The clergy were enraged when Seraphim said in the preface that he had produced his version ‘ expressly for the sake of some priests and certain presbyters who did not understand [Koine] Greek, so that with the help of the Most Holy Spirit they could read and understand something from the original text, in order to convey it to ordinary Christians. ’
Vaimulikel ajas harja punaseks Serafeími tõlke eessõna, kus ta kirjutas, et andis selle välja „just nimelt mõnede preestrite ja presbüterite pärast, kes [koinee] kreeka keelt ei mõista ”, et nad võiksid„ Kõige Pühama Vaimu abiga algtekstist natukenegi aru saada, et loetut siis tavakristlastele edasi anda ” („The Translation of the Bible Into Modern Greek – During the 19th Century ”).