Patrik Hagman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199593194
- eISBN:
- 9780191595677
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593194.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of material to better understand early Christian asceticism. The study focuses on the role of the body in ...
More
The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of material to better understand early Christian asceticism. The study focuses on the role of the body in various ascetic techniques, such as fasting, vigils and prayer, and on the way the ascetic relates to the society. For Isaac, the ascetic is to function as something like an icon, an image that showed the world the reality of God's Kingdom already in this life, by clearly indicating the difference between God's ways and men's. The study reviews the scholarly discussion on asceticism and early monasticism of the last three decades, and then proceeds to analyse the texts of Isaac to reveal an emphasis on asceticism as a practice that is at the same time performative, transformative and bodily. This contrasts with the long‐established conception of asceticism as based on a negative view of the body. Isaac displays a profound understanding of the way body and soul are related, demonstrating how the body can be used to transform the personality of the ascetic, and to communicate the change to the world, without the use of words. By giving a thorough overview of Isaac's ascetic thinking, the study brings Isaac's fresh perspective to bear on an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of the Christian tradition, showing that asceticism is and important ecclesiological theme and that a theology of asceticism should be a political theology.Less
The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of material to better understand early Christian asceticism. The study focuses on the role of the body in various ascetic techniques, such as fasting, vigils and prayer, and on the way the ascetic relates to the society. For Isaac, the ascetic is to function as something like an icon, an image that showed the world the reality of God's Kingdom already in this life, by clearly indicating the difference between God's ways and men's. The study reviews the scholarly discussion on asceticism and early monasticism of the last three decades, and then proceeds to analyse the texts of Isaac to reveal an emphasis on asceticism as a practice that is at the same time performative, transformative and bodily. This contrasts with the long‐established conception of asceticism as based on a negative view of the body. Isaac displays a profound understanding of the way body and soul are related, demonstrating how the body can be used to transform the personality of the ascetic, and to communicate the change to the world, without the use of words. By giving a thorough overview of Isaac's ascetic thinking, the study brings Isaac's fresh perspective to bear on an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of the Christian tradition, showing that asceticism is and important ecclesiological theme and that a theology of asceticism should be a political theology.
Patrik Hagman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199593194
- eISBN:
- 9780191595677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593194.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian ...
More
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian Church and the theologies of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrios of Pontos and John of Apamea, as well as the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. After this some aspects of Isaac's own theology is presented, i.e. his understanding of God as love, pedagogue and present in the world in the form of providence. Isaac's view of the devil and the demons is also discussed. The purpose of this discussion is to give the reader a sense of Isaac's particular theological worldview.Less
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian Church and the theologies of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrios of Pontos and John of Apamea, as well as the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. After this some aspects of Isaac's own theology is presented, i.e. his understanding of God as love, pedagogue and present in the world in the form of providence. Isaac's view of the devil and the demons is also discussed. The purpose of this discussion is to give the reader a sense of Isaac's particular theological worldview.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter shows that Isaac derives specific definitions for the ecstatic experience of wonder and astonishment from Syriac translations of two sources that were originally written in Greek: ...
More
This chapter shows that Isaac derives specific definitions for the ecstatic experience of wonder and astonishment from Syriac translations of two sources that were originally written in Greek: Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology and a series of Evagrian texts. The first section of this chapter concludes that Isaac uses language from the first chapter of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology in order to establish a connection between language of light and darkness and the theme of the Shekinah, on the one hand, and wonder and astonishment on the other. The second section shows that Isaac explicitly equates either wonder or astonishment with two Evagrian technical terms—“solitary knowledge” and “purity of mind”—and two Evagrian concepts—the joy that occurs during prayer and angelic visitation.Less
This chapter shows that Isaac derives specific definitions for the ecstatic experience of wonder and astonishment from Syriac translations of two sources that were originally written in Greek: Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology and a series of Evagrian texts. The first section of this chapter concludes that Isaac uses language from the first chapter of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology in order to establish a connection between language of light and darkness and the theme of the Shekinah, on the one hand, and wonder and astonishment on the other. The second section shows that Isaac explicitly equates either wonder or astonishment with two Evagrian technical terms—“solitary knowledge” and “purity of mind”—and two Evagrian concepts—the joy that occurs during prayer and angelic visitation.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter demonstrates that Isaac’s moral psychology is both an explanation of how the heavenly mysteries affect the soul and a description of how the soul helps prepare the mind for the reception ...
