into the Christian Tradition. On the other hand,

it is common knowledge that the Christian religion was able to subsist,

in diverse forms, precisely due to its adaptability to traditional cultures.

8. Rev. Prof. Dr. Ion Bria, Tratat de teologie dogmatică și ecumenică (Treatise ofDogmatic and Ecumenical Theology), România creștină, Bucharest, 1999, p. 73


145

Hence, the natural question: which is the truth? And what should be

done?

In order to approach this topic, we need a theological recourse to

the teachings and practices of early Church. The works of St Basil the

Great, an outstanding figure of the golden age of patristic thought, prove

to be highly edifying. St Basil’s understanding of Christianity is not at all

different from what should be our understanding of it, today.

We start by pointing out that acculturation has always been char-

acteristic to Christian mission: „Christianity has not been exclusivistic;

rather than rejecting, it has employed all that it could find useful in the

pagan cultures, especially the Greek and Roman ones”9. Cultural assimi-

lation stopped short, however, whenever doctrinal teachings were dis-

torted, or demonic influences were manifest. Father prof. Ioan G. Coman

reminds that St Basil the Great „emphasizes that not all the flowers of

Greek literature and art are useful; on the contrary, in the garden of pro-

fane culture, grow flowers in colors that must not be contemplated, and

scents that must not be inhaled, as well as poisonous fruits which the

9. Bogdan Constantin NECULAU, Sf. Vasile cel Mare sau despre actualitatea uneipedagogii sociale din perioada primară a creștinismului, în: Sfântul Vasile celMare – închinare la 1630 de ani, (St Basil the Great – Tribute for the 1630th

anniversary), eds. Emilian POPESCU and Adrian MARINESCU, col. Studia

Basiliana 2, Basilica, Bucharest, 2009, p. 356


146

soul must avoid, much as it may desire to taste them”10. There were, of

course, many pitfalls prepared by the devil against the new religion:

among them were the manifold forms of religious syncretism, perpetuat-

ed through the gnostic systems, as well as many occurences of occultism,

conveyed through pagan ritualism. This is why Christianity had to reject

any influence from paganism, especially in worship: it avoided using

former pagan temples as worship places, and the rituals permeated by

occultism were abolished, in favor of Judaic worship elements that

served as models: „Old Testament priesthood had divine origin, and was

the highest honor which bestowed unsurpassed prestige, while the vari-

ous pagan priesthoods were nothing above magic”11 – shows rev. Ioan

Moldoveanu.

In the golden age of patristic thought, paganism was still active

and provided a rich religious supply, relying mainly on the traditional

affiliation of the masses of ordinary people. The multitude and diversity

of myths, which were combined with occult rituals, was very a;ractive.

10. Rev. prof. dr. Ioan G. COMAN, Sf. Vasile cel Mare despre folosul culturii elene,în: Sfântul Vasile cel Mare – închinare la 1630 de ani, (St Basil the Great –Tribute for the 1630th anniversary)., eds. Emilian POPESCU and AdrianMARINESCU, col. Studia Basiliana 2, Basilica, Bucharest, 2009, p. 420

11. Rev. Assoc. prof dr. Ioan MOLDOVEANU, Chipul preotului după SfântulVasile cel Mare, în: Sfântul Vasile cel Mare – închinare la 1630 de ani, col. StudiaBasiliana 3, p. 453


147

„Our author was even more worried by the grave danger posed by the

insidious character of myths, which almost always were part of poetic

works, to a greater or lesser degree. Hellenic myths, one of the most

wonderful human creations, could – due to their exceptional allure – fas-

cinate the youth, especially during those decadent period of Greek cul-

ture”12 – notes rev. prof. Ioan G. Coman. Moral norms were especially at

risk, since the strictness postulated by Christianity clashed with pagan

laxism. Therefore St Basil the Great defined, in his homily To the Young

People, the fundamental goal pursued in the acculturation process:

„those elements of profane culture that are worth assimilating must be

thoroughly examined, each of them, and brought into agreement with

the Christian outlook”13.

Any investigation of the possible Christianization of profane

rites, is centered on discerning the spirit of evil that underlies any form

of atheism, polytheism, or occultism. Theologians have justly noted that

„Saint Basil is acknowledged by Christians as a great, holy fighter

against the unclean spirits, and a great lover and imparter of justice”14.

