Our Holy and God-Bearing Fathers: St. John of Damascus

 St. John of Damascus (676-749), also known as St. John Damascene or Chrysorrhoas ("streaming with gold"), served as Chief Councilor (Protosymbullus) of Damascus under Muslim rule before later retiring to live the monastic life in the Monastery of St. Sabbas near Jerusalem.  He was a prolific writer whose work was incredibly influential, even to this day.  A particularly important note about his work was his exposition of the theology underlying icons: his work was thus key to the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicea II (787).  The Eastern Church often refers to him as "the last of the Fathers," and he is a Doctor of the Church often referred to as the Doctor of the Assumption.  His feast day in both the Western and Eastern Churches is December 4, though from 1890-1969 it was celebrated on March 27 in the Western Church.

St. John was brought up under Muslim rule in Damascus, where his strong Christian family held high hereditary public office under the caliphs.  When he reached the age of 23, his father found a Sicilian monk named Cosmas among prisoners of war, and this monk became the Christian tutor of St. John and his foster-brother, St. Cosmas the Hymnographer.  St. John eventually gained a post as protosymbullus of Damascus due to the high political status of his father.

In 726, the Byzantine emperor at the time, Emperor Leo the Isaurian, released an iconoclastic edict, which made St. John furious.  The saint at that time wrote his first work, Three Apologies Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images.  The iconoclastic emperor was not pleased, so, upon finding a manuscript written by St. John, Leo forged a letter in which St. John was supposedly offering to betray the city of Damascus into the Emperor's hands.  The caliph who ruled Damascus did not accept St. John's pleas of innocence, and he punished the saint by cutting off his right hand.

To the utter shock of the caliph, St. John's hand did not stay detached: after praying before an icon of the Virgin Mary, the saint's hand was miraculously reattached.  In order to thank the Theotokos for this miracle worked through her intercession, St. John created a silver cast of his hand and attached it to the icon, thus giving the icon the name Trojeručica, or the Three-Handed Theotokos.

St. John of Damascus entreating the icon of the Theotokos for healing

Following this miracle, the caliph apologized for his false accusations, and he offered St. John his same public office.  The saint declined, though, instead retiring to the Monastery of St. Sabbas near Jerusalem, where he spent the rest of his life in fervent prayer and copious writing until his death in 749.  Shortly after his death, he was revered as a saint, and in 1883 the Holy See named him a Doctor of the Church, placing him on the universal Church calendar in 1890.

As mentioned above, St. John was a copious writer.  His first work, Three Apologies Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images, is most likely the most important work on the theology of icons, and it was highly influential for the Second Council of Nicea.  A discussion of some of his arguments, along with those of St. Theodore the Studite, can be found in an earlier post of mine.  Below is a fantastic quote on our "salvation through matter" from the first Apology:

"I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter Who became matter for my sake, Who willed to take His abode in matter; Who worked out my salvation through matter.  Never will I cease honoring the matter which wrought my salvation!  I honor it, but not as God...God's Body is God because It is joined to His Person by a union which shall never pass away" (1.16).

 Another major work of St. John's was The Fountain of Wisdom (Fountain of Knowledge), a work divided into three parts: Philosophical Chapters, Concerning Heresy (which includes one of the first Christian polemic writings against Islam, and the first from a member of the Byzantine Church), and An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (De fide orthodoxa) (the first work of Scholasticism in the Eastern Church).  The last section of this work, a summary of the dogmatic writings of the Fathers, is quoted and referenced frequently by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica.

Besides those two greatest works of his, St. John wrote many shorter works, including An Introduction to Elementary Dogmatics, On the Two Wills of Christ (written against the Monothelites), and, a work with a fascinating title, On Dragons and Ghosts.  St. John also penned the Octoechos (Οκτοηχος), the liturgical book containing the weekly variable texts in the eight tones of Byzantine Psalmody.  (St. John is considered to be the one who systematized the eight-tone system of Byzantine liturgical music.)  Among multiple canons that he wrote is a popular Paschal canon, including such wonderful prayers as these:

"Let the God-inspired Habakkuk the Prophet stand with us on the holy watch-tower.  Let him point out to the radiant Angel who proclaims with vibrant voice: 'Today, Salvation comes to the world, for Christ is risen as All-powerful!'" (Fourth Ode)

"We celebrate the very death of Death and the overthrow of Hell, and the beginning of another life, which is eternal.  Let us sing in joy to the Author of these marvels: the only blessed and most glorious God of our Fathers!" (Seventh Ode)

"Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has shone upon you.  Rejoice and be glad, O Sion, and You, O Pure One, O Mother of God, exult in the Resurrection of Your Son!" (Ninth Ode)

St. John wrote many other popular prayers, used in daily prayers and preparation for receiving the Sacred Mysteries, among other purposes.  What may be one of his most popular prayers (as a hint at its popularity, the first line is quoted in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace) is a prayer recited just before heading to bed:

"O Lord, Lover of mankind, is this bed to be my coffin, or will You enlighten my wretched soul with another day?  Here the coffin lies before me, and here death confronts me.  I fear, O Lord, Your Judgment and the endless torments; yet I cease not to do evil.  My Lord and God, I continually anger You, and Your Immaculate Mother, and all the Heavenly Powers, and my Holy Guardian Angel.  I know, O Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love, but deserve condemnation and every torment.  But, whether I want it or not, save me, O Lord.  For to save a good man is no great thing, and to have mercy on the pure is nothing wonderful, for they are worthy of Your mercy.  But show the wonder of Your mercy to me, a sinner.  In this, reveal Your love for man, lest my wickedness prevail over Your unutterable goodness and mercy.  And order my life as You will."

To end this post, let us remember with gladness our holy and God-bearing Father, St. John of Damascus, for he defended the holy images, taught us to chant joyful hymns to the Lord in sacred music, expounded the true faith, and gave us many prayers.

"Champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and true worship,

the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs:

all-wise father John, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things.

Intercede before Christ God to save our souls."

(Troparion of the Feast Day of St. John of Damascus, Tone 8)

St. John of Damascus, our holy and God-bearing Father, pray for us!

Nota Bene: Sources of information for this post included OrthodoxWiki (John of Damascus, Cosmas the Hymnographer, Octoechos) and Wikipedia (John of Damascus, Second Council of Nicea).  The quote from the Apologies comes from the translation in On the Divine Images in the St. Vladimir's Seminary Press' Popular Patristic Series.  Quotes from the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus come from the Publican's Prayer Book by the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Newton, pp. 297, 302, and 304, respectively; the prayer before bed comes from p. 68 of the same book.  The Troparion of St. John's feast day comes from his above-cited OrthodoxWiki article. 

 

Text ©2012 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.

 

Iconic Icons Supplement: Icons of the Trinity

In celebration of Trinity Sunday in the Western Church today, I decided to write a short post on the history of artistic representation of the Most Holy Trinity, especially in the East.

Nowadays, there are many representations of the Trinity showing the Three Persons as an old man (the Father), Jesus Christ, and a dove (the Holy Spirit).  Before these were in vogue, the Trinity was often depicted symbolically (especially in the Western Church) in forms such as a triangle-encased All-Seeing Eye (a symbol adapted and Christianized from ancient Egyptian symbolism that is, sadly, now usually connected with Freemasonry).  In the earliest days of the Church, though, there were no representations of the Trinity apart from the Second Person Incarnate.

Eye of God, Mission San Miguel, California (19th century)

Byzantine Psalmody: A Quick History and the Notes

Χριστος ανεστι!  Byzantine psalmody has its oldest roots in ancient Greek music, the music of modes such as Dorian, Ionian, Lydian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, etc.  (Not being versed in ancient Greek music, I cannot say any more than that.)  The main Christian roots are traditionally linked with St. Ephraim the Syrian (306-373), Doctor of the Church: some claim that he originally created Christian chant and that even Gregorian chant had its roots in his work.  No real method of Byzantine psalmody begins to be expounded in writing until St. John of Damascus (676-749), the great defender of icons.  Byzantine notation, the unique style of writing music used by Byzantine psalmody (very different from Western styles, both modern "European" notation and Gregorian chant notation), began to be written (from what we know) with the work of this great saint.  Though his system was complex, it was usable.  Over time, though, Byzantine notation became so convoluted that it was illegible: even music teachers learned and taught by ear, without even being able to understand the written music.  To counteract this mess, the "Revolution of 1814" occurred: three teachers of music, led by Chrysanthos of Madytos, overhauled and simplified Byzantine notation and psalmody to create what is called "the New Method."  By simplifying the ludicrously complex system they received, and by incorporating certain aspects of Western music, the Three Teachers (as they are called) created a system that can be fairly easily learned and taught and a notation that can even be printed on a printing press (an unfathomable notion with the previously obfuscated notation).  Since the Revolution of 1814, there have been some changes and alterations (as in almost everything), but the substance of Byzantine notation and the method of Byzantine psalmody has remained the same.

