Why Did God Allow the Bishops to Fall into Error and the Church to Endure Tribulations? #
New Ritualist: No matter what you say, I still don’t understand why and for what reason God sent such an extraordinary and harsh trial to His Church (if your community is indeed His Church) that all the bishops departed from it, leaving it without them for a long time. Please explain.
Old Ritualist: The holy prophet Isaiah says, “Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him?” (Isaiah 40:13-14). We can never fully know why God arranges matters in a particular way and not another. But we can partially understand. For instance, at first glance, it may seem strange and incomprehensible why God allows virtuous people in this world to almost always suffer misfortunes, while the wicked live in peace and pleasure. Why did the apostles of Christ and Christ Himself endure suffering, while the ungodly pagans and lawless Jews lived in luxury and earthly delights? God permits this so that the steadfastness, brightness, and other virtues of goodness may be revealed, while the weakness, vileness, and other detestable qualities of wickedness are exposed; so that the virtuous are more glorified and the wicked more humbled; so that God may be more glorified on earth. Indeed, who would not marvel and praise God, seeing how the persecuted are victorious while their persecutors are defeated, how torturers perish while the tortured increase, and those who hand others over to death are destroyed while the executed spread further—this was especially manifest in the early days of the Christian Church.
Therefore, it can be firmly asserted that the historical event or incident in Christ’s Church, when it was left without a bishop, was allowed by God to reveal its immovability and invincibility, its victory in the struggle against heresies. Indeed, it was a great trial for the Church when the remaining bishops fell into heresy in 1666-7, leaving not a single Orthodox bishop. At that time, the Church had two choices: either, following apostolic and patristic teachings, to sever all ecclesiastical communion with the erring hierarchs, and thereby remain without a bishop and, apparently, without priesthood and sacraments; or to stay with the erring bishops, accept their false teachings and heresies, and cease to be Christ’s holy Orthodox Church, becoming heretical. Judging from a human perspective, the Church’s situation seemed hopeless—whichever choice it made led to calamity. What was to be done? How to escape this dilemma? The only answer was to turn to the writings and teachings of the holy apostles and the holy fathers; for only they, as the unshakeable truth revealed by the Holy Spirit, could resolve every doubt, deliver from confusion, and set the Church on the straight royal path leading to eternal life.
Turning to the divine teachings of the holy apostles and the holy fathers, Orthodox Christians saw that in no case should they follow bishops who had fallen into heresy. As we have seen, the holy fathers teach that if not only the last and insignificant fraction of hierarchs, as in Nikon’s time, but even the entire universe, the whole world, were to begin to think heretically, an Orthodox Christian should not be disturbed or accept heresies. Even if one were left alone, like Lot in Sodom, one must hold fast to sound judgment and Orthodox faith (Works of St. Basil the Great, Part 7, Letter 249), for “it is better to have no one to guide than to be led by the ungodly” (i.e., by a heretic), as taught by St. John Chrysostom (Homily 34 on Hebrews). And the holy Apostle Paul insists that even if all bishops or the entire universe, or even an angel from heaven, were to preach anything contrary to the teachings and traditions of the holy apostles and holy fathers, they should not be listened to or followed (Galatians 1:8, reading 199).
This is exactly what the Orthodox Christians did: they did not follow the bishops who had fallen into heresy. And although, after the bishops’ apostasy, there were no Orthodox bishops left among the Old Believers, many priests remained. While priests cannot ordain other priests, and without priests, it is impossible to perform any of the Church’s sacraments—without which eternal salvation cannot be attained (Great Catechism, Chapter 72)—remaining under heretical bishops and accepting their false teaching would clearly violate the divine teaching against obedience, even to angels if they preach something new.
To resolve this dilemma, Orthodox Christians turned to the teachings of the holy fathers and saw that, although one must never listen to or have communion with heretical bishops and priests, when they repent from heresy and return to the true faith, they should be accepted in their clerical ranks. This is commanded by the 8th canon of the First Ecumenical Council, which decrees that Novatian clergy, upon renouncing heresy and after being anointed with holy chrism, are to retain their clerical ranks, as explained in its interpretation (Kormchaia, p. 35). This is also commanded by the holy Council of Carthage, which established that Donatist clergy returning from heresy should be received in their clerical ranks (Canons 69 and 99).
