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 »
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 »
Saint Clement of Alexandria spoke of the Father as God beyond God, transcending all, the Son as God within God embracing all as God in all, and the Holy Spirit as God beside God, proceeding from God to abide with God as God in all through all. For Clement, there was no division between the unseen God beyond God and… Read more »
Icons of the Dormition bear witness to the mystery of glorification as does the mature wisdom of the Apostle Paul. Orthodox wisdom is the secret and hidden wisdom of God which discerns the glory of the age to come, the glory of the crucified Lord of glory who glorifies elders and saints. (1 Cor 2: 6-16) This wisdom of the… Read more »
Wisdom in the desert is timeless flame, since every day is equivalent to any day in the Name, which begins where it ends and ends where it begins. The step back of true turning awakens the heart to the consuming fire of uncreated energy, which sees union of seer and seen in the Name. The uncreated river of fire is… Read more »
According to the Sage Heraclitus, the hidden harmony of the incomprehensible LOGOS is back-turning like the lyre and perhaps also back-stretched like the bow. The desert embraced the wisdom of the Sage of Ephesus, which distinguishes between a rationally comprehensible logic which goes out in a straight line, and the incomprehensible gnomic LOGOS which turns us round, endowing us with… Read more »
The Apostle Paul says that he heard ineffable words when he was caught up in paradise and experienced revelation of unutterable glory (2 Cor 12:2-4). Hesychasts know that the Holy Name is an ‘ineffable word’ of the eternal Word when it reveals God in glory in the midst. But they also know that the words they use to communicate this… Read more »
The Son of Man partakes in what is ours so that the Son of God can give us what is his. Saint Symeon the New Theologian says the Son of God raises us to what is his by regenerating us in the Holy Spirit in his Kingdom. He opens us to the grace of the glory of his Kingdom by… Read more »
