Spiritual ABC

Ascetic writings of St. Isaac the Syrian (VII century), Bishop of Nineveh, filled with subtle spiritual knowledge and mystical experience, have at all times been the favorite reading not only of monks, but also of the laity of the Orthodox Church. “Words of ascetics” were translated from Syriac into Greek at the end of the 9th – beginning of the 10th centuries. and became widespread in the Eastern Christian world. The first Slavic translation appeared in the 14th century. The vision of spiritual depths, which the saint was vouchsafed, complete aspiration towards God, penetration into the Divine mysteries, placed the writings of St. Isaac is on a par with the works of the greatest theologians of the Universal Church. The Monk Isaac the Syrian wrote mainly for monastics. The main theme of his spiritual writings is the ultimate goal of ascetic deeds: prayerful contemplation of God and the deification of man. But reading the “Spiritual ABC” teaches self-deepening and inspires every Christian to deeds. You might be interested in: