"Is the Orthodox
(Byzantine) Path to Wisdom
Still Viable Today?"
by Jean-Michel Sourd
In our presentation tonight we will not try to describe Orthodox
Christian Philosophy history that took place in the Byzantine Empire from the 9th
century to the 15th century, but we will try to focus on two
possible application of an Orthodox Christian philosophy in our daily lives by
using reflections made by contemporary Christian Orthodox philosophers in the
light of several Byzantine thinkers such as St. Maximus the Confessor.
1)
An Orthodox Philosophy of Education
First of all as educationist I believe this topic is quite important in the principle of my profession as a teacher.
The
Russian Orthodox philosopher, Paul Evdokimov, wrote, "the
educational concern of Christifying rational life, the saturation of every
domain by the light of Christ, a saturation that is inherent to the Christian
faith, derives organically from Christian anthropology." This statement
will serve as our guiding principle in this exposition of an Orthodox
Christian philosophy
of education.
We
will begin with the last phrase of his statement first and ask with Hamlet,
"...what is this quintessence of dust?" Aristotle believed that man
is "the political animal," David Hume that "they are nothing but
a bundle or collection of different perceptions," Jean-Paul Sartre that
"man is freedom." The Christian tradition, of course, has answered
this question in various ways: man and woman are "made in the image and
likeness" of God; man and woman are the harmony of body, soul and spirit;
man and woman are "a little lower than the angels;" man and woman are
vapor; man and woman are gods. However, says Father Alexander Schmemann,
"the first, the basic definition of man is that he is the priest."
That is, "he stands in the center of the world and unifies it in his act
of blessing God." That the human being is priest who unifies the cosmos
derives from the mystery of Christ: "He has made known to us his hidden
purpose...to be put into effect when the time was ripe: namely, that the
universe, all in heaven and earth, might be brought into a unity in
Christ." Indeed, "Christ is all and in all."
This
brings us to the preceding phrase of Evdokimov's statement, "the
saturation of every domain by the light of Christ, a saturation that is
inherent to the Christian faith." The mystery is that the transcendent
Word is also the one in whom "all the principles of things both are and
subsist as one in an incomprehensible simplicity" (St. Maximus the
Confessor). St. Maximus says that the created logoi (principles) of all things have their
source, meaning, and plenitude in the diving Logos, "by whom all things
were made." Therefore, comprehending a cosmos (and above all, man, the
microcosmos) that is saturated "by the light of Christ" is communion
with Christ. Herein lies the secret to the priesthood of all humanity.
Humanity, through its apprehension of both the created and the uncreated,
serves as the portal through which the cosmos passes on its way to
transfiguration.
Finally,
we come to Evdokimov's opening phrase, "the educational concern of
Christifying rational life." For the rational faculties of human beings to
be effective, they must be "Christified;" for, they are apprehending
a world that is Christified. This is the educational concern of the Orthodox
Church, to bring the rational mind into a state of Christification so that the
cosmic book of revelation may be read rightly. Indeed, "To be saved...we
must look at the world with wonder, gratefully receiving it anew, with its
mysterious promise of the infinite. Everything-the world, history, other people
and myself-can be a source of revelation, because through everything we can
discern, like a watermark, the face of the risen Christ" (Olivier
Clement).
The
Christification of the rational mind is accomplished by study within the
context of the mysteries of the Church. That is, it is accomplished by God's
grace. Study itself becomes a sacrament of the human priesthood in which
intelligible and sensible things are brought into unity and offered to God with
thanksgiving. We see then that scholarship is inseparable from the Holy Table.
The grains of comprehension are harvested, processed, formed and offered as prosphora
(The word prosphora denotes the bread which is brought
to the Church as an offering for use in the preparation of the Holy Gifts for
Holy Communion). The
grapes of ripened understanding are squeezed, aged and poured out as fragrant
wine. The fruits of our rational labor then become pleasing to God.
"...what
is this quintessence of dust?" Though not the answer he sought, we will
let Hamlet answer his own question: humanity is "the beauty of the
world." "The condition of the cosmos, its transparence or its
opaqueness to the divine light, depends on the transparence or opaqueness of
humanity itself" (Olivier Clement). Thus did the Lord say, "The light
of the body is the eye. Therefore, if your eye be single, your whole body will
be enlightened. But if your eye be evil, your whole body will be in darkness."
For the world is a man (St. Maximus) whose potential personhood (hypostasis) is
found in each person (Vladimir Lossky). The "single eye" is
the Christified mind which allows the light of Christ to shine upon the world.
It is the purpose of education to make the eye single, to Christify the mind so
that all creation may be transfigured by the light of Christ.
2)
Christian Orthodox Philosophy:
a personal psychotherapy.
The important message is that the church can heal an ailing
personality. The term "Orthodox
Psychotherapy" does not refer to specific cases of people suffering
from psychological problems of neurosis. Rather it refers to all people.
According to Orthodox Tradition, after Adam’s fall man became ill; his
"nous" (the spiritual capacity for Divine
apprehension) was darkened and lost communion with God. Death entered into the
person's being and caused many anthropological, social, even ecological
problems. In the tragedy of his fall man maintained the image of God within him
but lost completely the likeness of Him, since his communion with God was
disrupted. However the incarnation of Christ and the work of the church aim at
enabling the person to attain to the likeness of God, that is to re-establish
communion with God. This passage way from a fallen state to divinisation is
called the healing of the person, because it is connected with his return from
a state of being contrary to nature, to that of a state according to nature and
above nature. By adhering to Orthodox therapeutic treatment as conceived by the
Holy Fathers of Church man can cope successfully with his thoughts (logismoi) and thus solve his problems completely and
comprehensively.
