Images of 'Heart' and Isaac the Syrian

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Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian

CHOI Hyung-Guen, Ph.D. Candidate Ancient History Macquarie University, Australia

I. Introduction II. The Images of ‘Heart’ in Isaac the Syrian III. Summary and Conclusion

Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3 (2013. 9), 161-186 162 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

Abstract

The main focus of this research project is on the images of ‘heart’ in the works of the seventh century author Isaac of Nineveh. This study aims to examine the various concepts of ‘heart’ in the writings of Isaac in light of the spiritual traditions of early Syriac literature and to investigate the role of the images of ‘heart’ found in the relationship between the Divine and human beings. After explaining the life of Isaac the Syrian, we probe into the four images of the heart—the heart as an inner altar, the pure heart, the merciful heart and the humble heart—in the works of the Syrian. The heart in the context of interior liturgy which was prevalent in his pre- decessors functions as an inner altar where our prayer takes place and the Divine Spirit descends. The purity of the heart, obtained from renunciation of the world and in keeping silence, is the gate to accessing the presence of God. The merciful heart in Isaac’s understanding is primarily to follow and imitate God’s boundless love towards the created world. The humble heart, which Isaac employs ‘clothing’ imagery to express, leads to the encounter between the Divine and human being and the forgiveness from God. This project on the Syrian hermit con- tributes to a better understanding of his spiritual theology as well as, in a broad sense, the spiritual tradition of the Syriac Church which many contemporary Christians have overlooked.

Keywords

Syriac Church, Heart, Spirituality, Isaac of Nineveh, Isaac the Syrian Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 163

I. Introduction

In the spiritual tradition of the Syriac Church, one of the most prominent Syriac writers is Isaac the Syrian, also known as Isaac of Nineveh. Notwithstanding his reputation in Syriac spirituality, the scholarly study on the Syriac ascetic has increased since the middle of the last century.1 In his recent study on the asceticism of the Syrian, Patrik Hagman describes a comprehensive picture of the spiritual theology of Isaac of Nineveh.2 In particular, he appropriately indicates the importance of body in the ascetic’s spiritual world by explaining the role of body in his asceticism such as fasting, vigils, prayer and relations with society.3 In terms of Isaac’s teaching on ascetic life, there is another element which Hagman does not cover in his book, which is ‘heart’ that also occupies an important place in Isaac’s spirituality. Of course, two images of the heart, the heart as an interior altar and the purity of the heart, in the Syriac author have been, so far, probed by some scholars. In terms of the former image, Sebastian P. Brock, one of the most prominent Syriac scholars, comprehensively investigated the theme of the heart as the interior altar in the writings of the early Syriac Fathers.4 However, he unfortunately skipped the theme in the ascetic works of Isaac the Syrian. After surveying the ample uses of the heart in biblical texts, another scholar Jill Gather tried to analyse the concepts of the heart in the literature of early Greek and Syriac Fathers in light of the prayer of the heart.5 The inner liturgical heart of the Syrian hermit in her study was only investigated in light of the temple motif in the

1 P. Bedjan of edition of Isaac’s ascetic homily, as commonly called as the First Part, already published in 1909 while A. J. Wensinck published his translation of Isaac’s Frist Part in 1923. For an overview of the history of research on Isaac the Syrian, see, Patrik Hagman, The Asceticism of Isaac of Nineveh (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 223-33. 2 Patrik Hagman, The Asceticism of Isaac of Nineveh (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010). 3 see, chapter 3, 4 and 6 in the Hagman’s The Asceticism of Isaac of Nineveh. 4 sebastian P. Brock, “The Spirituality of the Heart in Syrian Tradition,” The Harp vol. I: 2&3 (1988), 93-115. 5 Jill Gather, “The Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart in the Greek and Syrian Fathers” (Ph.D. diss., Union Theological Seminary, 2009). 164 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

Old Testament rather than the spiritual tradition of the early Syriac literature.6 In her dissertation, she also briefly dealt with the pure heart of Isaac’s works in the context of the Syriac tradition.7 The image of the pure heart in Isaac was also analysed in Deirdre Dempsey’s study on the phrase ‘purity of heart’ from the Scriptures to the early Syriac literature.8 The narrow focus on the definition of the ‘purity of heart’ in Isaac’s discourse on pure prayers resulted in missing plentiful meanings of the pure heart which the Syrian mentioned in different phrases or words. Thus Dempsey’s project gives us a limited and insufficient description of the purity of heart in Isaac’s works.9 Judging from the contemporary studies on the heart found in the writings of the Syrian, we know that modern writers have devoted attention to the limited aspects of the heart, the heart as an interior altar and the pure heart, in the Syrian’s spirituality, even though we can find a variety of spiritual concepts of the heart in Isaac’s ascetic works. Moreover, we also know that although some studies have focused on the concepts of heart in the Syrian, they cannot explain the ideas in full. Thus the first purpose of this study is to examine the various concepts of the ‘heart’: the heart as an altar, the pure heart, the merciful heart and the humble heart, in the writings of Isaac in light of the spiritual tradition of the early Syriac literature. The next purpose is to demonstrate how the images of the heart in the spiritual world of Isaac the Syrian function as a medium of connection between the Divine and human beings.

6 ibid., 104-106. 7 ibid., 107-109. 8 Deirdre Ann Dempsey, “The Phrase ‘Purity of Heart’ in Early Syriac Writings,” in Purity of Heart in Early Ascetic and Monastic Literature, ed. Harriet A. Luckman and Linda Kulzer (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1999), 31-44. 9 ibid., 41. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 165

II. The Images of ‘Heart’ in Isaac the Syrian

1. The Life of Isaac the Syrian

Before taking a close look at the images of the heart in Isaac the Syrian, we need to briefly explain his life as the background of our study. Isaac of Nineveh, born in the province of Qatar on the western shore of the Persian Gulf,10 is regarded as one of the most profound writers in Syriac spirituality. Even though the date of his birth re- grettably remains obscure, it is clear that he was consecrated as the bishop of Nineveh during Mar Giwargis the Catholicos(A.D. 661- 681) and resigned his episcopacy after only five months.11 Isho’dnah cau- tiously advises that God only knows the reason why he resigned.12 Alfeyev, however, presumes that the reason why he hastily resigned his episcopacy may have originated from the different Christologi- cal view between the Nineveh Christians as “Jacobite”13 and Isaac as a “Nestorian”14 bishop.15 This presumption is based on the fact that the Jacobites were widespread throughout Nineveh, and their influence on the city is greater than that of the Nestorian Church. However, this opinion is now challenged by I. Gillman and H. Klimeit. They mention that the Jacobites numbers were not more than the numbers of the Nestorians in the first half of the seventh century although they were

10 hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2008), 27. 11 Isho’dnah, Book of Chastity, in A Brief Outline of Syriac Literature, ed. and trans. Sebastian P. Brock, revised ed. (Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2009), 254. 12 ibid., 254. 13 The term “Jacobite” is the Syrian Orthodox Church which accepted Miaphysite originated from Jacob Baradaeus in the mid-sixth century. See, Sebastian P. Brock, An Introduction to Syriac Studies, revised 2nd ed. (NJ: Gorgias Press, 2006), 67-69. 14 Because the term “Nestorian” was originally devised as “opprobrius epithet,” Brock claims that it is better to call it the Church of the East rather than Nestorian. However, for convenience, I have used this term in this paper. See, Sebastian P. Brock, An Introduction to Syriac Studies, 67. 15 hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 27-28. 166 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3 widespread throughout Persia.16 Simpson also contends that many of the Miaphysite in Nineveh converted to Nestorianism in the late sixth century by one Rabban Qusara.17 Moreover, the city had been affili- ated with a Nestorian bishopric from the middle of the sixth century to the ninth century up until the bishopric was merged with that of Mosul.18 Judging from these facts, it is remiss to state that the differ- ing doctrine in between Isaac and the Nineveh Christians made Isaac speedily abdicate the throne of bishop. After his short term as bishop, he went to the mountainous area of Beit Huzaye for his ascetic life as a solitary and later moved to the monastery of Rabban Shabur.19 The precise date of Isaac’s death is also unknown as is the date of his birth. Isaac’s works have come down to us in two parts.20 The first work is The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian21 which contains eighty two chapters. The book became well known after been translated into Greek at the monastery of St. Saba in Palestine during the eighth to ninth century. The second book of Isaac is ‘The Second Part’, Chapters IV-XLI rediscovered and translated by Brock.22 The two works of St. Isaac were, as Brock, Alfeyev and Gather properly indicate, strongly influenced by both the writings of the Greek Fathers which had been translated into Syriac and the Syriac Fathers rooted in the Semitic tradition.23 He thus seems to synthesise the concepts of the heart in both

16 ian Gillman and Hans-Joachim Klimkeit, Christians in Asia before 1500 (Richmond: Curzon Press, 1999), 126. 17 J. Simpson, “Christians at Nineveh in Late Antiquity,” Iraq 67 (2005), 285. 18 ibid., 285. 19 The Holy Transfiguration Monastery, translator’s introduction to The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, trans. The Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Massachu- setts: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1984), lxx. 20 For the more detailed information on the writings of Isaac of Nineveh, see, Hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 29-31. 21 Isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, trans. The Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Massachusetts: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1984) [Hereafter, The Ascetical Homilies]. 22 Isaac of Nineveh, ‘The Second Part’, Chapters IV-XLI (Corpus Scriptorium Christianorum Orientalium, Vol. 555), trans. Sebastian P. Brock (Louvain: Peeters, 1995) [Hereafter, The Second Part]. 23 since the fifth century, the Byzantine Church started to have some influence on the Church in Persia because a large number of Greek works were translated into Syriac. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 167 the Byzantine and Syriac Church.

2. The Images of the Heart in Isaac the Syrian

It is now time to turn our attention to the main protagonist in this project. We will investigate the four ideas of the heart which Isaac speaks of: the heart as an inner altar, the pure heart, the merciful heart and the humble heart.

1) The Heart as an Interior Altar

Firstly, we explore in this project the image of the heart as an altar found in Ben Sira 39:5 in the Pheshitta.24 This conception already became standardised in Judaism and the early Syriac writers after the destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70.25 Aphrahat brings out the concept of the heart as the locus of prayer by commenting on Matthew 6:6.