More
This chapter demonstrates that Isaac’s moral psychology is both an explanation of how the heavenly mysteries affect the soul and a description of how the soul helps prepare the mind for the reception of the heavenly mysteries through wonder. In formulating his moral psychology, Isaac takes bits and pieces from a number of currents already within his own tradition: he uses John the Solitary’s “three degrees” as an explanation for moral failing in the soul; he uses Evagrius’s tripartite (i.e., Platonic) theory of the soul in order to describe the constitution of the soul; and finally, he uses language borrowed from the Syriac translations of the Pseudo-Dionysian and Pseudo-Macarian corpi in order to explain how loving desire (eros) aids the soul in contemplation. Finally, Isaac’s unique contribution is his account of the soul’s impulses, which work to counteract the negative effects of the bodily senses.Less
This chapter demonstrates that Isaac’s moral psychology is both an explanation of how the heavenly mysteries affect the soul and a description of how the soul helps prepare the mind for the reception of the heavenly mysteries through wonder. In formulating his moral psychology, Isaac takes bits and pieces from a number of currents already within his own tradition: he uses John the Solitary’s “three degrees” as an explanation for moral failing in the soul; he uses Evagrius’s tripartite (i.e., Platonic) theory of the soul in order to describe the constitution of the soul; and finally, he uses language borrowed from the Syriac translations of the Pseudo-Dionysian and Pseudo-Macarian corpi in order to explain how loving desire (eros) aids the soul in contemplation. Finally, Isaac’s unique contribution is his account of the soul’s impulses, which work to counteract the negative effects of the bodily senses.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines Isaac’s synthetic account of wonder and astonishment, which makes use of all the source material discussed in the previous three chapters. According to Isaac, the human soul is ...
More
This chapter examines Isaac’s synthetic account of wonder and astonishment, which makes use of all the source material discussed in the previous three chapters. According to Isaac, the human soul is capable of processing material sensations with temporal reasoning, but it cannot process spiritual forms of knowledge. Since spiritual insights are immaterial and cannot be understood through temporal reasoning, the soul enters into a state of uncomprehending astonishment when it receives spiritual insights from divine revelation. The mind, by contrast, is capable of comprehending spiritual insights through wonder. The transition from astonishment to wonder represents the moment when a person moves from soul to mind and begins to comprehend the mysteries of the future world through ecstasy. Once people understand the mysteries of the future world, they begin to live the heavenly way of life while remaining in the material world.Less
This chapter examines Isaac’s synthetic account of wonder and astonishment, which makes use of all the source material discussed in the previous three chapters. According to Isaac, the human soul is capable of processing material sensations with temporal reasoning, but it cannot process spiritual forms of knowledge. Since spiritual insights are immaterial and cannot be understood through temporal reasoning, the soul enters into a state of uncomprehending astonishment when it receives spiritual insights from divine revelation. The mind, by contrast, is capable of comprehending spiritual insights through wonder. The transition from astonishment to wonder represents the moment when a person moves from soul to mind and begins to comprehend the mysteries of the future world through ecstasy. Once people understand the mysteries of the future world, they begin to live the heavenly way of life while remaining in the material world.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter shows that the primary source for Isaac’s eschatology is John the Solitary’s depiction of the life of the future world. According to John, transformation in the future world represents ...