12. Rev. prof. dr. Ioan G. COMAN, op. cit., p. 421

13. St Basil the Great, apud Pr. Ioan G. COMAN, op. cit., p. 425

14. Rev. Gheorghe ALEXE, Sf. Vasile în colindele românești, în: Sfântul Vasile celMare – închinare la 1630 de ani, (St Basil the Great – Tribute for the 1630thanniversary)., eds. Emilian POPESCU and Adrian MARINESCU, col. Studia


148

He demonstrates, in a famous homily, that God is not the author of evil15.

He also warns that a correct understanding of the origins of evil, in the

ontological sense, does not suffice; it is necessary to be aware of the dan-

gers threatening man and perpetrated by devils – personal entities that

promote evil fervently, a;empting to impose it on people, as an alterna-

tive to the good created by God (Genesis 1, 31), by taking advantage of

human weakness that has a propensity towards evil (Rom. 7, 19). St Basil

embarks on this fight against the powers of darkness, with all his missio-

nary energy, as prove his writings with dogmatic, exegetical, moral,

canonical and liturgical contents. His extremely complex personality, the

force of his apostolic devotion, his zeal in spreading the true faith, made

him into an epitome of missionary activity and a model for the Chris-

tians of all times. Ancient agrarian rites, performed in winter and intend-

ed to bring rich crops, were imbued with new meaning in Christianity:

the preaching of the Gospel, according to the parable of the sower, as

well as the mystical value of bread as Eucharistic element. Acculturation

is instantiated, for example, by the ritual „Plugușorul/The Plow” record-

ed by Gr. Tocilescu in Viziru, Brăila county, where the sower is no

Basiliana 2, Basilica, Bucharest, 2009, p. 84

15.St Basil the Great, Omilii și cuvântări. Omilia a noua (Homilies), în: Scrieri(Writings), part I, Omilii la Hexaemeron. Omilii la Psalmi. Omilii și cuvântări,collection P.S.B., no. 17, E.I.B.M.B.O.R., 1986, pp. 434-447


149

longer „the Saturn of old, nor even «Father Trajan»”16, but St Basil the

Great himself.

Not all ancient customs could be acculturated. From the very be-

ginning, there were pseudo-spiritual acts of pagan, demonic origin, that

could not be integrated. Even today, in Romania – mainly in rural areas,

but also on the outskirts of towns – there still exist persons practicing the

magic inherited through the Romanian folk ethos, as a result of the sym-

biosis between Dacians and Romans. It was a characteristic of Romanian

people’s formation as a Christian people, that some pagan customs and

practices were retained as they were firmly established in the collective

consciousness, where they were entrenched as pseudo-religious tradi-

tions, passed down to this day. Obviously, the oral transmi;ing indi-

cates very clearly the folkloric character of such lore. In the present con-

text, we have to mention them and stress their implicit demonism.

A. Witchcraft – addressing mainly the great „passage” moments:

birth (fate and the three Fates, personifications of destiny), marriage

(charms, spells „binding” and „unbinding” marriage, rites concerning

the wedding), death (burial rites, as well as witchcraft performed with

items belonging to the dead, the myth of the undead). Certain spells

16. GR. TOCILESCU, Materialuri folcloristice (Folklore maqers), vol. I, partea II,București, 1900, p. 1489, apud Pr. Gheorghe ALEXE, op. cit., p. 88


150

aiming to immediate material welfare (for instance, abundance of cows’

milk) are as misleading and deceitful, as they are dangerous.

B. Divination – takes various forms, from folk horoscopes (de-

scribing both human characters, and the rules allegedly governing cli-

mate or seasons), to classical fortune-telling forms: omens, palmistry,

etc.;

C. Superstitions – speculating the belief in fate, determined by or-

dinary events;

D. Dream interpretation – dreams considered to be necessarily

premonitory, and deciphered according to a universal algorithm.

Today occultism is marketed according to all the rules of market

economy. The most important newspapers provide massive advertising

for various occult activities: magic, always „white”, „removals of spells”

etc. The so-called „clairvoyants” are invited as experts by commercial TV

channels during prime time. No media channel „worth the money”, be it

the wri;en press, the audio-visual or the Internet, fails to include the

daily horoscope at peak times. The literature promoting occultism has

flooded the book market, already saturated. It is easy to infer that the

amount of money thus earned is enormous. It also accounts for the

quickly-gained material prosperity of those who resort to demonic prac-

tices, in order to deceive people: witches, most of them belonging to a


151

particular ethnic group, proudly display their opulence, especially their

rich houses.

