Against All Heresies

With Dialogue Against the Latins and Chapters on Prayer

De: Saint Symeon of Thessalonica

Narrado por: Fr. Josiah Trenham

The preaching of the truth, brother, and the confession of Orthodoxy is more needful for us than everything else, and we must make this confession before all mankind. For this is the foundation of all who believe. On account of this confession Peter was called blessed and was appointed to bear the keys of the kingdom of God. Paul, too, bore the hope of receiving the crown of life, since he kept and preached the faith. Indeed, the whole choir of the saints who did likewise and finished the race well has been glorified.

We must also build up our neighbor, as much as we are able. However, we are not required to convince every last person, since neither is it possible to convince everyone. Nevertheless, it must be said that, to the extent that you can, you should do what is in your power, if we are talking about edification. If you build someone up, the benefit both to you and to the one who is benefited by you will be great. But if you are not given this gift, you gain nothing from God for your efforts, for you have simply carried out something of your own.

And again, you should take care that you do not take on more than is in your power, lest in attempting to raise one who has fallen, you yourself fall down to his level. For according to the most divine Paul, confessedly great is the mystery of Orthodoxy, and the one who would discourse about it has need of the greatest possible reverence and care in discoursing about it. Such a man should be thoroughly proven and gifted with the grace of teaching, lest, by declaiming on things he knows nothing about, he fall into the net of blasphemies, or the snare of disagreements, or the doctrines of impiety on account of his unorthodox words. For we have known many unstable men who have come to ruin in this way.

- from the prologue to Against All Heresies

©2024 Patristic Nectar Publications (P)2024 Patristic Nectar Publications

Something off…

I feel like Patristic Nectar used an AI version of Fr Josiah Trenham’s voice to read this. The cadence is too quick and there are oddities and breaks between words that don’t sound like Fr Josiah’s normal speaking patterns.

A pastoral gift

St. Symeon's exhortations and encouragements refresh the soul. He covers so many topics that are still matters of confusion to this day. I was making many comparisons to things I encounter in my own life as I listened, and many issues I have for which I need to pray to God for mercy. The translation to English seems natural and readable, with a reverent tone appropriate for the content. Fr. Josiah Trenham blesses listeners with his warm, full-bodied, and clear reading voice.

An amazing articulation of Orthodox Faith in contrast to a variety of heterodox teachings

This was as enjoyable and interesting as a way of learning about Orthodox Christian doctrine and dogma as it was to see and hear laid out a variety of historical heresies and heterodox beliefs and practices within Christianity. Very sharp and clear teaching and arguments from St. Symeon, and very ably and powerfully delivered by Fr. Josiah. Well recommended.

Symeon’s Sizzler: A Polemic Feast of Heresies and Papal Punchlines

I’m reading (or listening to) Against All Heresies by Symeon of Thessalonica, who isn’t a saint for us but was canonized post-schism by the Greek Orthodox. It strikes me that the book contains more polemics and grandiose accusations against the Latins compared to how St. Thomas Aquinas addresses the Eastern Orthodox in his Contra Errores Graecorum. Aquinas's work is pure scholastic apologetics, synthesizing philosophy, Scripture, and the Church Fathers—without the emotional base or name-calling. He focuses on doctrinal issues and philosophical developments rather than resorting to ad hominem attacks. One particularly harsh argument in Symeon’s work even claims that Latins eat and drink "urine and excrement"!
Symeon begins his work by addressing atheism and then moves through various groups—pagans, Jews, Muslims—and Christian heresies over time (Arians, Nestorious, Sabellians, etc.). About half the book is dedicated to these heresies, while the other half critiques the Latins. It’s striking that the discussion of all other religions and heresies combined doesn’t even make up half of the work; his primary focus is Roman Catholics as the main big bad. Although Symeon makes valid points, he sometimes resorts to sweeping generalizations and even trolling, which is surprising for someone considered a successor to Gregory Palamas!

Symeon’s style is a question-and-answer format, where his priest supposedly asks questions that he then answers. It seems he praises himself through the supposed words of the priest, which feels odd and not very humble. This could be a stylistic choice of the day, but it seems unnatural. Being charitable, he might simply be giving reverence to the office he holds.

When discussing papal supremacy and primacy, Symeon notes how ecumenical councils gave Rome pride of place, meticulously detailing this through the councils' documents. He asks, "Is it our job to remove the apostolic landmarks of the Fathers?" He asserts that if the current pontiff had the apostolic faith of previous pops: Peter, Linus, Cletus, Felix, Clement, Sylvester, and Gregory, Christians should not only listen to him as if he were the Apostle Peter but submit to him as if he were Christ himself! You’d be hard pressed to find modern day EO Apologist make a statement like that.

One striking point is his view on Rome: he acknowledges Peter’s/Rome’s primacy/supremacy but argues that once Rome ceased being orthodox(through supposed innovations), Christians were no longer obligated to listen to their authority. This contrasts with modern Eastern Orthodox views, which often downplay Rome’s primacy as merely honorific rather than juridical. Symeon’s stance is similar to that of groups like the SSPX or some sedeprivationists, who accept the pope’s validity but claim he loses juridical authority if he does not uphold the true faith. It’s interesting how debates about papal authority resurface throughout history. Symeon’s view is that we should respect Peter’s successors as long as they are Orthodox, but if they lose the faith, we’re no longer bound to them.

As I read Symeon of Thessalonica’s Against the Latins, I find myself nodding in agreement with many of his complaints. Especially about developments in practice, abuses and the moral character of some of the Roman Catholic leaders. The same happens when I skim Martin Luther’s 95 Theses or Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s criticisms of the post-Conciliar hierarchy. I find myself aligned with their points. However, while they highlight real problems in the Church at those specific times, I think they choose the wrong methods to address them. The flaw, I believe, is that we tend to take matters into our own hands and attempt to fix them in a natural way. Yet, God often uses these situations to reform the Church in ways we don’t expect, through a holistic development that no one could have anticipated.