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Images of 'Heart' and Isaac the Syrian

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Images of 'Heart' and Isaac the Syrian 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 inves- tigate 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 re- nunciation of the world and in keeping silence, is the gate to accessing the presence of God. The merciful heart in Isaac’s understanding is pri- marily 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 de- scription of the purity of heart in Isaac’s works.9 Judging from the con- temporary 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.
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