Archimandrite Sophrony

A direct experience of God’s presence, identified as “uncreated light” is found in the theophanic experiences. In this “mystical realism”  of the divine-human communion, God is manifesting Himself as absolutely transcendent and immanent at the same time.  This theological description of the light of Christ’s Face, consisting in different views of God, is a theology of facts. Such an “aesthetics of apophaticism” (the beauty of the body, participating in the light of grace) “visible” in the bodies of ascetics, a theology of “brightness”, may explain, also, the spirituality of light founded in the contemporary monastic theology (Seraphim of Sarov, Siluan the Athonite, Sophrony Sakharov or Paisios the Athonite). Anthropo-phanie as “aesthetics of apophaticism”, i.e. theophanic experience of the past and present “Holy Fathers”, is also reflected in mystical theology of Father Stăniloae by: 1) “intermediary apophaticism” 2) “transfiguration” of the heart 3) “blazing face” of man 4) “Face of Christ” (divine energies, irradiated in His human face).

The purpose of this thesis is to compare the experience of Godforsakenness, described by Elder Sophrony (+1993), and the Dark Night in the writings of the 16th century Carmelite monk, John of the Cross (1542-1591). Hieromonk Nicholas (Sakharov), in his study of Elder Sophrony I Love Therefore I Am, suggests such a comparison and this suggestion forms the impetus for the greater exploration conducted within the present thesis. Elder Sophrony represents one of the most articulate voices of the Orthodox Patristic tradition in our present times. Elder Sophrony speaks from his own experience of Godforsakenness with eyes transformed by his vision of Christ in Glory. Likewise, John of the Cross bases his teachings on the Dark Night largely on his own experience, but framed within a tradition quite different from Elder Sophrony. John of the Cross represents a long line of medieval Mystics, including Meister Eckhert and Francisco de Osuna, who were shaped largely by their late medieval interpretation of Aristotle, Augustine and Dionysius.
While a host of related sources surround such an examination, the present study will focus predominantly on the following primary sources: John of the Cross’ Ascent to Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul and Elder Sophrony’s Saint Silouan the Athonite, On Prayer, We Shall See Him As He Is, and Striving for Knowledge of God. Secondary sources will serve chiefly to clarify the teachings of John of the Cross and Elder Sophrony. Encounters with both the Dark Night and Godforsakenness are common to the experience of every Christian. Therefore, knowledge of the respective teachings regarding these events and how they relate to Christian spiritual life is essential.

This article explores the sense of John the Evangelist's expression God is Light (1 Jn 1:5) in the Orthodox tradition, both in the experience of mystics and its theological ramifications. in Orthodox liturgical services. Beyond a metaphorical expression or a psychological experience, God as Light, often called the "Uncreated Light," in Orthodox theology is considered an experience of the divine energies, as distinct from the divine essence, a theology elaborated notably by Gregory Palamas (1296-1359), and is a foretaste of union with God, "deification" or theosis.