Again our Saviour taught the prayer and said, “You should pray secretly to the Hidden One; He sees everything” (Mt. 6:6). For he said, “Enter the inner chamber and pray secretly to your Father, and the Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6:6). But why, my beloved, did our Saviour teach and say, “Pray to your Father in secret with the door

In the process of this translation, a number of important Greek writings on spirituality were also translated into Syriac. For example, the writings of Evagrius of Pontus, the Macarius homilies, Abba Isaiah, the desert Fathers, Mark the Hermit and Dionysius the Areopagite were translated into Syriac and these books were widely read in Syriac Christianity. It is assumed from this fact that Isaac explicitly read the books which came from the Byzantine and Egyptian Church. This is supported by his writings which were quoted from Syrian Fathers as well as Greek Fathers. See, Sebastian P. Brock, Spiritual- ity in the Syriac Tradition (Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2005), 26-30; Hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 32-34; Jill Gather, “The Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart in the Greek and Syrian Fathers,” 104. 24 sebastian P. Brock, “The Spirituality of the Heart in Syrian Tradition,” 99. 25 sebastian P. Brock, The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life (Kalama- zoo: Cistercian Publication, 1987), 3. 168 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

closed?” … But this, the word of our Lord shows us thus, “Pray in secret in your heart, and close the door.”26

What we recognize here is that when the Persian Sage interprets Christ’s advice on prayer, he rejects ‘chamber’ and welcomes its re- placement with ‘heart’. In other words, Aphrahat interiorises the locus of prayer to the heart from ordinary space. The internalisation of the ‘chamber’ already occurs in Origen’s work on Prayer,27 and Origen’s internalisation of the chamber is subsequently adopted by both Syriac Christianity and Latin Christianity.28 In the Syriac tradition, the idea of the heart as the internal place of prayer is particularly developed by Aphrahat as well as Ephrem, Liber Graduum and Isaac of Nineveh.29 Of these Syriac. the Book of Steps and Isaac adopt the image of an altar. In particular, Liber Graduum regards the heart as a hidden altar where prayer takes place in the inner liturgical context. The book XII briefly introduces a threefold church: the visible church on earth, the church in heaven and the interior church of the heart, and then it compares our bodies to a temple and our hearts to the inner altar for spiritual worship in the interior church.30 The heart in the spiritual temple serves as “the interior liturgical role to offer prayer made upon it. As the epiclesis transforms the bread and wine of the Eucharist, so it is prayer made by means of the heart.”31 The theme of the heart as the inner altar in the book is also shown in the ascetic homilies written by St. Isaac. He

26 Aphrahat, Demonstrations, trans. Kuriakose Valavanolicka (Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2005), IV. 10, 85. 27 Origen, Prayer and Exhortation to Martyrdom, trans. J. J. O’meara (New York: Newman Press, 1954), 70. 28 sebastian P. Brock, “The Prayer of the Heart in Syriac Tradition,” Sobornost 4-2 (1982), 134. 29 for the image of the heart as internal heart in the Syriac Fathers, see, Sebastian P. Brock, “The Spirituality of the Heart in Syrian Tradition,” 93-115; Ephrem, “Hymns on Faith,” in The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, 34. 30 robert A. Kitchen and Martinen F. G. Parmentier, trans., Book of Steps (Kalama- zoo: Cistercian Publication, 2004), 119-121. 31 Mary Anthony Wagner, “A Reflection in the Use of ‘Heart’ in Select Prayer Texts in Early Christianity,” in Purity of Heart in Early Ascetic and Monastic Literature, ed. Harriet A. Luckman and Linda Kulzer (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999), 136. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 169 writes in his ascetic homilies XXIII on pure prayer: “Purity or impurity of prayer is to be determined in this manner: if, at the time when the mind makes ready to offer up one of its aforementioned movements, a foreign thought commingles with it, or it wanders in something, then this prayer is not to be called pure; for it has brought an unclean animal to the altar of the Lord, that is the heart, the noetic altar of God.”32 Dadisho, who was a contemporary writer of Isaac, similarly portrays the interior altar of the heart by comparing priests in the Old Testa- ment with monks.

Aaron is a pointer to the intellect, just as in the Old Testament priest were bidden by God not to offer up both clean and unclean animals as a whole offering on the alter in the temple, so too monks have been bidden by our Lord not to offer up on the altar of their hearts a whole offering in the form of mental sacrifices of praises appropriate to God if these are intermingled with evil thoughts and the sinful passion.33

It is clear from the above passages that Isaac and Dadisho like the Book of Steps basically regard the heart as the altar where we offer up a spiritual sacrifice. This idea is further developed in Isaac the Syrian. He says:

During the time of prayer, however, the vision of the mind gives heed only to God, and stretches forth to Him all its movements and it offers Him the heart’s supplication with eagerness and constant fervour. Wherefore at this time, when the soul has but one care, it is met that divine favour should well forth from God. For lo, we observe that when (we are offering the visible Sacrifice) everyone has made ready and has taken their stand in prayer, seeking mercy from the Deity, making supplication and concentrating their intellect (upon God), then the Holy Spirit comes upon the bread and wine which are set upon the altar

32 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 117. 33 Dadisho quoted in Sebastian P. Brock, “Fire from Heaven: from Abel’s Sacrifice to the Eucharist. A Theme in Syriac Christianity,” in Fire from Heaven: Studies in Syriac Theology and Liturgy (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2006), 241. 170 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

table.34

In the above passage, Isaac never directly says that the descent of the Spirit on the sacrifice is set upon the altar of the heart. However, he explicitly combines three components: prayer, the Holy Spirit and an offering made on the altar. This image of connection is also found in Syriac writer Sahdona. He provides the full description of the descent of the Spirit on the offering made on the altar of the heart.35

