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[[Image:tollhouses.jpg|right|thumb|350px|An Iconographic depiction of the Toll Houses]]The theory teaching of '''Aerial Toll-Houses''' regards the soul's journey after its departure from the body, and is related to the [[w:particular judgment|particular judgment]]. In its most general form, it refers to the idea that after death, the demons attempt to find a basis for taking the soul to Hades, while the angels defend the soul, taking the reason in the righteousness of the reposed person. Whether the soul is finally seized by the demons, or taken to heaven depends on the state of the soul at death and the intercession (prayers) of the living. In either case, the soul then experiences a foretaste of what it can expect after the [[w:final judgment|final judgment]]. According to Fr. Thomas Hopko, the teaching of the Toll Houses is found in virtually every Father of the Church.<ref>Fr. Thomas Hopko on the Toll-houses, http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/hopko_tolls.mp3</ref> One of the first mentions of the doctrine can be found in the prayer of St. Eustratius, 3rd century Martyr. Nevertheless, it is traditionally considered that Apostle Paul spoke about toll houses in his epistles (Eph 6:12-13)<ref>[http://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ignatij_Brjanchaninov/slova/2 Word On Death by St Ignatius Brianchaninov (in Russian)]</ref>.

According to teaching In [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/vita-antony.aspx the life of St. Anthony the Church, every person has demons that attack himGreat], he saw a vision of souls rising towards heaven and "shoot their arrows at them", as Church Fathers say, that "arrows" some being thoughts that suggest commiting sinsstopped by a large demon and cast down. Likewise [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book1. These demons write down every sin that they persuaded people to do, and even thoughts that people accepted and complied with, but did not, for what ever reason, actually actualize themhtml St. When Bede] recorded certain visions of a person repents for Celtic Saint who saw a sin, soul arising and confesses it in the Holy Mystery (/Sacrament) of Confession <ref>if there is an opportunity for that, if not, confession without a priest is sufficient, as in fighting off demons with the case help of the Good Thief</ref>, it is by God's Grace angels and Power erased from the demonhis reposed wife's paperssoul.

When In the soul diesPhilokalia, on the third day it is carried by angels towards HeavenSt. On that way, they must go past 20 aerial toll-houses, which are huge groups Diadochos of demons arranged according to specific kinds of sins. When Photiki (ca 400 – 486 a soul accompanied by angels gets to a toll-house, demons that tempted that soul during her life approach and accuse it for sins. The sins that are written on papers of demons have to be "payed for" by persons good deeds in life, such as prayer, fasting, asceticism, doing works of mercy, etcd. ) states:

According to Hagiografies:"If we do not confess our involuntary sins as we should, we shall discover and ill-defined fear in ourselves at the accounts hour of saints our death. We who love the Lord should pray that we may be without fear at that time; for if we are afraid then, we will not be able freely to pass by the rulers of the nether world. They will have passed the aerial toll-houses, and talked about it in as their appearances advocate to various holy man, plead against us the demon often accuse fear which our soul experiences because of its own wickedness. But the soul which rejoices in the love of sins that they tempted her with, but it didn't comply withGod, at the hour of sins that she repented forits departure, and in that cases one is lifted with the angels of peace above all the angelshosts of darkness. For it is given wings by spiritual love, since it ceaselessly carries within itself the one love which was 'is the persons guardian angel, speaks for fulfilling of the person, saying that those are lieslaw' (Rom. 13:10)."<ref>Philokalia, and that payment is not necessaryVolume I, taking the soul to the next toll-housep. 295</ref>

If a persons has sins that it didn't repent for, and does not have enough good deeds to pay them off, In the demons Alphabetical Sayings of that toll-house grab himthe Desert Fathers, and take him to hellTheophilus of Antioch (who reposed in 412 a.d.) we find:

