To follow the Holy Fathers is a central characteristic of being Orthodox. To neglect or disdain this is to place oneself outside of the experience of the enlightened and glorified and on the path of delusion. That is why the humble, faithful example of St. Raphael of Brooklyn's zealous defense of St. Cyprian of Carthage and devoted following of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite's Rudder is so important and instructional for all contemporary Orthodox Christians.
Coming under attack by the Jesuits of his day for simply citing the Church's acceptance of the Council of Carthage under St. Cyprian as authoritative, St. Raphael defended the Faith and put down the haughtiness of the heterodox. His voice is the perennial voice of Holy Tradition, so needed today when again such errors have been accepted as "mainstream" and "normative" and the Holy Fathers' teachings set aside as "abrogated."
