Tobin, The Rev. Dr. Vincent (Father Vladimir)

Halifax, NS

May 22, 1942 - April 22, 2025

The Rev. Dr. Vincent McBain Tobin, also known as Father Vladimir to the Halifax Orthodox Christian community, died peacefully of natural causes on April 22, 2025, at South Shore Regional Hospital. He was 82 years old. He was a priest and monk (Igumen) of the Archdiocese of Canada, Orthodox Church in America. A faithful servant of the Lord, he founded St. Vladimir's Orthodox Church on Purcells Cove Road. He was initially ordained an Anglican priest but eventually transitioned to Orthodox Christianity. He also served several parishes as an organist and choir director.

Son of Michael John Tobin and Lena McBain Tobin (née Mosher), Vincent grew up in Halifax and, early on, demonstrated exceptional talent in languages and piano, earning numerous scholarships and awards. He earned his doctorate in Old Testament and Egyptological studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an MDiv from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, NS, and an MA in Patristics and BA in Classics from Dalhousie University. He was a professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics at St. Mary's University from 1965 to 2005. His book “Theological Principles of Egyptian Religion (1989)” is still taught at major universities worldwide. He introduced the Egyptology program to St. Mary's. He was described as "one of the last great Egyptologists."

Father Vladimir was widely travelled, having lived and studied in Russia, Greece, France, and Israel. He had a deep love of the Holy Land and frequently offered eloquent and heartfelt public prayers for Israel and its people. He identified in part as Jewish, based on his mother's lineage. His father was Roman Catholic. A practitioner of both Judaism and Christianity, he saw them as consistent through the person of Christ (Yeshua), and through a common faith in the Creator God (Hashem). Just before his death, he observed both Passover and Easter, noting their Biblical connection. His theological views, while impossible to easily summarize, could be described as Apophatic (mystical) theology. His final trip to Israel in 2019 was very meaningful for him.

At Hebrew University, Father Vladimir studied under the great Egyptologist Sarah Groll. He acquired a good working knowledge of ancient languages: Latin, ancient and Byzantine Greek, Hebrew, Classic Arabic, Aramaic, Syriac, Classical Egyptian, Coptic, and Slavonic; and also a working knowledge of a number of modern languages. He taught New Testament Greek to generations of students. He authored a number of books, conference papers, and articles in refereed Egyptological journals. He served on SMU's Performing Arts, Library, and Research Committees. He also published a number of articles on eighteenth-century music. He was an accomplished pianist whose house resounded with his playing works of Chopin, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. His music collection was extensive.

Father loved animals and had several beloved dogs over the years. He is survived by a feline friend whom he rescued from the streets of Jerusalem and whom he named Thzephania, which in Hebrew means protected by God. He named his dogs after Egyptian kings. He enjoyed the song “All God's creatures got a place in the choir.” He sometimes performed blessings for animals.

The sobriquet, Arieh, which in Hebrew means lion, was adopted by Father Vladamir when he was living in Jerusalem as a graduate student. He had a varied and complex spiritual life, having been an Anglican priest for many years, then converting to Christian Orthodoxy, but also adopting a Jewish identity. Within the wider Orthodox Church, he controversially became known as the priest who advocated for greater recognition of the Jewish roots of Christianity, a position the Roman Catholic Church adopted during Vatican II. This earned him no small amount of opprobrium, but he was never one to back down in the face of censure. If anything, it emboldened him. He said that his theology “recognized a faith that started with Abraham and grew through the centuries through Christ." Perhaps God worked through Father Vladimir by his ability to stir things up within the church, and also by the way he touched people with his great sense of humour and often delightful nature. He was, like David, though not blameless, still “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:14).

After retirement, living far from Orthodox services in Halifax, Father Vladimir regularly attended both local Catholic and non-denominational home churches. In the home churches, he was loved and respected. He also helped serve Easter mass at St. George's Greek Orthodox church several times, and for some time, he held Orthodox services in a beautiful home chapel adjoining his house that he had specially built. He continued to visit the sick and infirm and serve mass to them when asked. In the end, his final choice to be buried in the Orthodox fashion confirmed that "he is priest for ever" (Heb 5:6).

Father Vladimir was loved by many parishioners. One said, "I'll always remember him fondly, as someone who was an important bridge in my journey in faith." He had a great sense of humour and could regale listeners for hours with stories from his life and the church. The passion with which he could express ideas was something few could match. He liked to recite certain Biblical verses with a thundering voice and great expressiveness in relation to current political events and persona. These included: "Sing to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider He hath thrown into the sea!" (Exodus 15:1:) or 1 Kings 18:40, where Elijah orders the slaying of the prophets of Baal.

Father Vladimir’s great oratory and performances as a public speaker were notable, as was his passionate stance in favour of the Canada he grew up in, desecrated (in his view) since 2015. Those who drove by his house were treated to a huge political sign against the federal government, borne of what he termed “righteous anger.”

Father Vladimir will be greatly missed by former parishioners, students, and his many friends. He was known for his great intelligence, his irreverent wit and highly entertaining sense of humour, his numerous stories, and his larger-than-life personality.

The funeral will be held Tuesday April 29th, at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, 38 Purcell’s Road, Halifax, 5 p.m. (reception afterwards), followed by a Divine Liturgy the next day, Wednesday April 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by the burial service at Pinehurst Cemetery, 3448 Highway 10, New Germany, at 2:30 p.m. Clergy from both Greek Orthodox and OCA churches will be officiating.

Donations can be made to his favourite charities: The Voice of the Martyrs, The Fellowship of Jews and Christians, and Soul's Harbour. Thank you to St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, Hermitage of the Annunciation, and Pinehurst Community Hall for generously donating their time and services.

Donations could be made to them, too, in lieu of flowers. Contact: Email Here.