Wonder as the Culmination of Isaac of Nineveh’s Eschatology
Wonder as the Culmination of Isaac of Nineveh’s Eschatology
This chapter examines Isaac’s synthetic account of wonder and astonishment, which makes use of all the source material discussed in the previous three chapters. According to Isaac, the human soul is capable of processing material sensations with temporal reasoning, but it cannot process spiritual forms of knowledge. Since spiritual insights are immaterial and cannot be understood through temporal reasoning, the soul enters into a state of uncomprehending astonishment when it receives spiritual insights from divine revelation. The mind, by contrast, is capable of comprehending spiritual insights through wonder. The transition from astonishment to wonder represents the moment when a person moves from soul to mind and begins to comprehend the mysteries of the future world through ecstasy. Once people understand the mysteries of the future world, they begin to live the heavenly way of life while remaining in the material world.
Keywords: Isaac of Nineveh, John the Solitary, Pseudo-Macarius, three degrees, ecstasy, wonder, astonishment, stillness, soul, eschatology
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