After that short history lesson (which I do not blame you if you skipped), let us begin with the notes of Byzantine psalmody.  (While there is differing terminology for these, as in most things in Byzantine psalmody, due to its original creation using the Greek language, I will utilize the term notes in this series.) 

For anyone with even minimal musical training in the Western tradition (or for anyone who's seen The Sound of Music), the solfège system should be familiar:

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do'

(This is the version I have often heard, the one used in the aforementioned musical.  Other versions use "sol" for "so" and "si" for "ti."  Also, the apostrophe just represents a repeated note one octave above the first note.)

These syllables correspond to the notes used in the scale of C major:

C D E F G A B C'

Chrysanthos of Madytos, the leader of the Three Teachers, was an admirer of this aspect of the Western musical tradition.  In the Byzantine tradition, there were long, polysyllabic names for each note.  As part of the process of simplification, the following series of syllables, each incorporation successive letters of the Greek alphabet, was created:

Πα Βου Γα Δι Κε Ζω Νη Πα'

Transliterated into English, the syllables are:

Pa Bou Ga Di Ke Zō Nē Pa'

The only hiccup in the system is that the Greek system starts on the equivalent of the Western Re/D, not Do/C.  The following table compares the three systems:

 (Click on the above table for a larger image.)

Understanding the basic seven-note system of Byzantine psalmody and the syllables used to refer to them is key to further study of Byzantine psalmody.

I hope this post has been useful to you.  If you have any questions or comments, please, don't hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

St. John of Damascus, pray for us!

Nota Bene: This is part of my Byzantine Psalmody series.

 

Text ©2012 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.

 

Iconic Icons: Axion Estin

The original icon

 The original icon without its riza (the metal covering revealing only the faces)

The Axion Estin (Αξιον εστιν), "It is truly meet," is an icon of the Theotokos (Eleusa-style) located in the the Protaton, a church in the Karyes settlement of the famous Mount Athos in Greece, home to many ancient monastic communities.  The event which the icon takes it name from occurred in 980, so the icon was written sometime before then.

The name of the icon comes from the opening words of a Marian hymn in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  Up until this famous event, the hymn only included the latter half, starting at "More honourable than the Cherubim," which was written in the late 700s by St. Cosmas the Hymnographer, foster-brother of St. John Damascene.  This section of the hymn reads thus:

More honorable than the cherubim,

and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim.

Without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word.

True Theotokos, we magnify thee.

On June 11, 980, a passing monk who called himself Gabriel was granted hospitality in a cell near Karyes.  During a Saturday night vigil service (the service of Sunday Matins) being prayed before the icon, when the hymn of St. Cosmas was being recited, the passing monk began to chant a new section of a hymn before continuing on to the familiar hymn:

It is truly right to bless thee, O Theotokos, 

ever blessed, and most pure, and the Mother of our God.

The monk from Mount Athos was entranced by the beauty of this new section of the hymn, so he asked the passing monk to write it down: however, no paper or ink could be found.  Undeterred, the mysterious monk inscribed the lines on a stone tile with his finger, and he decreed that the hymn be recited with this addition ever after.  Following this, he disappeared, and with this disappearance, the icon began to radiate light for a while afterwards.

 An icon of the miraculous revelation of the hymn by St. Gabriel

After this event, the modified hymn was spread around all Christians of the East.  The icon was transferred to the Protaton, the main church of the settlement of Karyes, where it is located to this day.  The tile inscribed by the Archangel Gabriel (the traditionally-accepted identity of the passing monk) was taken to Constantinople as evidence of the miracle and in order that the hymn be dispersed throughout the world by St. Nicholas II Chrysoberges (the Patriarch of Constantinople from 984 to 996).