:"The same Abba Theophilus said, "What fear, what trembling, what uneasiness will there be for us when our soul is separated from the body. Then indeed the force and strength of the adverse powers come against us, the rulers of darkness, those who command the world of evil, the principalities, the powers, the spirits of evil. They accuse our souls as in a lawsuit, bringing before it all the sins it has committed, whether deliberately or through ignorance, from its youth until the time when it has been taken away. So they stand accusing it of all it has done. Furthermore, what anxiety do you suppose the soul will have at that hour, until sentence is pronounced and it gains its liberty. That is its hour of affliction, until it sees what will happen to it. On the other hand, the divine powers stand on the opposite side, and they present the good deeds of the soul. Consider the fear and trembling of the soul standing between them until in judgment it receives the sentence of the righteous judge. If it is judged worthy, the demons will receive their punishment, and it will be carried away by the angels. Then thereafter you will be without disquiet, or rather you will live according to that which is written: “Even as the habitation of those who rejoice is in you.” (Ps. 87.7) Then will the Scripture be fulfilled: “Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35.10).:"Then your liberated soul will go on to that joy and ineffable glory in which it will be established. But if it is found to have lived carelessly, it will hear that terrible voice: "Take away the ungodly, that he may not see the glory of the Lord." (cf. Isaiah 26.10) Then the day of anger, the day of affliction, the day of darkness and shadow seizes upon it. Abandoned to outer darkness and condemned to everlasting fire it will be punished through the ages without end. Where then is the vanity of the world? Where is the vain-glory? Where is carnal life? Where is enjoyment? Where is imagination? Where is ease? Where is boasting? Riches? Nobility? Father, mother, brother? Who could take the soul out of its pains when it is burning in the fire, and remove it from bitter torments?" <ref>The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, translated by Benedicta Ward, p. 81-82)</ref> St. Mark of Ephesus wrote: :"But if souls have departed this life in faith and love, while nevertheless carrying away with themselves certain faults, whether small ones over which they have not repented at all, or great ones for which – even thought they have repented over them – they did not undertake to show fruits of repentance: such souls, we believe, must be cleansed from this kind of sin, but not by means of some purgatorial fire or a definite punishment in some place (for this, as we have said, has not been handed down to us). But some must be cleansed in they very departure from the body, thanks only to fear, as St. Gregory the Dialogist literally shows; while others must be cleansed after the departure from the body, either while remaining in the same earthly place, before they come to worship God and are honored with the lot of the blessed, or – if their sins were more serious and bind them, for a longer duration – they are kept in hell [i.e., Hades], but not in order to remain forever in fire and torment, but as it were in prison and confinement under guard." <ref>First Homily: Refutation of the Latin Chapters concerning Purgatorial Fire, by St. Mark of Ephesus. Qtd. In "The Soul After Death, p 208f)</ref> ==Liturgical Evidence== In both the Greek and Slavonic Euchologion, in the canon for the departure of the soul by St. Andrew , we find in Ode 7: "All holy angels of the Almighty God, have mercy upon me and save me from all the evil toll-houses." Likewise, in the Canon of Supplication at the Parting of the Soul in ''The Great Book of Needs'' are the following references to the struggle of a soul passing through the toll-houses::"Count me worthy to pass, unhindered, by the persecutor, the prince of the air, the tyrant, him that stands guard in the dread pathways, and the false accusation of these, as I depart from earth." (Ode 4, p. 77).:"Do thou count me worthy to escape the hordes of bodiless barbarians, and rise through the aerial depths and enter into Heaven…" (Ode 8, p. 81).:"[W]hen I come to die, do thou banish far from me the commander of the bitter toll-gatherers and ruler of the earth…" (Ode 8, p. 81). In the Octoechos, there are many references to the Toll Houses: :"When my soul is about to be forcibly parted from my body's limbs, then stand by my side and scatter the counsels of my bodiless foes and smash the teeth of those who implacably seek to swallow me down, so that I may pass unhindered through the rulers of darkness who wait in the air, O Bride of God." [http://www.anastasis.org.uk/weekday_vespers1.htm Octoechos, Tone Two, Friday Vespers] :"Pilot my wretched soul, pure Virgin, and have compassion on it, as it slides under a multitude of offences into the deep of destruction; and at the fearful hour of death snatch me from the accusing demons and from every punishment." [http://www.anastasis.org.uk/weekday_vespers1.htm Ode 6, Tone 1 Midnight Office for Sunday] In the [http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnightdoc.doc Saturday Midnight Office], the prayer of St. Eustratius, contains the following: :"And now, O Master, let Thy hand shelter me and let Thy mercy descend upon me, for my soul is distracted and pained at its departure from this my wretched and filthy body, lest the evil design of the adversary overtake it and make it stumble into the darkness for the unknown and known sins amassed by me in this life. Be merciful unto me, O Master, and let not my soul see the dark countenances of the evil spirits, but let it be received by Thine Angels bright