Aerial Toll House
Aerial toll houses refers to a teaching held by many Eastern Orthodox Saints and Eastern Orthodox Christians, about the immediate state of the soul after death. According to this doctrine, "following a person's death the soul leaves the body, and is escorted to God by angels. During this journey the soul passes through an aerial realm, which is inhabited by wicked spirits (Eph 6:12). The soul encounters these demons at various points referred to as 'toll-houses' where the demons then attempt to accuse it of sin and, if possible, drag the soul into hell."
This teaching is extensively alluded to in hagiographical and other spiritual texts of the church, though it has never been formally promulgated by any ecumenical council and so remains in the realm of "theologoumena", or private theological opinion (as opposed to doctrines formally proclaimed by a church council). Many Orthodox saints and theologians have openly endorsed it, while some bishops and theologians have condemned it as heretical and gnostic in origin.
Read more about Aerial Toll House: The Toll-house Teaching, Controversy
Other articles related to "aerial toll house, toll house, toll":
... American Orthodox hieromonk and theologian who wrote a pro-toll house book on this subject entitled The Soul After Death ... The traditional proponents of the toll-house teaching argue that it appears in the hymnology of the Church, and in stories of the lives of some saints (for example, the Life of Saint Anthony the Great, written by ... Several contemporary Church figures speak about toll-houses ...
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