John Climacus: From the Egyptian Desert to the Sinaite Mountain

Rating:
Summary: A Difficult Saint's Thought Pleasantly Explained
Review: In this book, Greek Orthodox theologian and professor John Chryssavgis carefully explains the life and thought of seventh century St. John Climacus of Sinai in a way that makes the saint's thought understandable and pleasant to read.

John of Climacus's writing is beautiful and deep, and his work remarkable for the seventh century desert, but the asceticism of his monastic culture is often an obstacle to the appreciation of his theology. For example, in his book "The Ladder of Divine Ascent", John described a "prison" at an Alexandrian monastery as something that impressed him (Ladder, Step 5), whereas one modern critic said the same "prison" sounded like "a badly run psychiatric institution" (as quoted in Bp. Kallistos Ware's "Introduction" to "The Ladder" in the Classics of Western Spirituality Series). Similarly, Anglican Abp. Rowan Williams, in "Silence and Honey Cakes" (available from Amazon U.K.), wrote, "In the well-known treatise of St. John Climacus of Mount Sinai, we read things about the need for penance that can freeze the blood of a liberal modern believer. What is hard for us to grasp is that they know with utter seriousness the cost to them of their sin and selfishness and vanity, yet know that God will heal and accept."

Chryssavgis successfully takes on the challenge of presenting John's spiritual depth with minimal offense to readers who have modern cultural sensitivities. The use of footnotes is excellent, so that the body of the text flows smoothly while footnotes support each explanation with extensive quotations and references, the product of meticulous research.

Chryssavgis connects John's ideas with the writings of earlier Desert Fathers (who were the subject of his 2003 book "In the Heart of the Desert"), and with such earlier Church Fathers as Gregory of Nyssa, showing their influence on John's thinking. He reveals John as an author knowledgeable about the writings of those who came before him, and who contributed his own ideas to the development of eastern medieval theology. Chryssavgis also offers quotations from later authors, particularly Symeon the New Theologian, showing how they further developed John's ideas.

The book is organized by subject matter rather than by the order of John's steps in "The Ladder". Chryssavgis first addresses John's concept of the whole human person, including the body and flesh, the heart, and the intellect, in their natural state, as God originally created them to be. In the three chapters on that topic, Chryssavgis presents an appealing, gracious view of John. For example, concerning the heart, he writes, "Purity is the heart's natural condition, its authentic state. The `new heart' (Ezek. 18.31), which one must acquire, is a primordial one. For, when the heart is filled with iniquity, one is no longer human; one is in fact inhuman. The authentic state acquires special meaning in John's `definition of the monk: `A monk is unfailing light . . . in the heart'." (Page 96).

This explanation of John's view of humanity is attractive and understandable. This is not the side of John Climacus that could "make a modern liberal's blood freeze." There is little in the first few chapters about the austere side of John, who also wrote that "Those of us who live in community must fight by the hour against all the passions and especially against these two: a mania for gluttony and bad temper"; or who warned against "the unholy vice of self-esteem".

However, in the remaining chapters, Chryssavgis does not trivialize or avoid difficult issues. Having first unpacked John's thoughts on "the integral unity of the human person" man's interaction with God, and man's interaction with his environment, Chryssavgis then undertakes the task of revealing John's thoughts on penitence, the demonic, asceticism, and prayer in the light of John's concept of humanity.

The ascetic weeps for the world and for his own sins, as a way of life, "longing for the kingdom that was once ours but now is lost," bringing down God's grace, a "sorrow imbued with eschatological hope" in which "joy springs from sorrow. . . ." (page 159) Chryssavgis discusses the famous Alexandrian prison, John's classification of the vices, the monks' journeying into the wilderness to fight demons, "the tormenting trial of strength between good and evil" (Page 180). He explains the monk's passionate love for Christ, which John describes in erotic imagery. He explains how deep love motivates a monk's ascetic actions (Page 205).

In the final chapter, Chryssavgis beautifully unfolds John's teaching on prayer: prayer as dialogue with God; prayer as quietly waiting upon Christ, as the Spirit intercedes for us; praying with and for others; prayer involving the heart, the intellect and the body at one with God; the simplicity of praying from Scriptures; praying the name of Jesus; and praying without ceasing.

The book is an excellent discussion of the writing of a saint from a time and place that are quite difficult to relate to modern western thought. Chryssavgis's writing is accessible, never arcane. His book should be readable for people who know only a little about the Desert Fathers and the Orthodox Church, and also enjoyable for those who already know a great amount.