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The heretical 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 Christ and being faithful to the end to the Orthodox life is not enough, but rather somehow after death, the demons gain greater powers than Christ in us and are able attempt to drag find a soul away from Christ to drag basis for taking the soul to Hades. While , while the angels and the prayers of the living defend the soul if it can be defended. Whether the soul is finally seized by the demons, or taken to heaven depends on the state of the soul at death. 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's broadcast on toll houses opposes much , the teaching of what the Toll Houses is taught by Seraphim Rose on toll houses, but he does allow for some parts found in virtually every Father of the toll houses to be allowedChurch . <ref>Fr. Thomas Hopko on the Toll-houses, http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/hopko_tolls.mp3</ref>

==Holy Scripture Patristic evidence==

The idea or theology of toll houses contradicts much of what has been revealed in Holy Orthodox ScripturesIn [http://www.orthodoxinfo. Although we do not know all that happens after com/death, we know that at /vita-antony.aspx the moment life of death, our first Holy Saint, St. StephenAnthony the Great], he saw our LORD Jesus Christ standing to receive his soula vision of souls rising towards heaven and some being stopped by a large demon and cast down. Likewise [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book1.html St. There is no mention whatsoever Bede] recorded certain visions of any a Celtic Saint who saw a soul arising and fighting off demons appearing to terrify with the soul help of our Holy Martyr at moment of death, but rather, we have much rejoicing in the writings of Holy Scripture regarding the defeat of death angels and our Hope in Christ at moment of deathhis reposed wife's soul.

" being full of In the Holy GhostPhilokalia, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand St. Diadochos of GodPhotiki (ca 400 – 486 a." <ref> http://wwwd.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+7&version=KJV and <http) states://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%207&version=WHNU </ref>

Also :"If we do not confess our Apostle Paul mentions his yearning for death to be so strong cause he was going to be involuntary sins as we should, we shall discover and ill-defined fear in ourselves at the presence hour of our LORD Jesus Christ <ref> http://wwwdeath.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%207&version=WHNU </ref> "I eagerly expect and hope We who love the Lord should pray that I will in no way we may be ashamedwithout fear at that time; for if we are afraid then, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ we will not be exalted in my body, whether able freely to pass by life or by deaththe rulers of the nether world. For They will have as their advocate to me, to live is Christ and to die is gainplead against us the fear which our soul experiences because of its own wickedness. If I am to go on living But the soul which rejoices in the bodylove of God, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between at the two: I desire to depart and be hour of its departure, is lifted with Christ, which the angels of peace above all the hosts of darkness. For it is better given wings by far; but spiritual love, since it ceaselessly carries within itself the love which 'is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." Again , no mention fulfilling of any trepidation of demonic activities post death as taught by proponents of toll housesthe law' (Rom. As St13:10). John Chrysostom said: "The cause of much evil is the lack of knowledge of Holy Scriptures"<ref>Philokalia, Volume I, p. 295</ref>

Even a man caught in sin and dying on In the Alphabetical Sayings of the crossDesert Fathers, is promised to be in paradise with our LORD. "One Theophilus of the criminals Antioch (who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me reposed in paradise412 a.” Obviously our LORD and Head of our Orthodox Church grants no credence to such faulty ideas about demons having powers to overcome the repentant or the faithful Orthodoxd. ) we find:

We know that :"The same Abba Theophilus said, "What fear, what trembling, what uneasiness will there be for us when our Holy Apostle warned 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 even if an Angel were hour, until sentence is pronounced and it gains its liberty. That is its hour of affliction, until it sees what will happen to appear it. On the other hand, the divine powers stand on the opposite side, and teach something contradictory 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 our Orthodox Theology that which is written: “Even as the habitation of Faiththose 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 we were 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 cling outer darkness and condemned to what has been taught 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 our Holy Traditionthe fire, and not change our doctrines for even an angel or any man. remove it from bitter torments?" <ref> httpThe Sayings of the Desert Fathers://wwwThe Alphabetical Collection, translated by Benedicta Ward, p.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%201&version=KJV 81-82)</ref>

