Page 251 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

S P I R I T UA L FAT H E R H O O D
Spiritual Fatherhood
One of the notable developments in the second millenni-
um of Orthodoxy was the emergence of spiritual father-
hood as a central form of guidance in the Church.
The notion of spiritual fatherhood constitutes, rightly, a
foundation of spiritual life. We find it already in the Apostles:
“For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not
have many fathers” (1 Cor 4:15). From the apostolic age on-
ward, and with Ephraim the Syrian, Basil the Great, Macarius,
and the whole patristic tradition, spiritual fatherhood became
a principal means of guidance in the spiritual life. For this
reason the Church has sacred canons, so that it may never be
exercised contrary to holy tradition, never without the bless-
ing of the bishop and never apart from ecclesial order. Yet
spiritual fatherhood is not only canon; it is also “the Spirit of
the living God” and a charismatic gift for the salvation of
souls.
Spiritual fatherhood has existed and continues to exist as a
necessity for the Church. If it were absent, spiritual life itself
would be absent. The Spirit of God is not only charismatic but
also communal; therefore spiritual fatherhood is the bond
between the Church and the people of God. Through spiri-
tual fatherhood the believer receives the grace of the Holy
Spirit by means of confession, discernment, teaching, love,
and humility. Spiritual fatherhood is not merely psychological
help, but theological and ecclesiological reality.
The spiritual father must be “in the Holy Spirit” and possess
the discernment of the Holy Spirit. When the spiritual father
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