Category Archives: Isaac the Syrian

The Father, Justice, and the Hermeneutic of Love

When we confess that God is just, what is it that we mean? Perhaps we mean that God rewards good acts and punishes evil acts in the exact propor­tion they deserve. Let us call this the view of the man … Continue reading

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The Great Syriac Scholar Sebastian Brock Talks About St Isaac of Nineveh and the Compassionate Love of God

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“Divine hope uplifts the heart, but fear of Gehenna crushes it”

Divine hope uplifts the heart, but fear of Gehenna crushes it. The light of the mind gives birth to faith; faith gives birth to the consolation of hope; hope fortifies the heart. Faith is the unveiling of the understanding. When … Continue reading

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“Through grace God has brought the world into being, and through mercy he guides its affairs”

Through grace God has brought the world into being, and through mercy he guides its affairs. Although daily we cause grief to his compassion through the variety of our infatuation with evils, yet his love does not cease from devising … Continue reading

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The Demonic Void and the Apokatastasis of Satan

St Paisios the Athonite once fasted and prayed for two weeks for the eternal salvation of the devil. While praying he saw a dog’s head sticking his tongue out and mocking him. Paisios con­cluded from this incident that “God is … Continue reading

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The Triumph of the Kingdom Over Gehenna

“Those who are punished in Gehenna are scourged by the scourge of love”—these famous words of St Isaac the Syrian have profoundly influenced the Orthodox understanding of hell and damnation. Readers of St Isaac’s writings have for centuries assumed that … Continue reading

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St Isaac of Nineveh and the Scourge of Love

God has created humanity for eternal communion with himself. By love he has created us for love to share in the Trinitarian paradise of love. Hear the inspiring words of St Isaac of Nineveh: Paradise is the love of God, … Continue reading

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St Isaac the Syrian and the Punitive God of the Scriptures

“Do not call God just,” St Isaac the Syrian scandalously declares, “for His justice is not manifest in the things concerning you.” But surely God punishes the wicked, we quickly retort. Surely there is divine reprisal, an infliction of deserved … Continue reading

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