There is little discussion about the icon itself I can find: most sources just related (with varying details, of course) the story I have just related to you.  The most interesting thing about the icon is scroll that the Christ Child is handing to the Theotokos.  Though I cannot tell what the scroll represents, it seems to be an interesting foreshadowing of the miraculously-revealed text connected to the icon.

The revelation of the hymn by St. Gabriel (and thus the icon as well) is celebrated on June 11th, and the icon by itself is celebrated on July 13th.  For a bit more information (and a reflection) on the hymn itself, see this post from The Ever Blessed.  I hope this post was helpful.  Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

St. Cosmas the Hymnographer, pray for us!

  
Nota Bene: I compiled the story for this post from many sources: Iconograms, The Orthodox Christian Faith, OrthodoxWiki (on the Panagia Axion Estin and on St. Cosmas), Mount Athos, and Wikipedia (the translation of the hymn was taken from here).

 

Text ©2012 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.

 

Iconic Icons: Trojeručica

The Virgin with Three Hands (or Three-Handed Theotokos) is known with many names: being from Serbia, it is commonly known by its Serbian name, Bogodorica Trojeručica (Богородица Тројеручица) or Trojeručica for short. It is also known by its Greek name, Panagia Tricherousa (Παναγια Τριχερουσα). It is a hodigitria icon of the Theotokos, and it is the most important icon of the Serbian Orthodox Church (according to Wikipedia, at least).

The story is that this icon was made famous by its connection to St. John Damascene, the great defender of icons of the seventh and eighth centuries, whose theological thought was the basis of the defeat of iconoclasm at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. In 717, St. John Damascene was falsely accused of being an enemy of the state (by who is debated: some say the Caliph under whom he served, some say Emperor Leo the Isaurian, an iconoclast), and for punishment, his right hand was cut off. In response to this horrific event, St. John prayed before an icon of the Theotokos (whether he wrote this icon or not is uncertain), while holding his severed hand, and fell asleep there. While he was sleeping, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and said, "Thy hand is now whole; sorrow no more." Upon waking, he saw that his hand had been miraculously restored. In thanksgiving to the Theotokos for this healing, he created a silver replica of his hand as a votive offering and attached it to the icon. Many people who saw the icon were confused by it and, not knowing the story behind it, called it "three-handed." St. John, upon becoming a monk at the Mar Sabbas monastery outside of Jerusalem, gave the icon to that community.

In the 12th century the icon was given to St. Sabbas (also known as St. Sava), Archbishop of Serbia, who founded the Chilandri (also called Hilandar) Monastery on Mt. Athos. He received the icon from the Mar Sabbas monastery during a visit to the Holy Land, and he brought the icon to Serbia, where he returned after the trip. There the icon was carried by a mule in front of the army until one day the mule disappeared; miraculously, the mule, bearing the icon, appeared at the Chilandri Monastery, having found its own route there. To this day, the icon is stationed at the Chilandri Monastery.

One more interesting event happened in the history of the icon. One day, as the monks at Chilandri were debating over who would become the next abbot, the icon miraculously moved. While it had been placed in the sanctuary, it moved miraculously to the abbot's stall. Upon seeing this, one brother stated that, to avoid quarreling, there would no longer be an elected abbot at Chilandri, for the Theotokos had occupied the position herself, and so she would govern the monastery. That practice was followed, with monks only serving as acting abbots, until within the past few decades (most likely the 1980s or 1990s), when monks have begun to be elected as abbots once again.

As mentioned above, this icon is arguably the most famous and most important icon of the Serbian Orthodox Church (with feast days on July 11th and July 25th), though a copy brought to Russia in 1661 became famous there as well. In the end, the Trojeručica reminds us of the power of God to work miracles and how the intercession of the Theotokos can help us receive miracles from her Son. It also reminds us of the importance of devotion to the Theotokos, as shown by the reverent votive offering of St. John Damascene. Finally, this icon reminds us of the Serbian Orthodox Church, for whom it holds such great value. Thus, while venerating the Blessed Virgin as represented in the Trojeručica, let us pray for the reunion of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church.

All-Holy, Most Pure, Ever-Virgin Theotokos, save us!
St. John Damascene, pray for us!


