Monastic Interreligious Dialogue

from Bulletin 48, October 1993

Spiritual literature coming from a country so recently liberated from religious repression is bound to be of interest. This book incorporates the life and a rich taste of St. Theophan’s writings—he was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1988—and is more than interesting. It amounts to an unveiling of the spirituality of the Russian church just beginning to be communicated to the West. It is also a promise of things to come. His writings, described as voluminous, remain largely untranslated.

Theophan was born in 1815 and enjoyed a period of comparative calm in his country, when the Orthodox Church flourished. However he himself foresaw the need to develop a system of religious philosophy to counteract the emerging atheistic and materialistic philosophies then popular in Europe. Orthodox theologians had always been reluctant to see this development, preferring the purity of the mystical and contemplative expression and experience rather than a “capitulation” to reason.

As history has proven, Theophan’s instinct was only too correct. He died in 1894, only a few years prior to the takeover of Communism and religious persecution in Russia. His writings have remained intact during these years and have been treasured and used by the monks. The book here being considered remains true to the Orthodox practice of intermingling theology and contemplation with the interesting addition of Theophan’s observations of the human psyche. A very detailed table of contents outlines the three parts, the first of which is a description of the life of Theophan himself, his vocation, his role as teacher, monk, bishop and spiritual master. Part I also gives excerpts of his earlier teachings on Baptism, repentance and spiritual guidance. These are filled with insights from his profound understanding of the Fathers and the Hesychastic tradition which he had opportunity to explore during an extended journey to the Near East.

Part II gives us a study of the human person—body, soul and spirit. Despite Theophan’s own lament that he could use more knowledge of modern psychology, we are astounded at the amount of detailed information with which he describes the workings of the human mind and heart. His facile descriptions leave out nothing of the feelings, imagination, senses and perceptions. We are reminded of the more intricate Buddhist writings concerning the “discriminating mind”.

Part III addresses the concern of prayer in its deeper stages. Theophan is prone to emphasize that the growth of life in the Spirit is natural and automatic once the obstacles have been removed. The soul is “Christian by nature.” We are reminded over and over again that the one who is teaching us is himself a child and disciple of the Desert Fathers and the earlier Russian mystics. Their spirituality was one “of the heart”, taking the mind into the heart, living in the heart and being transformed there by the fire of the Spirit. The obvious end of such prayer is the stilling of the mental faculties and the continuous companionship with God in the solitude of the heart. “The depth of our prayer”, according to Theophan, “depends on the degree to which we can live our life at other times in awareness of God.” (p. 153)

It is impossible in a short review to encompass the treasure of detailed instruction and contemplative theology contained in such a comparatively short book. Reading it makes us eager and hopeful to see the publication in full of Theophan’s works. He has been called the greatest Russian writer on mystical subjects, not only in the 19th century but throughout Russian history.

He led the translation of the Philokalia into Russian and adapted the book Unseen Warfare previously written in the 16th century. His most personal and original work, The Way of Salvation is available in extracts retitled Raising Them Right (Conciliar Press, Ben Lomond, CA, 1989).

Theophan’s writings represent a modern contribution to the expression of Orthodox spirituality and fill a gap that has long remained empty.