So when 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 look at the writings 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 fathersbody, thanks only to fear, there are times when some taught as Origen and St. Macarius supposedly taughtGregory the Dialogist literally shows; while others must be cleansed after the departure from the body, either while remaining in the belief in Salvation of all including demonssame earthly place, but since this contradicts The Theology before they come to worship God and are honored with the lot of The Churchthe blessed, we cannot or – if their sins were more serious and must bind them, for a longer duration – they are kept in hell [i.e., Hades], but not accept it no matter who said in order to remain forever in fire and torment, but as itwere in prison and confinement under guard. Some present "Patristic<ref>First Homily: Refutation of the Latin Chapters concerning Purgatorial Fire, by St. Mark of Ephesus. Qtd. In " proof texts to back up their belief in heretical gnostic toll houses.The Soul After Death, p 208f)</ref>

==Patristic evidenceLiturgical Evidence==

It is falsely reported that all Church fathers buy into this idea of toll houses as taught by modern neo-gnostics hidden within In both the walls of Orthodox Churches. For exampleGreek and Slavonic Euchologion, one tried to attribute to St. Anthony in the Great canon for the idea departure of these demonic powers by referencing the following [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/vita-antony.aspx], but ST. Anthony The Great's biography soul by St. Athanasius provides no evidence for toll houses; however St. Anthony's vision Andrew , we find in Ode 7: "All holy angels of the death of one does provide more reason to doubt Almighty God, have mercy upon me and save me from all the teachings of evil toll -houses <ref> http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.toc.html </ref> The iconography of the Church also contradicts this attribute to St. Anthony The Great since St. Anthony is shown as one who "used to " be afraid of God, but now he loves God. <ref> http://www.comeandseeicons.com/a/rsb10.htm </ref>

It is said that some Celtic St. supposedly saw visions of his wife's soul fighting off demons with help of angels <ref> httpIn the Octoechos, there are many references to the Toll Houses://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book1.html </ref>

The Gnostic origins of the tollhouse theory have been identified. As those familiar with the literature on the subject know, the pseudo-Christian adaptation of the :"tollhouses" has its roots in the ancient Egyptian religion. Osiris, we are told, was the great Judge, attended by 42 assessors which the When my soul must face once it has separated is about to be forcibly parted from the my body. It must be examined 's limbs, then stand by each one of them. If the soul successfully passes the tests, it can say, "I am pure" my side and is transferred to "the sky," where it enjoys a material paradise, such as was the lot of kings, according to scatter the Pyramid Text. The fate counsels of the unworthy was torture my bodiless foes and destruction by smash the myriad teeth of demons those who inhabited the underworld. The wicked soul might be torn implacably seek to pieces by swallow me down, so that I may pass unhindered through the 42 terrible judges, burned in furnaces, or drowned rulers of darkness who wait in the abyss. <ref> "Soul" in The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (vol.II). Ed. by J. Hastings. New Yorkair, 1921, p.753. </ref> The similarities between Egyptian thanatology (doctrine O Bride of death) and the Gnostic belief is astonishing says ArchBishop Lazar Puhalo and FrGod. Michael Azkoul <ref> " [http://www.new-ostroganastasis.org/return_tollhouses.html <uk/ref>weekday_vespers1. "the "tollhousers" fail to distinguish between the authentic writings of the Fathers and works attributed to them (dubia et spuria), such as the pseudo-Cyril (of Alexandria)htm Octoechos, Departure of the Soul or pseudo-ChrysostomTone Two, On Remembering the Dead. They often fail to check the current translation with the Greek, Latin or Syriac original. Worst of all, the "tollhouse" advocates read their beliefs into the writings of the Fathers (and the Scriptures). Sometimes they have deliberately altered the text 18 for the sake of their misconceived beliefs. Often their confusion over the activity of the demons in this present life with their ostensible activity during the soul's ascent to the Particular Judgment, may have determined their interpretation of crucial texts." <ref> The Toll-House Myth: The Neo-Gnosticism of Fr Seraphim Rose, by Fr. Michael Azkoul. Dewdney, B.C., 1996, pp.28-31 </ref>Friday Vespers]

