Grace reveals the glory of Christ in his unveiled Face in the light of the Holy Spirit, restoring glory to the Father which restores the vainglory of warring nationalistic hells to the true glory of hallowed, harmonious heavens on earth. The glory of this grace is wisdom’s joy, not the wisdom of a speculative sophiological Sophia, such as we find in… Read more »
The origins of the renewal of Neopatristic Hesychasm in modern times lie back in the publication of the Greek Philokalia by Saint Macarius and Saint Nicodemos in 1782, but the Orthodox tradition of Patristic Hesychasm itself goes back at least fifteen hundred years before that, to the Desert Fathers of Syria in the second and third centuries and of Egypt in the… Read more »
When the Jesus Prayer is prayed three times, it becomes an invocation of the twelve letter Name, YHWH, YHWH, YHWH, as in the Priestly Name Blessing. ‘YHWH bless you and keep you. YHWH make his Face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. YHWH lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace’ (Number 6: 24-26). The four letter… Read more »
The prayer of the Spirit in the heart is unceasing but unnoticed until wisdom discerns glory in enlightened vision (theoria). The Jesus prayer contains two divine Names, Lord (YHWH) and Jesus (YAH shuah), but the third revelatory Name, ‘I AM,’ (EHYEH), is implicit, because when it is God who speaks, the two third person Names, YHWH and YAH, are both revelations… Read more »
Desert stillness centres on the Jesus Prayer, which is the fulcrum of blessing and mercy. The rabbis had invoked the Name as blessing and mercy, so when Jews acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, when they began invoking the Name of Jesus, which contained the divine Name YAH, they were invoking God’s Name of blessing and mercy. Like jewish liturgy, Christian liturgy centres… Read more »
Desert Hesychasts pray the prayer of the Name of Jesus which contains at its heart the revelation of God’s Name above all names. This desert tradition of Name hallowing is founded upon the prophetic theophanies that graciously glorified God in his Name, revealing the Kingdom of coming glory. Biblical tradition grounds Hesychast wisdom in the theophany of the Burning Bush in the Sinai… Read more »
The wisdom of completeness descends to anoint ascending incompleteness, saving hearts from delusion and protecting them from distraction, securing them in the Kingdom of the hallowing Name. Wisdom whispers to the troubled heart, turn and see, you who seek wisdom. Listen to wisdom, you who have ears to hear. Become by grace who ‘I AM’ by nature, you who awaken to… Read more »
The Hesychast wisdom of stillness points beyond the world’s strident exteriors to the timeless presence of God in his Name. The Hesychast poetics of prophecy regenerates the degenerated imagination, purifying old prophetic symbolism in the uncreated energies of wisdom and glory, radicalising its prophetic power to awaken the heart, sustaining pure prayer of the Spirit in the midst. Invisible angels listen… Read more »
Saint Sophrony the Hesychast, canonised by the Patriarch of Constantinople on November 27th 2019, completes what he calls his Confession and Spiritual Autobiography (‘We shall see him as he is.’ 1988) with witness to the Name ‘I AM.’ “Now, O my Christ, in Thee and by Thee…Now – I am” (‘We shall see him’ p 234). This witness cost him… Read more »
The Apostle says God makes his mysteries known to the saints in all wisdom and insight (Ephesians 1:8). Insightful wisdom reveals the union of all things in heaven and earth in Christ, the fulfilment of consummate completeness sealed by the Holy Spirit for the glorification of the saints. Desert Hesychasm is a silent witness to the Spirit’s unceasing prayer of… Read more »