and shining. Glorify Thy holy name and by Thy might set me before Thy divine judgment seat. When I am being judged, suffer not that the hand of the prince of this world should take hold of me to throw me, a sinner, into the depths of hades, but stand by me and be unto me a savior and mediator..." <ref>See The Unabbreviated Horologion or Book of the Hours, ed. Fr. Laurence Campbell (Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery, 1995), p. 34, and The Great Horologion (Boston, MA: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1997), p. 48</ref> ==The Number of the Toll Houses== The most detailed version of the toll-houses occurs in a vision of Gregory of Thrace, apparently from the 10th century. The demons accuse the soul at each toll-house of sins. In some cases the demon might accuse the soul of sins that they tempted her with, but it didn't comply with, or of sins that she repented for, and in that cases one of the angels, the one which was the persons guardian angel, speaks for the person, saying that those are lies, and that payment is not necessary, taking the soul to the next toll-house. If a person has unrepented sins, and does not have enough good deeds and prayers of the living to pay for them, the demons of the corresponding toll-house grab him, and take him to hades to await the final judgment. This vision recounts the toll-houses in the following order: * On At the first aerial toll-house, the soul is questioned about the sins of the tongue, such as- empty words, dirty talk, insulting peopleinsults, ridicule, singing worldly songs, too much or loud laughter, and similar sins.* The second is the toll-house of lies- besides plain lying , which includes not only ordinary lies, but also- braking the breaking of oaths, braking the violation of vows given to God, taking God's name in vain, hiding sins during confession, and similaracts.* The third is the toll-house of slander- . It includes judging, humiliating, embarassingembarrassing, mocking , and laughing at people, and similartransgressions.* The fourth is the toll-house of gluttony- , which includes overeating, drunkenness, eating between meals, eating without prayer, not holding fasts, choosing tasty over plain food, eating when not hungry, and similarthe like.* The fifth is the toll-house of laziness- , where the soul is questioned about held accountable for every day and hour spent in laziness, neglect of serving for neglecting to serve Godand pray, of prayer, and for missing Church services, and also for not earning money by through hard, honest and hard wordlabor, for not working as much as you are paid, and all similar sins.* The sixth toll-house is the toll-house of [[theft- ]], which includes stealing, and robbery, whether small, big, light, violent, public, or hidden.* The seventh is the toll-house of covetousness- , including love of riches and goods, not giving failure to give to charity, and similaracts.* The eight is the toll-house of usury, and also loan-sharking, overpricing, and similarsins.* The ninth is the toll-house of injustice- being unjust, especially in judicial affairs, accepting or giving bribes, dishonest trading and business, using false measures, and similarsins.* The tenth is the toll-house of envy.* The eleventh is the toll-house of pride- vanity, self-will, boasting, not honoring parents and civil authorities, insubordination, disobedience, and similarsins.* The twelve is the toll-house of anger and rage.* The thirteenth is the toll-house of remembering evil- hatred, holding a grudge, and revenge.* The fourteenth is the toll-house of murder- not just plain murder, but also wounding, maiming, hitting, pushing- , and generally injuring people.* The fifteenth is the toll-house of magic- divination, conjuring demons, making poison, all superstitions, and similarassociated acts.* The sixteenth is the toll-house of lust- fornication, unclean thoughts, lustful looks, unchaste touches.* The seventeenth is the toll-house of adultery.* The eighteenth is the toll-house of sodomy- : bestiality, homosexuality, incest, masturbation, and all other unnatural sins.* The nineteenth is the toll-house of heresy- : rejecting any part of Orthodox faith, wrongly interpreting it, apostasy, blasphemy, and all similar sins.* The last, twentieth toll-house is the toll-house of unmercyfulness, unmercifulness: failing to show mercy and charity to people, and being cruel in any way.  ==Are They Literal?==Many of the Orthodox who accept the doctrine of the toll-houses do not take the form or all the teachings from the vision of Gregory literally. Thus for example Fr. Thomas Hopko maintains that one should not try to associate a particular time after death to the process, nor should one take the toll-houses as being literally "in the air," or necessarily twenty in number. Likewise, he makes no mention in his argument for them of the doctrine of bargaining for sins (which is similar in some ways to the Latin doctrine of merits). Instead, his description, drawing on St. John Chrysostom and the Fifty Homilies of St. Macarius of Egypt, among others, takes the toll-house encounters to describe the attempt of the demons to assault the soul with its own vulnerability to sin, or to entice it away from God, and describes passing through the toll-houses as the purification of the soul.<ref>Fr. Thomas Hopko on the Toll-houses, http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/hopko_tolls.mp3</ref>. St. Theophan the Recluse likewise said that what the demons are seeking is "passions," and suggested that, although the toll-houses are often depicted as frightening, the demons might equally well try to entice the soul by appealing to one of its weaknesses. Some others go so far as to say that the demons and angels are metaphors for the sins and virtues of the soul.

