Evagrius Ponticus: Mystical Theology
Desert Christians July 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1093/0195162234.003.0011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Evagrius Ponticus pioneered Christian mystical theology by defining prayer as the mind's ascent to God and pure prayer as imageless and wordless, culminating in the "sapphire light of the mind," and that his teachings sparked the posthumous Origenist Controversy. |
Abstract
Abstract Evagrius Ponticus was one of the great pioneers of Christian mystical theology. He spoke of prayer as “the ascent of the mind to God” and argued that “pure prayer” must be unceasing, imageless, and wordless. At the peak of the mystical journey, the monk encounters what Evagrius called the “sapphire light of the mind,” both an interior illumination and a glimpse of the uncreated light of the Trinity. This chapter sets out both Evagrius’s map of the mystical journey to God and the controversy that it provoked after his death, the so-called Origenist Controversy.