More
This chapter shows that the primary source for Isaac’s eschatology is John the Solitary’s depiction of the life of the future world. According to John, transformation in the future world represents the fulfillment of God’s promise of future glory and forms the basis of the hope that should define the life of the monk. Isaac’s selection and use of the same Pauline biblical phrases used by John, such as “hope to come,” “way of the new life,” and “inner man,” together with John’s non-biblical serpent analogy reveals Isaac’s dependence on John’s eschatological formulations. The main difference between John and Isaac is that while John encouraged monks to obtain knowledge of the future world in order to provide them with hope amidst their current struggles, Isaac explicitly states that perfect Christians can experience the transformation of the future world while still in this world.Less
This chapter shows that the primary source for Isaac’s eschatology is John the Solitary’s depiction of the life of the future world. According to John, transformation in the future world represents the fulfillment of God’s promise of future glory and forms the basis of the hope that should define the life of the monk. Isaac’s selection and use of the same Pauline biblical phrases used by John, such as “hope to come,” “way of the new life,” and “inner man,” together with John’s non-biblical serpent analogy reveals Isaac’s dependence on John’s eschatological formulations. The main difference between John and Isaac is that while John encouraged monks to obtain knowledge of the future world in order to provide them with hope amidst their current struggles, Isaac explicitly states that perfect Christians can experience the transformation of the future world while still in this world.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter shows that Isaac derives his conceptual framework for the concept of ecstasy, along with the technical terms wonder and astonishment, from sources that were originally written in Syriac. ...
More
This chapter shows that Isaac derives his conceptual framework for the concept of ecstasy, along with the technical terms wonder and astonishment, from sources that were originally written in Syriac. In particular, both Ephrem and John the Solitary situate wonder and astonishment within the framework of the future world, which means that Isaac’s desire to frame wonder and astonishment in terms of the mind’s ability to wander into heaven and acquire knowledge of the future world demonstrates his dependence on a trajectory of thought that arises from these two authors. Isaac, however, offers the distinct contribution of describing this connection between wonder and knowledge of the future world with the language of itinerancy. According to Isaac, perfect Christians obtain heavenly knowledge during the moment of prayer, when their minds become itinerant and wander into heaven in order to receive a pledge of the heavenly mysteries from the Holy Spirit.Less
This chapter shows that Isaac derives his conceptual framework for the concept of ecstasy, along with the technical terms wonder and astonishment, from sources that were originally written in Syriac. In particular, both Ephrem and John the Solitary situate wonder and astonishment within the framework of the future world, which means that Isaac’s desire to frame wonder and astonishment in terms of the mind’s ability to wander into heaven and acquire knowledge of the future world demonstrates his dependence on a trajectory of thought that arises from these two authors. Isaac, however, offers the distinct contribution of describing this connection between wonder and knowledge of the future world with the language of itinerancy. According to Isaac, perfect Christians obtain heavenly knowledge during the moment of prayer, when their minds become itinerant and wander into heaven in order to receive a pledge of the heavenly mysteries from the Holy Spirit.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter considers the theological milieu that informs Isaac’s protological narrative, which in turn, informs his eschatology. Isaac’s protology is influenced by the infantile Adam tradition ...
More
This chapter considers the theological milieu that informs Isaac’s protological narrative, which in turn, informs his eschatology. Isaac’s protology is influenced by the infantile Adam tradition begun by Theodore of Mopsuestia, but preserved in the extant Syriac tradition by Narsai. According to both Theodore and Narsai, God intentionally created Adam in a mortal state so that Adam could pursue immortality through a process of maturation from infant to adult. Isaac repeats this position and cites Theodore as a source, but he also adds a unique ascetical component from Pseudo-Macarius. In particular, he says that the bodily labor assigned to Adam as a consequence of the fall has become the primary means by which human beings undergo the maturation process. Since the time of Christ, this bodily labor has taken on the form of monastic asceticism, which Isaac describes with “cultivation” language inspired by the Syriac version of the Pseudo-Macarian corpus.Less
This chapter considers the theological milieu that informs Isaac’s protological narrative, which in turn, informs his eschatology. Isaac’s protology is influenced by the infantile Adam tradition begun by Theodore of Mopsuestia, but preserved in the extant Syriac tradition by Narsai. According to both Theodore and Narsai, God intentionally created Adam in a mortal state so that Adam could pursue immortality through a process of maturation from infant to adult. Isaac repeats this position and cites Theodore as a source, but he also adds a unique ascetical component from Pseudo-Macarius. In particular, he says that the bodily labor assigned to Adam as a consequence of the fall has become the primary means by which human beings undergo the maturation process. Since the time of Christ, this bodily labor has taken on the form of monastic asceticism, which Isaac describes with “cultivation” language inspired by the Syriac version of the Pseudo-Macarian corpus.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The conception and development of wonder and astonishment is one of Isaac’s most influential contributions to Syriac theology. The conclusion briefly points to areas where further study will reveal ...