Nota Bene: My information came from Wikipedia, Orthodox Wiki, and Mount Athos.gr. I also referenced this document from the Hilandar Research Library and this page on the life of St. John Damascene.

 

Text ©2011 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.

 

Iconic Icons: The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity, three Divine Persons sharing one Divine Essence, is the basis of Christianity (followed just slightly by Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity Incarnate). Despite Its necessity for the understanding of Christianity, for centuries It was represented in iconography. The Incarnation is the theological basis of iconography: because Christ had a human body, "when Christ is seen, then His image is potentially seen, and consequently is transferred by imprint into any material whatsoever," as St. Theodore the Studite says (3.D.2). St. John Damascene states this even more obviously: "Therefore I boldly draw an image of the invisible God, not as invisible, but as having become visible for our sakes by partaking of flesh and blood. I do not draw an image of the immortal Godhead, but I paint the image of God who became visible in the flesh" (1.4). It is only because the Second Person of the Trinity became Incarnate, taking on a human body, that He can be represent in an image: since the other two Persons of the Trinity are bodiless, They cannot be represented.

Due to this theological background, icons were not written of the Father, the Holy Spirit, or the entire Trinity. Though in more recent centuries sacred art has begun to depict the unrepresentable Persons of the Trinity and the Trinity Itself, for many centuries this was forbidden (at times by overt canons, at times just due to theology and custom): as Pope St. Gregory II wrote directly, "We do not delineate and paint the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ." Since the Trinity is such a basic doctrine, iconographers wished to find a way to portray It in images. The compromise many iconographers settled on was representing the story of Abraham's visit by three angels at the oak of Mamre (Gen 18): the three angels were seen as a symbolic representation of the Trinity.

There were many icons written of this story, and they usually included narrative details of the story, such as the figures of Abraham and Sarah or a calf being slaughtered. Sometimes the three angels were shown devoid of the narrative details, but this was due to limitations of space, and the results were met with disdain. All of this changed in the early 1400s.

Andrei Rublev (Андреи Рублёв) was a 15th-century Russian iconographer. He decided, in order to show forth the Orthdodx doctrine of the Trinity, to portray this story devoid of narrative trappings, representing only the three angels, the table with bread, and a few background details, such as a house and a tree. Unlike other iconographers, who often portrayed the middle angel, seen to represent Christ, as larger than the other two, Rublev decided to portray all three angels as equal, just as the three Persons of the Trinity are equal. Though his idea was radical, the resulting work, Trinity (Троица), became one of the most famous works of Russian art and one of the most famous icons of all time.

Rublev himself never gave an interpretation of the icon, and multiple interpretations have been made. While some see the middle angel as representing the Father, the common interpretation is that it represents Christ, just as it often does in other works based on the Genesis story. The colors of his robes and the two fingers on the table (thought to represent His human and divine natures) point towards this interpretation. (A note on colors, though: instead of the common symbolism of red as the divine color, blue appears to be the divine color in this icon: possibly it is due to the Russian tradition, which I am not very familiar with.) The green robe on the angel to the right is thought to represent the vivifying power of the Holy Spirit, leaving the left angel (whom the other two look towards) to represent the Father.

In conclusion, Rublev's work is one of the most famous icons of all time, and it is unique in being one of the first icons to tackle the depiction of the Trinity successfully. Let us contemplate this icon, and in contemplating it rise to contemplation of the Most Holy Trinity.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, have mercy on us!



Nota Bene: I obtained information for this post from a short essay by Alexander Boguslawski, as well as the Wikipedia pages for the icon and Andrei Rublev himself. The quote from Pope St. Gregory II was found at TrueOrthodoxy.Info. The quotes from St. Theodore Studite and St. John Damascene are from their Refutation of the Iconoclasts and Apology Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images, respectively: both are from the English editions from St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.

 

Text ©2011 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.

 

A Supplement on Graven Images (St. Theodore the Studite, St. John of Damascus)

I already discussed the defense of icon veneration in my post on a writing by St. Gregory Palamas, who succinctly summarized the arguments of icon defenders against iconoclasts. I just wished to add a few more thoughts on this topic taken from two of the true victors against the iconoclasts: St. Theodore the Studite, with his Refutation of the Iconoclasts, and St. John of Damascus, with his Apology Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images.