So, if the commencement of our prayer is wakeful and attentive, and we wet our cheeks with tears stemming from the emotion of our heart, then our prayer will be made perfect, in accordance with God’s wish; being without blemish, it will be accepted in his presence, and the Lord will be pleased with us and have delight in our offering. As he perceives the pleasing scent of our heart’s prayer fragrance, He will send the fire of his Spirit to consume our sacrifice and raise up our mind along with them in the flame to heaven.36

Given the image of the heart as an interior altar and the relationship between prayer, the Holy Spirit and the offering made on the altar, it is safe to suppose that although Isaac unlike Sahdona does not explicitly mention the combination of the three elements Isaac might have in mind the idea that the heart acting as a spiritual altar is the point where our prayer and the Spirit encounter one another .

2) The Pure Heart

St. Isaac also pays considerable attention to the pure heart. In his treatise XV on pure prayer, the Eastern hermit mentions the definition of the pure heart.

34 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 120. 35 sebastian P. Brock, “Fire from Heaven: from Abel’s Sacrifice to the Eucharist. A Theme in Syriac Christianity,” 241. 36 Martyrius, Book of Perfection, in The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, 210-11. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 171

Purity of prayer, O disciple of truth, and the recollection of mind that exist in it, consist in the exact reflection on virtue in which we carefully engage at the time of prayer. Just as purity of heart, concerning which the Father diligently exhorts, is not a matter of someone being totally without thought or reflection or stirring, but rather it consists in the heart being purified of all evil, and in gazing favorably on everything, and considering it from God’s point of view, so it is the same with pure and undistracted prayer.37

The above passage allows us to see clearly that purity of the heart is both to keep the heart as a spiritual core from all evil and to gaze on all things from God’s perspective. In particular, seeing the created world from God’s point of view means that people do not judge the world as good or bad depending on its appearance; rather, they look at it with God’s endless love. As we shall see in the section on the merciful heart, the Divine love in Isaac spirituality is the reason for God’s action, and motivates the one who experiences this love to voluntarily follow His divine love. Moreover, the passage indicates the connection between the purified heart and pure prayer in the thoughts of Isaac. It seems to mean that purity of prayer is a synonym for the pure heart. However, Isaac separates the former from the latter in his ascetic homilies XXIII. Whereas the former is the highest stage of all the forms of prayer, the latter is the final place where God’s commandments and laws are carried out in human beings.38 According to Isaac, our heart can be purified by many trials and afflictions.39 “As medicine purges the body from the impurity of bad humours, so grievous afflictions purify the heart from evil passions.”40 He also mentions that once the pure heart is obtained it stands stable in the presence by comparing the purity of the heart with the pure mind in his third homily. He says that:

37 isaac of Nineveh, The Second Part, 84. 38 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 116. 39 for Isaac’s teaching on the trails and affliction of the Christian ascetic life, see, Hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 91-100. 40 ibid., 361. 172 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

Now if the mind, on the one hand, is a little diligent in reading the divine Scriptures and toils a little in fasting, vigil, and stillness, it will forget its former activity and will become pure, as long as it abstains from alien concerns. Even so its purity will not be permanent, for just as it is quickly cleansed, so too it is quickly soiled. But the heart, on the other hand, is only made pure by many afflictions, deprivations, separa- tion from all fellowship with the world, and deadness to all things. Once it is purified, however, its purity is not soiled by little things, nor is it dismayed by great and open conflicts (I mean dreadful ones).41

Furthermore, it is through keeping one’s speech silent that the purity of the heart can be achieved. Once one keeps his mouth from speech, the man can guard his heart from the passions and then behold the Lord at every moment.42 What is interesting here is that the purity of the heart provides people with an opportunity of encountering the Divine. In other words, the heart in Isaac’s understanding acts as the locus of divine-human encounter. This concept of the human core is also to be found in the Scriptures (Ps. 24:3-4; Mt. 5:8) as well as in Aphrahat. In Demonstrations VI, Aphrahat thus urges the Syrian monks to be purified: L“ et us purify our heart from evil so that we may see the Exalted One in his glory(Mt. 5:8)”43 He then further reiterates: “Whosoever purifies his heart from deceit (Mt. 5:8), ‘that person’s eyes will behold the King in his beauty (Isa 33:17).’”44 There are two kinds of stillness: inward stillness and outward stillness. While the former is the silence of the intellect, thought and heart, the latter consists in keeping the mouth silent.45 In the Syrian’s understanding, if inward stillness is lacking, the outward stillness can help the inner to be restored.46 So he urges the ascetics to strive after the outer stillness to achieve the inner. Isaac says: “Let us force ourselves first to be silent, and then from out of this silence something is born that leads

41 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 21. 42 ibid., 84. 43 Aphrahat, Demonstrations, VI. 1, 123. 44 ibid., VI.1, 132. 45 hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 77. 46 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 247. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 173 us into silence itself. May God grant you to perceive some part of that which is born of silence! If you begin with this discipline, I know not how much light will draw on you from it.”47 However, keeping one’s mouth silent does not mean that in order to gain purity of the heart, the ascetics should refuse to meet other people. Rather, Isaac urges his readers, primarily monks to gain silence despite having to meet others by describing the example of Arsenios.48