Thus, Orthodox Christians, having obeyed the divine command not to follow heretical bishops and consequently remaining without a bishop, also fulfilled this law of the holy Church by accepting clergy from heresy in their ranks. In this straightforward and royal manner, they emerged from the dilemma they initially faced: they did not accept any heresies, they did not follow the erring bishops, and they did not remain without priesthood and sacraments. They fulfilled the holy Church’s teaching on avoiding bishops who fall into heresy, and they did not violate the teaching that salvation cannot be achieved without priesthood and sacraments. Thus, they remained fully Orthodox Christians, upholding the Orthodox faith, with clergy and the Church’s sacraments.
At the same time, another group of Christians, focusing solely on the belief that salvation is impossible without the priesthood and sacraments, sought only to fulfill this teaching. They followed the bishops who had fallen into heresy, reasoning that it was better to remain with hierarchs, even if heretical, than to be without them. Thus, they transgressed the teachings of the holy fathers about refusing obedience to anyone who deviates from the Orthodox faith, regardless of rank or status. These are the Nikonites, or New Ritualists.
Another group of Christians followed the part of the teaching of the holy apostles and fathers regarding disobedience to erring hierarchs but neglected the other teaching of the Church concerning the acceptance of clerics who repented from heresy, allowing them to remain in their ecclesiastical ranks. As a result, they found themselves entirely without priesthood, without sacraments, and without liturgical services—in short, without that which is essential for attaining eternal blessedness. These are the Priestless, or Bespopovtsy.
Thus, both the Bespopovtsy and the New Ritualists follow only one part of the holy Church’s teaching while violating the other. The Bespopovtsy adhere to the doctrine of not following heretical bishops but clearly violate the patristic teaching on receiving those who repent. Meanwhile, the New Ritualists hold to the doctrine of the necessity of the priesthood and sacraments for salvation but ignore the teaching about refusing obedience to bishops who have fallen into heresy. Therefore, both groups are in grave error, clearly mistaken, and unorthodox. The New Ritualists veered off the royal path to one side, and the Bespopovtsy to the other, opposite side; yet both are following a false path, not the true one. This is why it is said: “Here is the catholic Church, which believes in the entire Gospel and the whole teaching of the ecumenical councils, and not in part.” (Great Catechism, Chapter 25, p. 121 verso). All heretics believe in Scripture, but only in part, and thus they are heretics. Only the Old-Rite Church, possessing the priesthood handed down by Christ, truly believes and follows the whole Gospel and patristic teachings; it walks the straight royal path, not deviating to the right or left, and therefore always emerges victorious from all difficulties and temptations encountered in this world, proving itself to be the true Church of Christ.
From all this, it is evident that the Lord allowed His Church to remain for some years without a bishop to demonstrate her steadfastness and invincibility—her fidelity to His holy commandments. He also showed His omnipotence and power by preserving her undefeated and unconquerable through means that seem contrary, by providence beyond our earthly reasoning. It may seem to us that it would have been better if the bishops had not fallen into heresy and the Church had always remained with Orthodox bishops. But God judged otherwise: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Therefore, we must be cautious, as it is written in the commentary on the prophet Hosea, not to judge according to our feelings and earthly wisdom concerning how the Lord governs His Church. For the Church’s salvation is often hidden from human minds and eyes. The Lord does not bind Himself to human means or the ordinary course of nature, but wills to exceed all human imagination by His power (Commentary on Hosea, Irinei of Pskov, Chapter 1, verse 10). Hence, the counsels, thoughts, and ways of the Lord are entirely opposite to ours and are as far from them as heaven is from earth. Therefore, we should not judge by our earthly wisdom how the Lord governs His Church.