Archbishop Lazar's work has excerpts from the writings of all Church Fathers from the Greek to Latin :"Pilot my wretched soul, pure Virgin, and Syriac Fathershave compassion on it, soundly repudiating the idea that toll houses are supported by the fathers as it slides under a multitude of our Church. Unfortunately, there are some modern pious Saints who can be traced to offences into the Russian academia in the second half deep of destruction; and at the 19th century to support even the shocking idea that The Theotokos was so fearful hour of her death and meeting of snatch me from the accusing demons that she had to have her Son come and rescue her from having to face her sins after her deathevery punishment." [http://www.anastasis.org.uk/weekday_vespers1. We must thank God that The Orthodox Church has never taught htm Ode 6, Tone 1 Midnight Office for Sunday] In the infallibility of a Bishop or a Saint[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnightdoc.doc Saturday Midnight Office], but rather The Church and our Apostolic Tradition help guard us from the onslaught prayer of St. Eustratius, contains the enemy who seeks to lead astray the faithful. following:

:" in his Commentary on the Epistle to Ephesians (Homily 22:1)And now, Chrysostom implicitly denies any doctrine of the aerial "tollhouses." Explaining the verseO Master, Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh let Thy hand shelter me and bloodlet Thy mercy descend upon me, but against principalities, against powersfor my soul is distracted and pained at its departure from this my wretched and filthy body, against lest the rulers evil design of the adversary overtake it and make it stumble into the darkness of for the unknown and known sins amassed by me in this worldlife. Be merciful unto me, against spiritual wickedness in high places. WhereforeO Master, take unto you and let not my soul see the whole armour dark countenances of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil dayspirits, but let it be received by Thine Angels bright and have done it, to stand (Ephshining. Glorify Thy holy name and by Thy might set me before Thy divine judgment seat.6:11-14)When I am being judged, St John writes suffer not that the word "wiles" means that hand of the demons have no power to compel us to any course prince of action. They use strategy against us. They are rulers this world should take hold of "the world" or "ageme to throw me," not as governing the worlda sinner, for, as into the Scriptures are wont to dodepths of hades, "world" is equated with "wicked practicesbut stand by me and be unto me a savior and mediator..." <ref>See The demons dwell in "high places," in the "air" Unabbreviated Horologion or "places in Book of the heavensHours, ed. Fr." The "evil day" exists in the "present evil age" Laurence Campbell (Gal.1Jordanville, NY:4Holy Trinity Monastery, 1995). In a word, these verses do not, as "tollhousers" think, apply to the encounter of the departed soul with the demonsp. In another discourse34, St John makes precisely this observation. "Now so as to know that a soul which departs from the body does not fall under the tyranny of the deviland The Great Horologion (Boston, listen to St Paul who saysMA: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, `He who is dead is freed from sin1997),' that is, he no longer sins. For if while the soul dwells in the body the devil cannot bring violence upon it, it is palpable that when it departs he likewise has no power over it." (Hom. De Lazaro II. 2 PG48 984)." <ref> http://www.new-ostrog.org/return_tollhousesp.html#18 48</ref>