When, therefore, that man who is worthily called blessed beheld all these things [meeting others], and saw that it would not be possible to avoid them as long as he was near the habitation of men; and when he found that it was often impossible, because of the place of his abode, to be far withdrawn from the proximity of men and from the monks who settled in those parts – then from grace he learned this way of life: unbroken silence.49

Judging from the above words, we know that Isaac never refused to have harmonious relations with others to access the state of the pure heart, although he somewhat negatively evaluates human relations. In terms of the effect of the pure heart, Isaac says that purifica- tion of the heart exerts a beneficial influence on people who have it. Firstly, once someone gains purity of the heart, it transforms all of them. “A heart which has received the heavenly seed is changed in its speech, changed in its thinking, changed in its way of life, changed in its senses.”50 The second impact of the pure heart is that it is through purity of the heart that one becomes aware of the presence of Our Lord and his spiritual things. “Lo, Heaven is within you (if indeed you are pure), and within it you will see both the angels in their light and their Master with them and in them.”51

47 ibid., 310. 48 Patrik Hagman, The Asceticism of Isaac of Nineveh, 142. 49 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 310. 50 ibid., 233. 51 ibid., 84. 174 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

3) The Merciful Heart

Like the previous two concepts, the merciful heart towards the created world and human beings occupies an important place in Isaac’s spiritual theology. However, this image, as far as I know, has been ignored by most contemporary Syriac scholars except Alfeyev.52 In order to understand it in Isaac’s spirituality, we should begin with God’s love towards the created world which is the foundation of the merciful heart. For Isaac the Syrian, Divine love is the beginning and the end of God’s actions.53 Boundless love was not only the main reason why God created the universe, it is also the driving force behind gov- erning and transforming the created world.

What profundity of richness, what mind and exalted wisdom is God’s! What compassionate kindness and abundant goodness belongs to the Creator! With what purpose and with what love did He create his world and bring it into existence…. In love did He bring the world into existence; in love does He guide it during this its temporal existence; in love is He going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of Him who has performed all these things; in love will the whole course of the gov- ernance of creation be finally comprised.54

The reason for creating the world in the above passage is different from the one we find in the Scriptures. The reason why Isaac differs from biblical explanation might be to emphasise the Divine love, which is a central theme throughout Syriac tradition.55 His stress on God’s boundless love is also found in Jesus’ incarnation and crucifixion for all our sakes. Both are a sign of God’s love towards the world. Isaac says in Chapter on Knowledge IV that:

52 alfeyev sometimes mentions this in his book. See, Hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 40-43, 72-73. 53 isaac of Nineveh, The Second Part, 172. 54 ibid., 160. 55 for the Divine love in the Syriac tradition, see, Sebastian P. Brock, Spirituality in the Syriac Tradition, 84-86. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 175

If zeal had been appropriate for putting humanity right why did God the Word clothe himself with the body in order to bring the world back to his Father using gentleness and humility? And why was he stretched out on the Cross for the sake of sinners, handing over his sacred body to suffering on behalf of the world? I myself say that God did all this for no other reason, except to make known to the world the love that he has, his aim being that we, as a result of our increased love resulting from an awareness of this, might be captivated by his love when he provided the occasion of this manifestation of the power of the Kingdom of Heaven – which consists in love – by means of the death of his Son.56

From what Isaac proffers in the above text, we know that God in Isaac’s theology performs his actions including the Incarnation and Cruxification to make known to the world His divine love and to motivate us to voluntarily follow His love as a result of an awareness of His love. Isaac in his ascetic homilies LXXI describes the definition of the merciful heart. He says that the merciful heart not only extends to love all creatures, including even demons, but also to pray for them by shedding tears out of sheer compassion and mercy.

And what is a merciful heart? It is the heart’s burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons, and for every created thing; and by the recollection and sight of them the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. From the strong and vehement mercy which grips his heart and from his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in creation. For this reason he offers up tearful prayer continually even for irrational beasts, for enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner he even prays for the family of reptiles because of the great compassion that burns without measures in his heart in the likeness of

56 isaac of Nineveh, “Chapter on Knowledge IV,” in Spirituality in the Syriac Tradi- tion, 84-85. 176 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

God.57

Here, we can be certain of the fact that what a merciful heart means in Isaac’s passage is nothing short of the Divine’s boundless love toward the created world. Furthermore, Isaac succinctly expresses what mercy means by depicting the merciful man in his ascetic homilies IV. According to him, the man does not merely express the love of the Divine to others with abundant tears and tearful prayer, but also readily shows merciful behaviours despite suffering hardships from them.58 The perfect love towards the world which derives from God’s eternal love and mercy is revealed in either an active or passive way.

4) The Humble Heart

The last concept of the heart that we shall explore in Isaac’s writings is the humble heart. Before Isaac, it already prevailed in the early Syriac writers and the Desert Fathers.59 For Isaac, humility is “the abandoning of everything visible and invisible: by visible all things perceived by the senses and by invisible all thought concerning them.”60 In other words, “‘it is a twofold voluntary death to all things.’”61 The humble person thus does not judge others by their appearance, but respects them or considers them better than himself or herself.