All these, while pertaining to the milieus that claim to possess

grace, actually exclude it completely. Although they claim to adhere to

the Orthodox faith, those who perform such occult acts are in total dis-

agreement with the official teachings of the Church. Despite their claim

to be branches of the Tradition, thay have nothing in common with it,

but use it to create confusion and achieve perfect dissimulation. The true

purpose of these fake traditions is mercantile, as St Basil the Great notes

with subtle irony: „They tell fortune for money, although it is ridiculous

that all those deceived should pay so that they can be lied to. But it is not

so with the word of the Law: one does not have to give anything in ex-

change. No one pays for the grace of God”17.

A widespread form under which ancient paganism of animistic

type is perpetuated, is the use of amulets or charms: „Whoever wears or

keeps amulets or charms, expects to be helped or protected by these

inanimate objects. Is this not an insult to God?”18 – Kurt Hasel asks. And

rev. prof. Gh. Drăgulin remarks the insufficient catechetic instruction of

17. St Basil the Great. Comentariu la cartea profetului Isaia (Commentary on the bookof prophet Isaiah), Basilica, Bucharest, 2009, p. 256

18. Kurt HASEL, Vraja superstiției. Povară și eliberare (The enchantment ofsuperstition), Casa de Editură Viață și Sănătate, Bucharest, 1997, p. 79


152

the Orthodox who wear charms: „They must be careful to know the true

faith and demonstrate it by their good deeds. Otherwise, piety is not

heartfelt, but skin-deep and all their efforts lie in wearing such trinkets,

colorful collars or gold necklaces”19. Bigotism, fake mysticism lead to

demonism, as notes a theorist of occultism: „It is not known which su-

per-human power of evil obtain the bigots who make improper use of

sacraments. Nothing is more toxic than a rascal who regularly receives

the Eucharist”20.

We find blamable the failure to condemn harshly all the ways in

which occultists of all kinds gain a;ention, taking advantage of the pres-

tige of the Church in order to mislead the naive persons. Wizards and

witches pretend to be monks and nuns, and advertise in newspapers

their ability to work wonders, to heal, etc. Some even wear the monastic

habit. Rev. prof. Gh. Drăgulin notes: „As if they recognize the powerless-

ness of devilish and material elements, witches turn to our altars. In their

occult acts, they invoke God and the Holy Virgin, whom they present as

19. Rev prof. dr. Gheorghe I. Drăgulin, Împotriva farmecelor și a altor superstiții(Against spells and other superstitions), Proxima, Bucharest, 2004, p. 44

20. Éliphas Lévi, Marele arcan sau ocultismul revelat, Aurelia, Oradea, 1994, p. 37


153

tolerating witchcraft and taking part in acts that are only compatible

with the devil”21.

In our country, in order to lend legitimacy to occult practices, an

anthology was published under the title: Wonder-working Icons and Heal-

ers of Romania, with two distinct parts: the first one provides brief de-

scriptions of Orthodox places of worship, churches and monasteries

holding „wonder-working” icons and holy relics, but also „healing

crosses” or „miraculous springs”, and insisting on recent miracles. The

second part, however, is terrifying: it contains detailed (if random) pre-

sentations of the most famous Romanian occultists, healers, clairvoyants,

bioenergeticists, etc. We find Father Teofil Pârâian unjustly placed along-

side the daughter of witch Omida, and therapy by faith is adjoined to

divination, magic practices, „love spells”, bioenergy, „magnetic water”

etc.22.

However, the main pillar of occultism is its dissimulation policy

and the extraordinary amount of advertising it employs. If in the past

people used to know well that witchcraft is devilish, today we invariably

meet only the practitioners of „white magic”. It has been declared that

21. Rev. prof. dr. Gheorghe I. Drăgulin, op. cit., p. 38

22. Icoane făcătoare de minuni și vindecători din România, Total Press, Bucharest,1997, passim


154

„occult laws apply to both religious and non-religious people”23. In other

words, one cannot avoid being involved with occultism. And the reluc-

tant ones are assured that esoteric practices, of any kind, are not at all

harmful but „only ignorance is dangerous”24.