The present study focuses on the will of God with special emphasis on the teaching of contemporary Orthodox ascetics. Those included as the primary sources material for the study are as follows: St. Silouan the Athonite, Elder Sophrony of Essex, St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalivia and Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica. While the study primarily draws upon and focuses on the writings of these teachers in order to formulate a practical and unified theological vision of God's will, it also takes into consideration the writings of other earlier saints directly related to the subject. This second category of source material includes Sts. Barsanuphius, John the Prophet, and Abba Dorotheos of Gaza (Obedience and the Will of God), as well as St. Symeon the New Theologian (Spiritual Fatherhood) and St. John of Kronstadt (Prayer). In terms of content, the study attempts to come to terms with the following questions: What is the essence of the Divine commandments and what does obedience to the will of God entail? (Chapter 2) What roles do the spiritual father and the priest play in revealing God's will? (Chapter 3) What is the nature and extent of human freedom? (Chapter 5) How do the will of man and the will of God interact and resolve in prayer? (Chapter 6) And finally, what does “calling” both signify and result in as personal conformity to God's will? (Chapter 7) This study attempts to address these questions by locating them within the greater context of God's will as revealed in Christ and in the Bible. (Chapter 1) But also, by carefully considering how these issues shape and form the Christian meaning of faith and humility. (Chapter 4) The entire theological discussion revolves around an important patristic distinction between God's will by concession (κατὰ συγχώρησιν) and God's primary will (κατ᾽ εὐδοκίαν). It is because of this very distinction that man's freedom is real, allowing for the possibility of evil. As the ascetics and Fathers have it, God's will by concession constitutes all things which happen by means of His permission, while God's primary will is His ultimate plan for humanity and creation put forth in Christ. But in order to be reborn in Christ as a part of God's primary will, man must first put the old man, along with his fallen will, to death. The conclusion of the study therefore points to God's will as the great mystery of man in Christ, which itself constitutes the ultimate eschatological culmination of all existence. The will of God in Christ is the reason man was created, it is the resolution of all problems and dilemmas, and it is the ultimate meaning of life itself.
Η παρούσα εργασία επικεντρώνεται στο ζήτημα του θελήματος του Θεού με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στη διδασκαλία σύγχρονων ορθόδοξων ασκητών. Τα συγγράμματα που αποτελούν το πηγαίο υλικό για τη διατριβή ανήκουν στους ακόλουθους ασκητές: Άγιο Σιλουανό τον Αθωνίτη, Γέροντα Σωφρόνιο Σαχάρωφ, Άγιο Πορφύριο τον Καυσοκαλυβίτη και Γέροντα Θαδδαίο της Βιτόβνιτσα. Παρόλο που η διατριβή κυρίως αντλεί και επικεντρώνεται στα παραπάνω συγγράμματα για να διαμορφώσει μια πρακτική και ενιαία θεολογική προσέγγιση στο ζήτημα του θελήματος του Θεού, ταυτόχρονα λαμβάνει υπ’ όψιν συγγράμματα προγενέστερων αγίων που σχετίζονται με το θέμα. Αυτή η δεύτερη κατηγορία πηγαίου υλικού περιλαμβάνει τον Άγιο Βαρσανούφριο, τον Ιωάννη τον Προφήτη, τον Αββά Δωρόθεο της Γάζας (η υπακοή και το θέλημα του Θεού), καθώς επίσης τον Συμεών τον Νέο Θεολόγο (πνευματική πατρότητα) και τον Άγιο Ιωάννη της Κροστάνδης (προσευχή). Αναφορικά με το περιεχόμενό η εργασία διαπραγματεύεται τα ακόλουθα ερωτήματα: Ποιά είναι η πεμπτουσία των θείων εντολών και σε τί συνίσταται η υπακοή στο θείο θέλημα (κεφάλαιο 2); Ποιός είναι ο ρόλος και η συμβολή του πνευματικού πατέρα και του ιερέα στην αποκάλυψη του προσωπικού θελήματος του Θεού (κεφάλαιο 3); Ποιά η φύση και το εύρος της ανθρώπινης ελευθερίας (κεφάλαιο 5); Με ποιόν τρόπο η ανθρώπινη και η θεία θέληση αλληλεπιδρούν και ευθυγραμμίζονται δια μέσου της προσευχής (κεφάλαιο 6); Και τέλος, με ποιόν τρόπο η «κλήση» υποδηλώνει και οδηγεί σε μια προσωπική συνάντηση με το θείο θέλημα (κεφάλαιο 7); H παρούσα μελέτη αποπειράται να καταπιαστεί με αυτές τις ερωτήσεις τοποθετώντας τες μέσα στο γενικότερο πλαίσιο του θείου θελήματος, όπως αυτό αποκαλύπτεται εν Χριστώ και στην Αγία Γραφή (κεφάλαιο 1). Λαμβάνει επίσης υπ’ όψιν τον τρόπο που τα παραπάνω θέματα διαμορφώνουν το χριστιανικό περιεχόμενο της πίστης και της ταπείνωσης (κεφάλαιο 4). Ολόκληρη η θεολογική συζήτηση της μελέτης περιστρέφεται γύρω από μια σημαντική πατερική διάκριση, αυτήν μεταξύ του κατ’ ευδοκίαν και του κατά παραχώρησιν θείου θελήματος. Είναι λόγω αυτής της πραγματικότητας, που υποδηλώνεται από την παραπάνω διάκριση, που η ανθρώπινη ελευθερία είναι πραγματική, κάτι που επιτρέπει και την επιλογή του κακού. Σύμφωνα με τους ασκητές και τους Πατέρες το κατά παραχώρησιν θείο θέλημα συνίσταται σε αυτά που συμβαίνουν με την παραχώρηση-άδεια του Θεού, ενώ το κατ’ ευδοκίαν θείο θέλημα είναι το απώτερο θέλημά Του για την ανθρωπότητα και την κτίση, όπως αποτυπώνεται στο σωτηριώδες έργο του Χριστού. Για να αναγεννηθεί κάποιος εν Χριστώ στο πλαίσιο του κατ’ ευδοκίαν θείου θελήματος πρέπει πρώτα να νεκρώσει τον παλαιό άνθρωπο με το μεταπτωτικό του θέλημα. Ο επίλογος της μελέτης υποδεικνύει το θείο θέλημα ως το μέγα μυστήριο του ανθρώπου εν Χριστώ, το οποίο αποτελεί την απώτερη εσχατολογική ανακεφαλαίωση κάθε ύπαρξης. Το θέλημα του Θεού εν Χριστώ είναι ο λόγος της δημιουργίας του ανθρώπου, είναι η επίλυση όλων των προβλημάτων και διλημμάτων και είναι η ύστατη σημασία αυτής της ίδιας της ζωής.