St. Gregory Palamas on the Graven Images

"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God" (Ex 20:4-5a).

God's forbidding of graven images is a part of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) that I do not hear mentioned often among Catholics. Since the Decalogue does not have a strict division in the Scriptures themselves, there are multiple ways to divide them. The division commonly used by the Orthodox and most Protestants lists "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me" and "You shall not make for yourself a graven image" as two separate commandments, while combining "You shall not covet your neighbor's goods" and "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife" into one commandment. The division commonly used by Catholics and many Lutherans, however, combines the first pair into one, while separating the second pair.

An Introduction to Mystery

The seeking of knowledge is something that has always captivated man. Man wished to know time, so he recorded it and created calendars based on his recordings. Man wished to know the patterns of the stars, so he watched them each night and grouped them into constellations based on what he saw. Man wished to know the workings of animals, plants, and men themselves, so he studied them and wrote books of anatomy and biology based on his observations. Yet even beyond the seeking of this knowledge and information, which can have value in a man's labors in the fields, man sought wisdom, which, as Aristotle says, "exists for its own sake"; "we do not seek [wisdom] for the sake of any other advantage" (Metaphysics, I.2, 982b24-27).

Aristotle remarks on why men philosophize, although his remarks can be broadened to refer to any seeking of wisdom: "It is owing to their wonder that men both now begin and at first began to philosophize" (ibid., 982b12-13). Men wonder about that which they do not know, for "a man who is puzzled and wonders thinks himself ignorant" (ibid., 982b17-18).

These comments on wisdom are merely the part of the preface to the topic of this post. For what is it that man wonders most about? That which he is most ignorant of. And what is he most ignorant of? That which he can know least. That is God.

A troubling concept that has become prominent is that man's knowledge is limitless: there are things man does not yet know because he has yet to learn them, not because he cannot learn them. Science, the main avenue of human knowledge, is, respectively, where this concept is seen the most. It can take a disturbing turn, for instance, in psychology, where schools such as behaviorism attempt to reduce the human person to a series of reactions and responses deriving from the brain, with no free will whatsoever.

This idea is not restrained to science, though: it sneaks into theology and spirituality as well. Theology is often speculative: there is only so much in theology that can be considered certain. There are dogmas and doctrines that the Church is certain of, yet there are other issues that will never be solidified. One such issue is the common debate whether God could have redeemed humanity without the death of His Son. While it is an interesting discussion, it must be remembered that it is only speculative: we cannot know God's thoughts for certain. That is thing many do not realize: we, as humans, can only know as much about God as He is willing to reveal: we cannot completely comprehend Him.

All this introduction leads to the concept I wish to discuss: the concept of mystery, specifically the mystery of God. God is mysterious. This is a fact. A mystery is something which must be revealed: it cannot be taken by force. If this applies to any mystery in general, how much more must it apply to God!

This post will not be my last on this topic, as the title shows. My goal in discussing mystery is to draw out and discuss this topic as it appears in theology and spirituality. It seems to have lost popularity recently, but it is not gone. "Since our knowledge of God is limited, our language about him is equally so...Our human words always fall short of the mystery of God" (CCC #40, 42).

Mystery appears as a concept more in the early Church and the Eastern Church, so that is where I will draw most of my material from. I do not know how many posts I will write about this: since the topic is the inability to completely know God, I do not think it is possible for me to completely encompass the topic, no matter how many posts I write. It will depend on how much the Spirit moves me to write, how much He wants to reveal to me and how much He wants me to reveal to others.

Now I think I have made this introduction long enough, so I will end with a quote that summarizes the point well. It is from Chapter 4 of the first book of St. John Damascene's De fide orthodoxa (An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith):

"God is infinite and incomprehensible. And there is one thing about the divine essence that can be comprehended: namely, that the divine is infinite and incomprehensible."

St. John Damascene, pray for us!




Nota bene: I quote from W.D. Ross' translation of the Metaphysics, from The Basic Works of Aristotle, edited by Richard McKeon. "CCC" stands for Catechism of the Catholic Church. The quote from St. John Damascene was quoted in St. Bonaventure's Disputed Questions on the Knowledge of Christ, Question VI, Argument for the Negative Position 1, translated by Zachary Hayes, O.F.M., D.Th.

Text ©2011 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.