The social environment, often full of superstitious or bigoted

faith, combined with various folklore elements, also favors occultism.

Many people are unable or unwilling to collect their information from

the authentic sources of the revealed doctrine, but, as the Apostle warns

us, turn away their ears from the truth, and are turned unto fables (II Tim. 4,4).

Various ways of conveying the negative energy channelled by

magic rituals are described in the homilies of St Basil the Great. For in-

stance, in his Homilies on the Hexaemeron, he mentions the spells pro-

nounced by old women, „influenced” by the moon phases. He mocks

their claims: „Such ridiculous stories have been spread by old women

who like to drink and tell everywhere that the moon, by the power of

their spells, leaves its place and descends on earth. How can a witch’s

magic, move the moon created by the Almighty Himself?”25.

23. George St. Kaufmes, Miracolul palmelor. Energie și sănătate prin Reiki (Themiracle of palms. Energy and health by Reiki), Interprint Geneze, Bucharest,1993, p. 98

24. Bernard Raquin, Secretele decorporării, Lucman, 1997, p. 125

25. St Basil the Great, Omilii la Hexaemeron. Omilia a șasea (despre facerea


155

Astrology has always been a preferred realm of the occult, and

still has many adherents. It often seeks legitimacy trying to pass for Tra-

dition, although they have nothing in common. One of its tenets is that

one’s birth under a particular star sign, automatically confers them cer-

tain characteristics or features, that will determine their life subsequent-

ly. After he voices his doubts that births only seconds apart will make an

emperor or a beggar, St Basil demonstrates it is actually impossible to es-

tablish that moment accurately: „So, if it is impossible to know exactly

the moment of a child’s birth, and the slightest mistake would ruin all

calculations, then all are fools – both those who deal with this science

which is no real science, and those who admire them, for their alleged

ability to know their destiny”26. The astrological calculations are based

on the moment of birth, determined arbitrarily, and not on the moment

of conception. St Basil points out that the human being exists fully –

body and soul – since conception. This is also stressed by contemporary

theologians such as Kurt Hasel: „It is interesting that astrologers use

different methods. Some calculate according to the moment of birth.(...)

Others a;ach more importance to the moment of conception”27. Obvi-

luminătorilor), in: Scrieri (Writings), part I, p. 146

26. St Basil the Great, Omilii la Hexaemeron. Omilia a șasea (despre facerealuminătorilor), în: Writings, part I, p. 138

27. Kurt HASEL, op. cit., pp. 22-23


156

ously, in this case astrological predictions are mere inventions, since the

time of conception cannot be determined accurately. St Basil continues

his reasoning, showing with logical arguments that the influence of ce-

lestial bodies on births is non-existent, since the title of emperor, for in-

stance, is hereditary: „If stars change their position from one second to

the next, and with all these countless changes, often over a single day,

thair configuration determines the births of emperors, then why are not

emperors born daily? Or, in other words, why is the title of emperor

hereditary? For we cannot believe that every emperor sees to it that his

son should be conceived in the moment when the stars’ position deter-

mines the birth of an emperor!”28.

The intentional confusion between astronomy and astrology is

exposed by St Basil and refuted in his writings. The old names of con-

stellations, known as star signs, are based on the resemblance with ani-

mals or everyday realities. Their presence in old liturgical books or even

on the walls of some monasteries does not allow any astrological inter-

pretation. St Basil shows it is ridiculous to think that the constellations’

names can shape a human personality: „This one, they say, will have

curly hair and bright eyes, because he was born under the Aries (the

Ram), for this is what the animal looks like, but he will also be magnani-

28. St Basil the Great, Omilii la Hexaemeron. Omilia a șasea (despre facerealuminătorilor), in Writings, part I, pp. 139-140


157

mous, as the ram is a natural leader; he will be generous and also thrifty,

because this animal gives away his wool willingly and grows it back eas-

ily, according to his nature. The one born under the sign of the Taurus

will be patient and hard-working, because the bull bears the yoke. The

one born under the sign of the Scorpio will be aggressive like this ani-

mal. The one born under the Libra will be fair, because of the equality of

the scales of justice. What could be more foolish? The ram, which you

think determines the character of the man, is the twelfth sector of the cir-

cle, when the sun reaches the spring season; so are the Libra and the

Taurus; each star sign is a twelfth of the so-called zodiac. So, if you say

that the zodiac is the main cause determining people’s lives, then why

do you describe human character in comparison with the animals living

among us? The one born under Aries is generous, not because that part

of the circle gives him such nature, but because the sheep is so! Why

doubt the stars, but be convinced by the bleat of sheep? If the celestial

bodies have these moral qualities, borrowed from animals, then the sky

itself if subject to principles alien to it, therefore the sky depends on ani-

mals. And if this is ridiculous, then it is even more ridiculous to derive

probabilities from things that have nothing to do with each other”29

.