When you meet your fellow man, constrain yourself to pay him more honor than is his due. Kiss his hands and feet, often take his hands with deep respect, put them over your eyes, and praise him for what he does not even possess. And when he parts from you, say every good thing about him, and whatever it may be that commands respect. For by these

57 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 344-45. 58 ibid., 30. 59 for humility in the Syriac Fathers and the Apophthegmata Patrum, see, Sebas- tian P. Brock, Spirituality in the Syriac Tradition, 86-89; Sebastian P. Brock, The Desert Fathers: Saying of the Early Christian Monks, trans. Benedicta Ward (London: Penguin Books, 2003), 148-70. 60 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 344. 61 ibid., 344. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 177

and similar acts, you draw him to good … and you sow the seeds of virtue in him.62

In the above passage, the words, “constrain yourself to pay him more honor than is his due” does not mean “having an artificially af- fectionate attitude: rather, this attitude should be a natural consequence of a true love of one’s neighbors, deepest respect for him, and a sense of one’s own unworthiness before him.”63 In fact, the starting point of humility is God who was revealed to the world in the Incarnation. Everyone who experiences God’s humility voluntarily follows Christ with humility because the Divine humility motivates people to imitate His humility. In one of the ascetic homilies, Isaac encapsulates God’s humility in the following terms:

Humility is the raiment of the Godhead. 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 own exaltedness and hid the splendour of His majesty and concealed His glory with humility, lest creation be utterly consumed by the contemplation of Him.64

What is interesting in the above passage is that Isaac employs clothing imagery to express God’s incarnation. He also uses the same metaphor to indicate the Crucifixion in Chapter XI of the Second Part: “For the Cross is Christ’s garment just as the humanity of Christ is the garment of the divinity.”65 This clothing metaphor originates from Scripture.66 A starting point for this metaphor is Genesis 3:21: “The Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and

62 ibid., 51-52. 63 hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 126. 64 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 381. 65 isaac of Nineveh, The Second Part, 60. 66 for the image of clothing in the Scriptures, see, Sebastian P. Brock, “Clothing Metaphors as a Means of Theological Expression in Syriac Tradition,” in Studies in Syriac Christianity (Ashgate Publishing, 1992), 11-37. 178 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3 clothed them.”67 Both the LXX and Peshitta have a literal translation here, whereas the Targum tradition renders the words “garments of skins” in the Hebrew Bible as “garments of glory.”68 This metaphor is also found in the Pheshitta New Testament. Hebrews 5:7 and 10:5 in the Peshitta New Testament associate Christ with the clothing metaphor.69 Thereafter, the clothing image became “a standard form for the processes of the Incarnation in early Syriac Christianity.”70 The clothing imagery is also found in Aphrahat and Ephrem. Associating the guest without a wedding garment with baptism, Aphrahat regards this wedding garment as a necessary condition for entering into the marriage feast and the bridal chamber.71 Ephrem also employs the metaphor in one of the Hymns on the Nativity.

All these are changes that the Compassionate One shed and put on when He contrived to put on Adam the glory that he had shed. He wrapped swaddling clothes with his leaves and put on garments instead of his skins. He was baptised for [Adam’s] wrongdoing and embalmed for his death He rose and raised him up in glory: Blessed is He Who came down, put on [a body] and ascended!72

67 Genesis 3:21. All scripture references are taken from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless otherwise noted. 68 sebastian P. Brock, “Clothing Metaphors as a Means of Theological Expression in Syriac Tradition,” 14. For the image of “robe of glory” in the Hebrew Bible and Peshitta Old Testament, see, Sebastian P. Brock, “Clothing Metaphors as a Means of Theological Expression in Syriac Tradition,” 14-15. 69 ibid., 15. 70 ibid. For the clothing metaphor for the Incarnation in Syraic tradition, see, Se- bastian P. Brock, “Clothing Metaphors as a Means of Theological Expression in Syriac Tradition,” 16-18. 71 Valavanolickal, translator’s introduction to Demonstrations, 18. 72 Ephrem, Hyms on the Nativity 23. 13, in Ephrem the Syrian: Hymns, trans. K. Mcvey (New York: Paulist Press,1989), 190. For a discussion of Ephrem’s works, See, Sebastian P. Brock, A Brief Outline of Syriac Literature, 16-22; Suh Won-Mo, “Syria geuriseudogyo ganan damron-Edessareul jungsimeuro” [Poverty Discourses in Edessa and its Environs from the End of 4th Century through the Fifth Century], Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology 44-2 (2012), 203-04 (in Korean). Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 179

In the above stanza, employing the image of clothing or garments, Ephrem portrays the Fall of Adam and God’s incarnation as related to a picture of the salvation story. It is by means of this clothing imagery that Ephrem describes the entire range of salvation history.73 How can we gain humility in the spiritual life? First of all, it is through imitating the humility of the Lord that we attain humility. In ascetic homilies LXXVII, Isaac stresses the humility of the Lord quoting Jesus’ saying in Matthew 8:20.

But if a man asks: ‘What shall I do? How shall I acquire it?’ … To him who asks this, it will be answered: ‘It is enough for the disciple that he is as his teacher, and the servant as his lord.’ Behold Him who commanded this, For He Himself said, ‘the prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in Me.’ Do you see how, through the perfection of all virtues, humility can be gained? Let us imitate Him who gave the command- ment, ‘The foxes have holes’,H e says, ‘and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head’, the same who is glorified by all who have been perfected and sanctified and consum- mated in all generations, together with the Father that sent Him forth, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.74

What we know in regard to humility in Isaac’s spirituality is that above all the humble heart is not a natural character of the human being; rather, it is achieved only through ascetic labours. Moreover, the concept of humility in Isaac’s understanding is the virtue that every Christian should follow. Another way to gain this virtue is found in chapter XVIII of Isaac’s second book. The writing mentions that humility is a result of a precise knowledge of one’s sins and a remembrance of God’s greatness.

