Saint Maximus transmitted wisdom that is “simple, radiant and complete,” embracing unity without confusion and difference without division as turning, seeing and ever-well-being. (Philokalia Vol II p 255) This principial and primordial wisdom knows that nothing can ever divide wisdom from God because there is no underlying confusion between wisdom and God. The desert transmits this primordial wisdom in the arche of… Read more »
Wisdom in the desert discerns an anarchic play of infinitely different ways of uniting and differentiating divine names and energies of glory within glorification. Wisdom also discerns an infinite variety of principled games and dances which unite difference and unity, encircling heavens within heavens, and spiralling heavens beyond heavens, in different ways. Desert elders taught there is war in heaven… Read more »
The Logos of glory is way, truth and life. As way, it inspires patriarchs and prophets, apostles and saints, imparting wisdom. As truth, it circulates unceasingly as hallowing glorification, which practices unceasing turning so as to abide in unceasing seeing. As life, the way of Logos and the Name begins with unceasing circulation of glory within glory, raising turning into… Read more »
The eye of wisdom in the desert knows the Name as Logos through the Name as Spirit, ascribing glory to the Name of God, the Father. Wilderness turns every winding way into a straight path when God the Son reveals God the Father and the Spirit bears witness to the Father through the Son. The straight path winds again in… Read more »
Saint Gregory Palamas bears witness to wisdom’s discernment of glory in circular angelic movements of illumined intelligences, all of them aware of the good and the beautiful in God in ways that are ‘without beginning and without end’, anarchois kai ateleutetois. (150 Chs: 66 p 161; Denis DN 4:8) This wisdom is able to behold glory: eis tous aionas ton aionon, ‘unto ages… Read more »
“Be not afraid, I AM the first and the last, the living One; I died and behold, I AM alive unto the ages of ages, and I have the keys of death and hades” (Rev 1:18). Many Scriptural doxologies refer to doxological time, giving glory to God ‘unto ages of ages, Amen: eis tous aionas ton aionon, Amen.’ The Septuagint readings… Read more »
Holy Tradition in the desert is a wisdom transmission of the Name, a golden chain which imparts the explicit Name, EHYEH or ‘I AM,’ in two different forms, unique and complete. The explicit Name is transmitted from elder to disciple in accordance with ‘I AM’ sayings with and without predicates in the Gospel of John. The unique Name is the… Read more »
The wisdom of the desert sees prayer of the Name as a hallowing of seven heavens which involves a harrowing of seven hells. The Name EHYEH, ‘I AM,’ was unveiled in the desert in the midst of a burning bush, symbol of uncreated transforming fire, which consumes hell’s confusions but not heaven’s sound differentiation and heals hell’s separation so as to… Read more »
Every day is the last day when glory unveils the Day of ‘I AM.’ ‘I AM’ is one, as glory is one at wisdom’s centre where all centres coincide. Wisdom’s love of liberating paradox does not attempt a rational account of glorification but offers signs, signifying not solutions to problems but mysteries of uncreated grace, indicating what reason fails to… Read more »
The Logos of glory unveils yet wisely veils the Name of God. It reveals God in his Name ‘I AM,’ but does not profane it, because Logos veils the Name from profane scrutiny. Wisdom discerns what the Logos reveals by hallowing the Name so the Kingdom comes. The Logos unveils glory by purifying the heart with uncreated fire,… Read more »