29. Ibidem, pp. 138-139


158

An extremely difficult issue, raised by astrology, is that of man’s

free will and free agency – a topic often approached by the great Cap-

padocian. He justly notes that „our free will, which leads every one of

us, as well as the causes of our deeds, depend in astrologers’ view on the

celestial bodies as well”30. However, abolishing freedom of will has dis-

astruous soteriological consequences: „those who draw up the horos-

cope say that it ma;ers much whether a person is born under a good or

a bad planet. (...) But their words show much foolishness and even more

lack of faith. In saying that some stars cause evil, they blame for this evil

the very Creator of the stars. If the evil comes from the nature of stars,

then the Creator is the author of evil; and if stars do evil of their own

free will, then it means that they are able to distinguish between good

and evil, and move freely and independently. But it is foolishness to be-

lieve this about inanimate things! (...) If we are not accountable for our

good and bad deeds, but we are forced to act so, because of our birth,

then it useless to have laws that state which deeds should be done and

which should be avoided, and equally useless are the judges who praise

virtue and condemn wrongdoing! (...) Justice would not be praised, nor

would sin be punished, if man could do nothing of his own free will”31.

30. Ibidem, p. 139

31. Ibidem, pp. 139-140


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We have seen how harmful is the confusion between the divine

Holy Tradition and human „traditions”. We have concluded that we

must distinguish clearly between the two notions. Which, however, are

the steps to be followed in order to actually separate them? Here are a

few possible solutions:

1. pastoral care for every individual – examining the personality

of one’s spiritual children, and assessing each of them catechetically to

see to what extent they have been tempted by fake traditions, of any

kind;

2. thorough examination of the pastoral-missionary activity of

priests, and taking disciplinary and canonical action if they encourage

shallow, lukewarm, folklore-like faith;

3. protecting churches from the corrupting influence of the ad-

herents to occult movements;

4. printing brochures to refute superstitions, and local fake

traditions;

5. initiating a media campaign in order to put an end to advertis-

ing for occult practices in the press, on TV and on radio;


160

6. explaining through sermons, catecheses and conversations, the

theological significance of the great moments in life (birth, baptism, wed-

ding, funerals);

7. fighting against ignorance through a coherent dialogue be-

tween theology and science, to elucidate the causes and the conse-

quences of extreme natural phenomena. „Superstitions are born out of

ignorance”32 – said rev. prof. Petru Rezuș;

8. collaborating with civil servants in order to expose all acts of

fraud, deception, cheating, often associated with occult practices.

A true form of spiritual bondage, the deception perpetrated by

pseudo-traditions is, according to Father D. Stăniloae, „an easy way be-

cause it requires no moral effort, but this is precisely why it is a slippery

slope along which man falls from his dignity as a free, spiritual being”33.

It is one of the stratagems by which demonic possession has been per-

petuated to this day, and continues to deceive in new, hybrid forms, ex-

tremely aggressive and contagious. This is why the Church in its turn

32. Rev. prof. Petru Rezuș, „Considerațiuni asupra originii și combateriisuperstițiilor, obscurantismului, bigotismului, fanatismului și fatalismului”,(On the origin and fighting against superstitions, ignorance, fanaticism andfatalism), Glasul Bisericii review, XII, (1953), May-June, p. 363.

33. Rev. prof. D. Stăniloae, „Formele și cauzele falsului misticism” (Forms andcauses of fake mysticism), Studii Teologice review, IV (1952), No. 5-6, p. 252.


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has a militant a;itude, employing its own spiritual means and acting in

a selective, gradual manner in order to reach its goal: regaining the

straying people and bringing them back on the path to salvation. It is

also anchored in the Truth – Christ, the One revealed in the divine Scrip-

ture and Tradition, as He has been, is and will be confessed unto ages of

ages.


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