The story of Estonian Orthodoxy, as often told through the narrative of collective trauma, is not homogeneous and uncontested. The coexistence of two Orthodox communities in present day Estonia, each insisting on exclusive canonical legitimacy and holding different views of the past, the incomplete work of transitional justice and the untold story of political collaboration appear as irreconcilable differences that challenge the ideals of Christian unity. In order to address these unresolved problems of a traumatic past, the paper will turn to the ascetic theology of the Orthodox saints of the 20th century St Silouan (1866-1938) and St Sophrony Sakharov (1896-1993) and to the musical oeuvres of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935). The approach of these Orthodox ascetics, the article argues, provides an important perspective on Christian mission in a wounded world.

The conference aims to explore the divergent progressions of thought from late 19 th century Russian 'traditionalism' towards a (re)discovery of the universal dimension of the Christianity of the Fathers in the 20 th century; from the narrow constraints of the Russian Academy to an openness towards some more fertile currents of Western thought; from a Russian 'fin de siècle' fascination with non-Christian oriental mysticism to Eastern Orthodox hypostatic prayer within an ascesis of deified personhood. Papers should bring together theological analyses of the interrelation and mutual dependence of these trains of thought within Russian Orthodoxy. This includes but is not limited to the role of sophiology in creating an interface between modernity, traditional approaches to iconography, Biblical exegesis and interpretations of the Fathers. The interrelated theological legacies of Fr. Regula Zwahlen. The conference will include a concert and exhibition that seek to illustrate the principal theological themes. Please note that the full attendance fee for a 2-day conference is £85 (£70 with student discount). Bursaries may be available for some speakers. Bookings can be made now on the online shop, which can be found here: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-theology-and-religion/events/conference-unfading-light-creativity-and-prayer-in-20th-century-russian-orthodoxy We welcome proposals of no more than 300 words. Researchers of all stages as well as postgraduates are encouraged to apply. All conference correspondence, abstracts and enquiries should be addressed to the organising committee at the following email address: ROC@theology.ox.ac.uk Deadline for proposals is 2 nd January 2019. Decisions will be announced in later that month.