[[Image:puhalo.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Archbishop Lazar Puhalo, censing an icon of Fr. Seraphim (Rose)]].There is controversy disagreement in certain circles regarding the validity status of this theory teaching within the Orthodox Church. Some more liberal Christians in the Eastern Orthodox Church, including [[Archbishop]] [[Lazar (Puhalo) of Ottawa]], consider this teaching controversial, even false (describing it as gnostic or of pagan origin). These accusations were later declared to be wrong by the Holy Synod of the Russian Church Abroad.<ref name="orthodebatelink">[[gnosticism|gnostichttp://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/tollhouse_debate.aspx Holy Synod of the Russian Church Abroad]])</ref> The traditional proponents of the teaching argue that it appears in the hymnology of the Church,<ref>January 27, The Recovery of the Holy Relics of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, Troparion 1, Ode 5 of Orthros: "Grant me to pass untroubled through the host of noetic satraps and the tyrannic battalion of the lower air in the hour of my departure..."</ref> <ref>Parakletike, Friday Vespers, Second Mode: "When my soul is about to be separated violently from the members of the body, then, O Bride of God, besides come to my aid; scatter the facts counsels of the fleshless enemies and shatter their millstones, by which they seek to devour me mercilessly; that- firstly, unhindered, I may pass through the rulers of darkness standing in the main source air."</ref> in stories of the lives of saints (for it are example, the Hagiographies (Life of saint St. [[Anthony the Great]], written by saint [[Athanasius of Alexandria|St. Athanasius the Great]], the life of saint St. [[Basil the New]], saint and St. [[Theodora]]), in the homilies of St. [[Cyril of Alexandria]]<ref> St. [[Cyril of Alexandria]] ''Ephesi praedicata depoito Nestorio, ACO''.14(5².405D) as referenced by Lampe, G.W.H., ''A Patristic Greek Lexicon'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1961, p.1387</ref> in the Discourses of [[Abba Isaiah]],<ref>''The Twenty-nine Discourses of our Holy Father Isaiah,'' Volos, 1962, etcp. 37 (in Greek): "[Live] every day having death before your eyes, and concerning yourselves with how you will come out from the body, how you will pass by the powers of darkness what will meet you in the air, and how you will answer before God..."</ref> the [[Philokalia]], the [[Ladder of Divine Ascent]], and the [[Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church (]] by saint Blessed [[Justin Popovich]]. Several contemporary Church figures speak about toll-houses.<ref>[http://orthodoxinfo.com/death/soul_taxing.aspx The Taxing of CelieSouls] by Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos)</ref> <ref>[http://orthodoxinfo.com/death/critic.aspx Answer to a Critic, Appendix III from The Soul After Death] by Father [[Seraphim Rose]] of Platina</ref> <ref>Vid. Ephraim, Elder, [http://www.amazon.com/Counsels-Holy-Mountain-Selected-Homilies/dp/0966700023 ''Counsels from the Holy Mountain,''] St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery, Arizona, 1999, pp. 436, 447.</ref> <ref>Cavarnos, Constantine, ''[http://www.amazon.com/Future-Life-According-Orthodox-Teaching/dp/0911165061 The Future Life According to Orthodox Teaching,]'' Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, Etna, California, 1985, secondlypp. 24-26.</ref> Secondly, that not a single Church Father ever wrote even one sentence expressing doubt about this teaching (which is present in its most general form in the Church sense since at least fourth century), although their discussions of the topic are always about general struggles with "tax-collector" demons, lacking the details present in Gregory's vision (apart from one pseudo-Makarian story which also mentions numerous toll-houses and thirdlya bargaining over sins at each one). Thirdly, that some of the biggest greatest modern authorities of the Orthodox Church like saint , such as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov<ref>A Word on Death, chapter "Aerial toll-houses"</ref> and saint St. [[Theophan the Recluse]],<ref>What is spiritual life, and how to obtain it, chapter "Perfect preparation for the Mystery of Repentance"</ref> insisted not only on the truthfulness, but on the necessity of this teaching in the spiritual life of a Christian. {{stub}}

*[http://pageswww.prodigysaintjonah.netorg/frjohnwhitefordarticles/tollhouses.htm Evidence for the Tradition of the Toll Houses found in the Universally Received Tradition of the Church]

*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/tollhouse_pomaz.aspx On the Question of the "Toll-Houses": Our War is not Against Flesh and Blood] by Fr. [[Michael Pomazansky]]