Now humility of heart can occur in someone for two (different) reasons:

73 on the clothing imagery in Ephrem, see, Sebastian P. Brock, The Luminous Eye: The Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publication, 1992), 85-97. 74 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 385. 180 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

either as a result of a precise knowledge of one’s sins; or as a result of rec- ollecting the greatness of God: to what extent the greatness of the Lord of all lowered Himself in order to speak to and instruct (us) humans in different ways – abasing Himself to such an extent that he even took a body from humanity.75

In Isaac’s spiritual theology, those who gain true humility have a variety of internal or external signs. After dividing humility into two types: inner humility and external humility, Alfeyev explains the inner characteristics of humility as: a deep sense of God’s presence, death to the world, the awakening of the voice of conscience in oneself and an absence of fear amid life’s circumstances.76 He also mentions the external signs of humility: avoiding worldly cares and luxury, uncomplaining endurance of all sorts of offense and honouring everyone with respect and love.77 In other words, these attributes of the humble man are a rejection of all worldly thoughts and possessions, and an imitation of God’s humility. The last thing we should explore is the benefit of humility. Firstly, humility gives us the chance to become children of God. “If she (humility) becomes ours, she will make us sons of God, and even without good works she will present us to God. For without humility all our works are in vain – every virtue and every righteous labour.”78 Moreover, although the ascetic exercises without humility bring no profits, it is through humility the ascetics gain forgiveness. Isaac articulates that “Humility, even without work, gains forgiveness for many an offense; but without her, works are of no profit to us and instead prepare for us great evils. Therefore, through humility, as I said, find forgiveness for your iniquitous deeds. What salt is for any food, humility is for every virtue, and she can mightily obliterate many sins.”79

75 isaac of Nineveh, The Second Part, 97. 76 hilarion Alfeyev, The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian, 116-22. 77 ibid., 123-26. 78 isaac of Nineveh, The Ascetical Homilies, 338. 79 Ibid. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 181

III. Summary and Conclusion

In our discussion of the images of the heart in Isaac of Nineveh, I explained the meanings and functions of the heart, and the connection between the heart of Isaac and that of the early Syriac Fathers by inves- tigating a variety of images of the heart in the works of Isaac the Syrian. Especially, we have examined the four images of the heart: the heart as an interior altar, the pure heart, the merciful heart and the humble heart. The heart as an interior altar in Isaac’s spirituality was primarily the locus where prayer takes place and the Divine Spirit descends. The idea had already been employed in the early Syriac fathers including Aphrahat, Ephrem the Syrian and Liber Graduum. The Book of Steps in particular regards the heart as an inner altar and prayer as an interior offering on the altar in the inner liturgical context by illustrat- ing a threefold church. Isaac did not just adopt from his predecessor the heart as the spiritual altar; rather, he further developed the idea by combining the Holy Spirit with the heart as an interior altar. The second image of the heart in Isaac the Syrian was the pure heart, which meant not only keeping the heart from worldly passions but also looking at the world with God’s perspective. The state of a pure heart obtained from renunciation of the world and keeping silence provides us with the chance to meet the Divine. In terms of stillness, Isaac recommended that if the ascetics are lacking inward stillness, they should pursue outward silence to achieve inward silence. We know here that the Syrian emphasized outer stillness as well as inner stillness. This however did not mean rejecting harmonious relations with one’s neighbours; rather, Isaac urged the ascetics to try to attain silence despite meeting others. Once the monks gained the purity of the heart, it greatly transformed their inner and outer life, and allowed them to access the presence of God. For Isaac, the merciful heart towards the world was defined as loving all creatures with God’s love and praying for them despite suffering hardships. In order to understand the heart, we started with the Divine’s boundless love towards the created world, which was a central theme throughout Syriac tradition. This was why love was the foundation of mercy in the human heart. In Isaac’s spiritual theo- 182 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3 logy, all of God’s actions including the Incarnation and Cruxification were related to His love. The love motivated those who truly experi- enced the Divine love to follow His eternal love, and then they had a merciful heart toward all creatures including even demons and prayed for them. The last image we investigated in the hermit’s writing was the humble heart, which already prevailed in the early Syriac tradition and the Desert Fathers in Egypt. Like the merciful heart, the starting-point of the humble heart was also God who was revealed to the world by clothing Himself in the body of Jesus. Isaac employed the clothing imagery to not only express the Incarnation, but also indicate the Crucifixion. This metaphor from Scripture had occurred in the early Syriac Church including in Aphrahat and Ephrem. The humility in Isaac’s spirituality was basically a result from imitating the humility of the Lord, a precise knowledge of one’s sin and a remembrance of God’s greatness. Those who have a humble heart are led to the presence of God, the state of being children of God and the receiving of forgiveness from the Lord. Given the above discussion on the four images of the heart in Isaac the Syrian, we make sure of the fact that all images of the heart play crucial roles in the spirituality of the Eastern hermit and the other images except the merciful heart are firmly rooted in early Syriac spirituality. Further- more, we identify that the heart in Isaac’s works particularly functions in the relations between the Divine and human beings as the internal altar where our prayer takes place, the spiritual place of encounter between the Divine and human beings, the starting-point of access to the presence of God, and the point to imitate God’s love and humility. The project on the images of the heart in Isaac’s writings has enriched our understanding of his spiritual theology and, in a broad sense, Syriac mysticism. In terms of eastern spirituality, it is true that many contemporary Christians, especially the Protestant Church have overlooked Syriac spirituality till now even though it has existed from the early church. This study thus gives us the opportunity to not only encounter with the disregarded spirituality in the tradition of Protes- tant Christianity, but also to understand Christian spirituality from a more balanced and holistic perspective. Lastly, we have but touched the tip of the iceberg in Isaac of Nineveh. Images of ‘Heart’ and Isaac the Syrian 183