St Gregory the Theologian's Panegyric (eulogy) to his brother, Caesarius. "I believe the words of the wise, that every fair and God-beloved soul, when set free from the bonds of the body, departs hence, at once enjoys a sense and perception of the blessings which await it, inasmuch as that which darkened it has been purged away, or laid aside - I know not how else to term it - and feels a wondrous pleasure and exultation, and goes rejoicing to meet the Lord....Then, a little later, it receives its kindred flesh which once shared in its pursuits of things above, from the earth which both gave and had been entrusted with it, and in some ways known to God, Who knit them together and dissolved their union, enters now with it upon the inheritance of glory there. And as it shared through their close union, in its hardships, so also it bestows upon it a portion ==The Number of the joys, gathering it up entirely into itself, and becoming with it one in spirit and mind and in God, the mortal and the mutable being swallowed in life" (Paneg.Frat. Caes. 21).Toll Houses==

''Majority The most detailed version of the ideas supporting modern strange neognostic heresy of toll -houses can be found occurs in a writing attributed to one vision of Gregory of Thrace supposed written in , apparently from the 10th century. There the 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:

For obvious reasons, Many of the Orthodox theologians do not who accept these false ideas regarding demonic powers over the Saints and The Theotokos after death. In Fact, even supposed supporters doctrine of "the toll house heresy", like -houses do not take the form or all the teachings from the vision of Gregory literally. Thus for example Fr. Thomas Hopko, maintain 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's popularity has caused )]].There is disagreement in certain circles regarding the most problems for status of this teaching within the Orthodox circles these daysChurch. Some, including [[Archbishop ]] [[Lazar (Puhalo ) of Ottawa]], consider this teaching controversial, even false (describing it as gnostic or of pagan origin). 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 Frthe tyrannic battalion of the lower air in the hour of my departure... Michael Azkoul "</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, come to my aid; scatter the counsels of the fleshless enemies and other Orthodox theologians are doing all shatter their millstones, by which they can seek to stop this heresy devour me mercilessly; that, unhindered, I may pass through the rulers of darkness standing in the air."</ref> in stories of the lives of saints (for example, the Life of St. [[Anthony the Great]], written by [[Athanasius of Alexandria|St. Athanasius the Great]], the life of St. [[Basil the New]], 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, p. 37 (in Greek): "[Live] every day having death before it takes root 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 more the air, and how you will answer before God..."</ref> the [[Philokalia]], the [[Ladder of Divine Ascent]], and the [[Dogmatics of the Orthodox circlesChurch]] by Blessed [[Justin Popovich]]. Obviously we cannot allow pagan doctrines to enter our Several contemporary Churchfigures speak about toll-houses.  ===Opposition===*<ref>[http://constans_wright.tripodorthodoxinfo.com/notollsdeath/soul_taxing.html Against the Gnostic Story aspx The Taxing of the Judging Demons - the "Toll-Houses"Souls]*by Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos)</ref> <ref>[http://www.rickrossorthodoxinfo.com/reference/ephraimdeath/ephraim11critic.html Two troubling teachings reportedaspx Answer to a Critic, Appendix III from The Soul After Death] by Archbishop Lazar Puhalo *Father [[Seraphim Rose]] of Platina</ref> <ref>Vid. Ephraim, Elder, [http://www.newamazon.com/Counsels-Holy-Mountain-ostrog.orgSelected-Homilies/dp/toll_main.html Regarding 0966700023 ''Counsels from the Toll HousesHoly Mountain,''] various articles by Archbishop LazarSt. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery, Arizona, 1999, pp. 436, Fr447. Michael Pomazansky</ref> <ref>Cavarnos, and others*Constantine, ''[http://www.orthodoxcanadaamazon.orgcom/qaFuture-Life-According-Orthodox-Teaching/dp/0911165061 The Future Life According to Orthodox Teaching,]'' Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, Etna, California, 1985, pp.html Questions 24-26.</ref> Secondly, 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 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 a bargaining over sins at each one). Thirdly, some of the greatest modern authorities of the Orthodox Church, such as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov<ref>A Word on Death, chapter "Aerial toll-houses"</ref> and Answers: Archbishop Lazar PuhaloSt. [[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.

===Modernist supposed supportSupport===