Introduction to the Thought of Saint Isaac the Syrian

Introduction to the Thought of Saint Isaac the Syrian

“Speech is the organ of this present world.  Silence is the mystery of the world to come.” - Saint Isaac the Syrian

 
Introduction

 
Saint Isaac the Syrian (Mar Ishaq, Isaac of Nineveh, Abba Isaac), was born in Beth Qatraye, in Qatar around 613AD and passed on unto eternal life around 700AD in the monastery of Rabban Shapur, supposedly blind after many years of austerity, study, and writing.   

 
Saint Isaac was a member of the Church of the East, often called the Nestorian Church, for acceptance of the Monophysitism of Nestorius and rejecting the orthodox teaching of the Council of Chalcedon concerning the two natures of Christ.  Saint Isaac was even briefly the Bishop of Nineveh, of the Church of the East, but for unknown reasons resigned after four months.  Because, he seems to have himself not accepted the Nestorian doctrine, he is a proclaimed saint in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.  

 
The thought of Saint Isaac influenced not only the Christian traditions but also Islam, through the influence of his work on the mystical Sufi tradition of Islam. The contemporary study of Saint Isaac in the English speaking sphere is in no small way indebted to the work of Dr. Sebastion P. Brock, retired Professor of Syriac Studies at Oxford University and the English translations of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Budapest and Hungary.

 
“Isaac was a fruitful ascetical writer and his works were for centuries the main food of Syrian piety.” (New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia)    

Humility (makkikuta, in Syriac)

 
“Humility collects the soul into a single point by the power of silence.” (Saint Isaac the Syrian)

 
Saint Isaac taught that the humility of God is revealed in the Incarnation of Christ.  In the Old Testament God revealed himself through a chosen people and inspired prophets, but his revelation was still veiled.  In the Incarnation of the Word, God humbles himself by taking on human flesh; the veiled revelations of the Old Testament become visible and approachable to all men and women in Jesus Christ.  “The Word who became human clothed himself in it, and he spoke to us in our body.  Everyone who has been clothed with humility has truly been made like unto Him who came down from his exaltedness… ."(The Syriac World of Isaac the Syrian, Hilarion Alfeyev, p.112)

 
Humility is for Saint Isaac one of the most important virtues that a Christian is called to embrace.  Without humility all other actions inspired by faith are of little value; for without humility they are not done in freedom from our own sense of power and arrogance.  Humility therefore frees us form the false sense of self-worth and allows us to truly become imitators of Christ; which means to love.  He writes;

 
No one ever hates or wounds with words or despises someone who is humble, for because his Master loves him, he is loved by all. He loves all and is loved by all.  All men cherish him, and in every place he approaches they see him as an angel of light and mark him out with honor.  And though the wise man and the teacher discourse, they are silenced, that they may yield their place to the humble man to speak.  The eyes fo all give heed to his mouth, and to whatever word issues from it.  And everyman waits on his words, even as on the words of God. (The Syriac World of Isaac the Syrian, Hilarion Alfeyev, p.113)

 
This power of humility, which is the power given to saints; is the living presence of the Holy Spirit in those who like the Apostles at Pentecost, have been refashioned.  It is not the humility of that comes from human virtue alone or human effort, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit.  

 
Saint Isaac goes on to teach that this supernatural humility brings about a change in one’s reference to the world.  “The man who has acquired humility in his heart is dead to the world.” (The Syriac World of Isaac the Syrian, Hilarion Alfeyev, p.118) By dying to the world, the saint acquires spiritual stillness and reconciliation with God.  This is true fear of God, when there is no longer any fear, in the sense of reverence for the powers of this world and only fear for, or true reverence for only God. As Scripture says, “I shall show you whom to fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.  Yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5, NAB) 

 
Meditation (herga, in Syriac)

 
“Above anything, welcome silence, for it brings fruits that no tongue can speak of, neither can it be explained.” (Saint Isaac the Syrian)

 
For Saint Isaac prayer and meditation is about love.  One of the most dynamic experiences of love is found in meditation of the Holy Cross.  While iconography existed in the Syriac Christian world, it had not risen to the status that it occupied in Byzantine spirituality and worship in the time of Saint Isaac. The central icon or image of Syriac spirituality at the time of Saint Isaac was the Holy Cross.  Saint Isaac writes:

The limitless power of God dwells in the Cross, just as it resided in an incomprehensible way in the ark which is venerated amidst great honor and awe by the Jewish people, performing by it miracles and awesome signs in the midst of those who were not ashamed to call it ‘God’, that is, they would gaze upon it in awe as though upon God, because of the glory of God’s honored name which was upon it.  This ark was honored with this name not only by the Jewish people, but by foreign peoples, their enemies: ‘Woe to us, for the People has come to the camp today.’ (1 Samuel 4:7) That power which existed in the ark is believed by us to exist in this revered form of the Cross, which we hold in honor in great awareness of God. (The Syriac World of Isaac the Syrian, Hilarion Alfeyev, p.164)

 
Saint Isaac taught that the Shekina, the very presence of God dwelt in the Ark and now has passed to the Holy Cross.  This is what made the miracles of the Apostles greater than those of the Prophets of old.  Ultimately, the signs and wonders given to the Prophets of the Old Testament could not eradicate sin, but the power of the Holy Cross destroys sin and death.  

 
Through the writings of Saint Isaac we see how important and central the Cross was in prayer and adoration for Syriac Christianity.  Through prostrations, continuous gazing upon the Cross, kissing the image of the Cross, keeping vigil before the Cross, etc., it was a main focus of devotion.  It is believed that the Syriac Christians at the time used a Cross not a Crucifix, which had become used often in Latin and Byzantine traditions.  The Cross itself for the Syriac Christian of the time represented Christ Himself; he was seen and experienced in the Holy Cross. 

 
Influence on Sufi Islam  

 
“Conquer evil people by gentle kindness, and make jealous people wonder at your goodness.  Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion.” (Saint Isaac the Syrian)

“…one of the greatest saints of the Church of the East, Isaac of Nineveh or Isaac the Syrian. It is fascinating to consider the influence that Isaac had beyond his own Christian tradition, into the beginnings of Islam’s own mystical movement called the Sufis. The religion of Islam, like Christianity, encompasses a broad variety of movements and influences. Though considered heretical to some more orthodox Muslims, the Sufis as emphasizing a more practical and experiential faith have been a stream within Islam in a more organized sense since perhaps the eighth-ninth centuries. …According to Muslim historian Saiyid Rizvi, “Sufism did not develop in isolation… the Christian influence in the development of Sufism is undeniable.” Even the name itself, coming most likely from the wearing of wool (suf), was “according to Sufis a legacy of the prophets and Christian apostles and ascetics.” By the ninth century,… monks like Ephrem, Aprahat and Isaac of Nineveh had been translated into Arabic and were being read by Muslims. It is always difficult to trace historical influences in a direct sense, but later important Muslim writers like Al-Ghazali (d. 1111) also used phrases common to the earlier Isaac, like “entering the cloud” of deeper experiences in prayer.” - Steve Cochrane, ENCOUNTERS OF FAITH IN ASIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, From 823 A.D. to 2025 A.D

 
The Sufi Islamic mystics, have often been persecuted for their approach to Islam, that differed from the majority Sunni and Shi’a traditions.  With its stress on interiority, mystical prayer, purity of the mind and the centrality of the heart (themes found in Saint Isaac’s writings) the Sufi tradition embraced a spirituality more often found in Judaism and Christianity.  

 
Where Islam tends to be a religion centered upon the family, the Sufi have often sought lives of celibacy, formal religious community, and asceticism.  

 
“Beyond the nature of the heart, both Mar Ishaq and al-Muhasibi have a clear vision of the ascetic's path to illumination. The foundation of the path, which is fear and submission to God, provides the ascetic with a springboard to the second major stage of the pathway, purgation and purification. This passage lays the groundwork from which the committed ascetic will be able to strive to reach the apex of the pathway, spiritual knowledge or gnosis. The ascetical life and the renunciation of the earthly pleasures are described as the only path for those virtuous few who seek God. Distaste for the material world and a sincere belief to pass beyond the earthly world are essential characteristics of the Christian and Islamic mystical traditions.” (The Transmission and Adaptation of Mystical Thought in the Medieval Mediterranean Basin, Michael Wahid Hanna)

 
Conclusion

 
“This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits.” (Saint Isaac the Syrian)

 
The goal of Saint Isaac’s thought, is that all people should seek God, and in seeking God they will discover love beyond all telling; “this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3) Saint Isaac was even bold enough to say that those in hell are “scourged by the scourge of love,” thus opening up the possibility that even those in hell can still be redeemed by coming to know, accept and desire God’s love.  

 
While this teaching of Saint Isaac has often been debated and even totally rejected by most who encounter it; it shows his belief in the all encompassing love of God revealed in the Cross of Christ and the Pentecost of the Holy Spirit.  In the thought of Saint Isaac, God never stops loving us, for “God is Love” (1 John 4:8).

 
- Rev. David A. Fisher