More
The conception and development of wonder and astonishment is one of Isaac’s most influential contributions to Syriac theology. The conclusion briefly points to areas where further study will reveal the depth of influence that Isaac’s use of the terms wonder and astonishment have had on later Syriac authors. In particular, the conclusion examines areas where Isaac’s conception of wonder and astonishment influenced two eighth-century East-Syriac authors who had recourse to his texts: John Dalyatha and Joseph Hazzaya. First, this chapter points out that John and Joseph follow Isaac in connecting wonder with the cessation of impulses. In addition, John Dalyatha manifests a linguistic dependence on Isaac with his use of the constellation of the terms astonishment, wonder, silence, and limit, while Joseph Hazzaya depends on Isaac in connecting wonder with both study and tears.Less
The conception and development of wonder and astonishment is one of Isaac’s most influential contributions to Syriac theology. The conclusion briefly points to areas where further study will reveal the depth of influence that Isaac’s use of the terms wonder and astonishment have had on later Syriac authors. In particular, the conclusion examines areas where Isaac’s conception of wonder and astonishment influenced two eighth-century East-Syriac authors who had recourse to his texts: John Dalyatha and Joseph Hazzaya. First, this chapter points out that John and Joseph follow Isaac in connecting wonder with the cessation of impulses. In addition, John Dalyatha manifests a linguistic dependence on Isaac with his use of the constellation of the terms astonishment, wonder, silence, and limit, while Joseph Hazzaya depends on Isaac in connecting wonder with both study and tears.
Jason Scully
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198803584
- eISBN:
- 9780191842009
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198803584.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book demonstrates that Isaac’s eschatology is an original synthesis based on ideas garnered from a distinctively Syriac cultural milieu. This cultural milieu includes ideas adapted from Syriac ...
More
This book demonstrates that Isaac’s eschatology is an original synthesis based on ideas garnered from a distinctively Syriac cultural milieu. This cultural milieu includes ideas adapted from Syriac authors like Ephrem, John the Solitary, and Narsai, but also ideas adapted from the Syriac versions of texts originally written in Greek, like Evagrius’s Gnostic Chapters, Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology, and the Pseudo-Macarian homilies. Isaac’s eschatological synthesis of this material is a sophisticated discourse on the psychological transformation that occurs when the mind has an experience of God. It begins with the premise that asceticism was part of God’s original plan for creation. Isaac says that God created human beings with infantile knowledge and that God intended from the beginning for Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden. Once outside the garden, human beings would have to pursue mature knowledge through bodily asceticism. Although perfect knowledge is promised in the future world, Isaac also believes that human beings can experience a proleptic taste of this future perfection. Isaac employs the concepts of wonder and astonishment in order to explain how an ecstatic experience of the future world is possible within the material structures of this world. According to Isaac, astonishment describes the moment when a person arrives at the threshold of eschatological perfection but is still unable to comprehend the heavenly mysteries, while wonder describes spiritual comprehension of heavenly knowledge through the intervention of divine grace.Less
This book demonstrates that Isaac’s eschatology is an original synthesis based on ideas garnered from a distinctively Syriac cultural milieu. This cultural milieu includes ideas adapted from Syriac authors like Ephrem, John the Solitary, and Narsai, but also ideas adapted from the Syriac versions of texts originally written in Greek, like Evagrius’s Gnostic Chapters, Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology, and the Pseudo-Macarian homilies. Isaac’s eschatological synthesis of this material is a sophisticated discourse on the psychological transformation that occurs when the mind has an experience of God. It begins with the premise that asceticism was part of God’s original plan for creation. Isaac says that God created human beings with infantile knowledge and that God intended from the beginning for Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden. Once outside the garden, human beings would have to pursue mature knowledge through bodily asceticism. Although perfect knowledge is promised in the future world, Isaac also believes that human beings can experience a proleptic taste of this future perfection. Isaac employs the concepts of wonder and astonishment in order to explain how an ecstatic experience of the future world is possible within the material structures of this world. According to Isaac, astonishment describes the moment when a person arrives at the threshold of eschatological perfection but is still unable to comprehend the heavenly mysteries, while wonder describes spiritual comprehension of heavenly knowledge through the intervention of divine grace.