In particular, the relationship between heart and mind in Isaac’s works have not been covered yet in this project. If the connection is further studied in the future, the images of the heart in the spirituality of Isaac will be more clear revealed. 184 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

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. An Introduction to Syriac Studies. Revised 2nd ed. NJ: Gorgias Press, 2006. . “Fire from Heaven: From Abel’s Sacrifice to the Eucharist. A Theme in Syriac Christianity.” In Fire from Heaven: Studies in Syriac Theology and Liturgy, 229-43. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2006. . A Brief Outline of Syriac Literature. Revised ed. Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2009. Dempsey, Deirdre Ann. “The Phrase “Purity of Heart” in Early Syriac Writings.” In Purity of Heart in Early Ascetic and Monastic Literature, edited by Harriet A. Luckman and Linda Kulzer, 31-44. Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1999. Gather, Jill. “The Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart in the Greek and Syrian Fathers.” Ph.D. diss., Union Theological Seminary, 2009. Gillman, Ian and Hans-Joachim Klimkeit. Christians in Asia before 1500. Richmond: Curzon Press, 1999. Hagman, Patrik. The Asceticism of Isaac of Nineveh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Murray, Robert. Symbols of Church and Kingdom. London: T & T International, 2004. Simpson, J. “Christians at Nineveh in Late Antiquity.” Iraq 67 (2005), 285-94. Suh, Won-Mo. “Siria geuriseudogyo ganan damron-Edessareul jungsimeuro” [Poverty Dis- courses in Edessa and its Environs from the End of 4th Century through the Fifth Centyry]. Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology 44-2 (2012), 199-227 (in Korean). Wagner, Mary Anthony. “A Reflection in the Use of ‘Heart’ in Select Prayer Texts in Early Christianity.” In Purity of Heart in Early Ascetic and Monastic Literature, edited by Harriet A. Luckman and Linda Kulzer, 131-39. Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1999. 186 Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 45 No. 3

한글 초록

마음의 이미지와 시리아인 이삭

최형근 맥쿼리대학교 박사과정, 고대역사

본 연구는 7세기 시리아인 이삭(혹은 니느웨의 이삭)의 글에 나타난 ‘마음’의 이미 지를 살펴보는 것이다. 이 글의 목적은 두가지인데, 첫째는 그의 글에 나타난 ‘마음’에 대한 다양한 이미지들을 초기 시리아 문헌들에 비추어서 살펴보는 것이고, 둘째는 하 나님-인간 관계에서 마음의 역할을 조사하는 것이다. 먼저 우리들은 이 글에서 시리아인 이삭의 생애를 간단히 살펴본 후, 이삭의 글에 나타난 4가지 ‘마음’의 개념들 - 내적인 제단으로서 마음, 순수한 마음, 자비로운 마음 그리고 겸손한 마음 - 을 차례대로 연구할 것이다. 먼저, 시리아인 이삭의 글에서 내 적인 예식(interior liturgy)의 상황속에 있는 마음 - ‘내적인 제단으로서 마음’ - 은 우리 의 기도가 드려지는 곳인 동시에 성령이 임재하는 곳이다. 둘째, 침묵과 세상적인 것 들의 포기를 통해 얻어진 ‘순수한 마음’은 하나님의 존전에 나아가는 통로가 된다. 세 째, 니느웨의 이삭에게 있어서 ‘자비로운 마음’은 세상을 향한 하나님의 끝없는 사랑을 본받고, 그의 다함없는 사랑을 따라가는 마음을 의미한다. 이 글에서 다루는 ‘마음’에 대한 마지막 이미지는 ‘겸손한 마음’인데, 이삭은 그의 글에서 ‘의복’이미지(‘clothing’ imagery)를 통해 이 마음을 분명하게 묘사하고 있다. 이삭의 영성신학에 있어서 이 겸 손한 마음은 우리들을 하나님과 인간의 만남으로 인도하는 동시에 우리의 주님으로부 터 죄의 용서받음으로 이끌어 간다. 이 시리아 은수자인 이삭에 대한 연구는 그의 영성 신학에 대한 우리의 이해를 넓혀줄 뿐만 아니라, 좀 더 포괄적인 의미에서는, 많은 현대 의 개신교회들이 간과해오고 있는 시리아교회의 영성을 이해하는데 도움을 줄 것이다.

주제어

시리아 교회, 마음, 영성, 니느웨의 이삭, 시리아인 이삭

Date submitted: June 29, 2013; date evaluated: July 30, 2013; date confirmed: August 2, 2013.