To our senses, to our earthly wisdom, it might seem better for the righteous to live in peace and pleasure in this world and for the wicked and sinful to suffer punishment and misfortune. But God arranges things in a way that usually the opposite happens. This is so that no one can say that the saints live virtuously because they enjoy all earthly blessings, while the sinful and lawless live wickedly and do evil because they dwell in hardship and misfortune. This was especially revealed in the story of righteous Job. The devil slandered him, claiming that Job kept God’s commandments and lived virtuously because God had endowed him with all earthly blessings. To silence the devil, God allowed Job to lose all his possessions and children in a single day. But righteous Job remained faithful to God even after this, proving that he followed God’s will not for earthly pleasures.
Similarly, concerning the Church: it may seem better for her not to endure persecutions but to reign in peace, for even her name indicates her royal nature, as “Church” means “Queen” (Great Catechism, Chapter 25, p. 119 verso). But God judged otherwise: He permitted His Church to endure the most severe persecutions and sufferings during the first three centuries, yet she remained undefeated and unbreakable.
The devil could still slander the Church, claiming she remained invincible and unbreakable because there was internal peace and unity of faith. To refute this slander, God allowed heresies, false teachings, and delusions to arise, which for a long time agitated, shook, and tore apart Christ’s Church more severely than any persecution. Yet, even through this, they could not overcome her; she remained faithful to God’s commandments, preserved the Orthodox faith, and emerged victorious from this trial as well. But the devil could still accuse Christ’s Church, claiming that she remained steadfast, invincible, and unwavering in faith because she had many bishops and not because Christ redeemed her with His blood, guides her, and that she loves Him as her Savior and Bridegroom.
Just as the devil slandered righteous Job, suggesting that he remained faithful to God because he was healthy, though he had lost his possessions and children, God finally allowed the devil to strike Job with a severe and prolonged illness. But when Job remained faithful to God even after this, the devil could slander him no longer, and he was utterly defeated and disgraced, while righteous Job emerged victorious and glorified. Similarly, the Church, when she remained several years without a bishop, enduring such a severe trial while remaining faithful to God’s commandments and firmly holding the Orthodox faith, could no longer be slandered by the devil or anyone else who might claim she remained faithful out of mere human loyalty or self-preservation. All her enemies were shamed and defeated, and she emerged victorious and glorified.
Saint John Chrysostom proclaims (Homilies on Various Occasions, vol. 1, p. 339): “The devil, a cunning and skilled schemer, hoped that by destroying the shepherds, he could easily scatter the flock. But, He who catches the wise in their own craftiness (God), wishing to show him that it is not people who govern His Church, but that He Himself shepherds believers everywhere, allowed this so that the devil, seeing that even after the extermination of the shepherds, piety did not diminish, and the preached doctrine was not destroyed, but even grew stronger, might know from the very events, as might all his servants, that our doctrine is not of human origin, but has descended to us from the heights of heaven; that God Himself governs the churches everywhere, and that one who engages in battle against God can never emerge as the victor.”
From this, it becomes evident that the Lord allowed the bishops to fall into heresy to demonstrate the steadfastness and invincibility of His Church even in the most severe trials and in times of utmost tribulation. This was to reveal His omnipotence all the more—that, even after the bishops departed from the Church, He could preserve it, remaining faithful to His holy commandments, unconquerable by all the schemes and plots of the enemy. He did this to shame His adversaries and the enemies of the Church and to glorify her, proving that even without bishops, she retained the Orthodox faith unshaken.
Indeed, the very Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, was especially glorified on earth at the moment when all the high priests of the Old Testament Church abandoned Him and rose up against Him. Yet He, despite this, remained obedient to the Father even unto the death of the cross, not doing His own will but that of the Father who sent Him, a will He upheld even through suffering—saying, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42), meaning the one divine will of the Father and Himself (Simeon of Thessalonica, Russian trans., Vol. 2, Ch. 21). Similarly, His Body, the Holy Church, was especially glorified when the bishops abandoned her, yet she remained faithful to the will of God and His holy commandments despite this.