The Orthodox
Psychotherapy gives the opportunity to the people to indulge in the
great theme on the therapy of the soul, which consists of the purification of
the soul, illumination and Theosis, using the patristic terms. Existential therapy is a process of
personal introspection and change, interpersonal communal solidarity,
culminating in Theanthropic communion Approaching the subject through the
teachings of the fathers it helps us to comprehend what the soul is, how it is
connected with the body-- how the passions act both physical and spiritual --
how one can attain Knowledge of God, how man in the image of God attain to the
Likeness. One can identifies the salvific healing hesychastic process as the fundamental purpose of the
Faith here. Hesychasm,
(Hesychasts (hesychastes -- quietist) were people, nearly all monks,
who defended the theory that it is possible by an elaborate system of
asceticism, detachment from earthly cares, submission to an approved master,
prayer, especially perfect repose of body and will, to see a mystic light;
which is none other than the uncreated light of God) rather than a facet of Orthodox theology,
is presented as the embodiment of its sacred tradition. In this matter, the new
definition of the Church is viewed as spiritual hospital is of its role proper,
rather than a quaint analogy. Within this vessel is undertaken the arduous task
of spiritual healing, patients diagnosed being without exception suffering from
the malady of the Fall.
Ideally, the ordained clergy can fill the role of therapist,
imparting as deacons, priests, and bishops correspondent guidance toward
purification, illumination, and glorification. This ideal is often unmet,
however, and while even unworthy priests may celebrate the Liturgy, calling on
the Holy Spirit as the people's voice, they cannot act as spiritual guide or
healer by virtue of office. The 'royal priesthood' like it is called by Bishop
Hierotheos Vlachos, in his book about Orhodox Psychotherapy includes all the
baptized who can act legitimately as priestly therapists given the other
requisite credentials and gifts. I questioned myself regarding logistical practicalities
of treatment, how hesychasm could be realized by the masses of Orthodox Christians living, say,
in urban settings in the post-industrial West or global Asian cities such as
Singapore or Hong Kong. It seems that recitation of the prayer of the heart
need not be confined to a cell to derive benefit, but can be undertaken while
driving or riding the bus, or on break from work. Novices might set a modest
goal to pray 30 minutes twice daily and all should be realistic in their
discipline.
Beyond
the case for therapy as appropriate ecclesiastic model, we have to deal, with
the nature of the soul, or the 'psyche' to be treated, as the next most crucial
to a contextual understanding. 'Soul' is conceded as a Platonic convention
admissible as Christian figure of speech only provisionally. Not entirely
adequate to describe Christian spiritual beliefs, neither is 'psyche' without
theological ambiguities. The difficulty with such terms is that, taken too
literally, or with philosophic or psychological uses intact, they suggest mind
and spirit are somehow aside from the self. This conflicts with the aim of the
Church's traditional hesychastic healing approach to the whole person. The ancient
fathers were so biased against philosophy to refuse to trade on its terminology.
Human language is limited in its efforts to explain the eternal mysteries, but
the ancient fathers preference is to opt for the term 'nous' as most viable in describing the
spiritual capacity for Divine apprehension. The 'purification' of the soul is
in essence a clarification of this faculty, lost by way of the fall, and likely
damaged through a lifetime of choices motivated by self-love rather than
compassion. The nous,
is the organ and perceptual capacity specifically treated through Orthodox
Psychotherapy.
Through hesychastic treatment, prayer restores this faculty, which rests in the
heart. The words of Christ are thus fulfilled, that it is the pure in heart who
will see Him. And to see Him, isn’t it the path to wisdom, from a
Christian philosophical point of view?
Saint Maximus The Confessor (around 580 – 662) Simple monk and
theologian, he wrote comments on the Fathers of the Church and numerous
dissertations on liturgy and
theology, especially against the heresy of one single nature in Christ.
Paul Evdokimov (1901-1970), Russian theologian. As a layman, he tried
to combine the thoughts of the ancient Fathers, the reflections of contemporary
Russian philosophers (Berdiaev and Boulgakov) and Western thingking. He was
professor of Patristic and theology at St. Serge Orthodox Institute in Paris.
Alexander
Schmemann (1921-1983) a leading Russian Orthodox theologian influential in U.S.
church life in the cause of religious freedom in the Soviet Union and in the
world-wide ecumenical movement. Schmemann was a friend and spiritual counselor
to author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who was expelled from the Soviet Union in the
1970s. Schmemann was an adjunct professor at Columbia and New York universities
and at Union and General theological seminaries in New York City. He was also
dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y. Committed to the
rights of believers in the Soviet Union, Schmemann for more than 30 years had
broadcast sermons in Russian to the Soviet Union over Radio Liberty.
Olivier Clement, Historian of Christian Orthodoxy, theologian and
layman, Professor at St. Serge Orthodox Institute in Paris. He is specialized
on ecumenical issues.
Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958) Son of the Russian philosopher Nicolas
Lossky. Disciple of French medieval historian Etienne Gilson, he is a leader of
the “neo-patristic” research. He was living in Paris.
Hierotheos Vlachos, Archimandrite Spiritual father in the diocese of
Athens, Greece. Writer of numerous books about Christian Orthodoxy especially:
“Orthodox Psychotherapy; The Science of the
Fathers »