Category Archives: Isaac the Syrian

The Demonic Void and the Apokatastasis of Satan

Posted on 30 August 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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 →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The Triumph of the Kingdom Over Gehenna

Posted on 23 August 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“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 →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

St Isaac of Nineveh and the Scourge of Love

Posted on 15 August 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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

Posted on 9 August 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“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 →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

The Scandalous Injustice of Grace: St Isaac the Syrian and Pope John Paul II

Posted on 27 July 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Back in 2008, “60 Minutes” interviewed the Boston button man John Martorano. The inter­view is unsettling. In a quiet, detached, matter-of-fact tone, Martorano describes the twenty confessed murders he committed during his years as an enforcer for the Winter Hill … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Isaac the Syrian, Preaching | 26 Comments

Preaching the Astonishing Love of God with St Isaac the Syrian

Posted on 12 July 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Who among the Eastern Fathers has written more eloquently, more profoundly about the astonishing love of God Almighty than St Isaac the Syrian? “In Isaac’s understanding,” states Met Hilarion Alfeyev, “God is above all immeasurable love. The conviction that God … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian, Preaching | 11 Comments

“The Kingdom and Gehenna are matters belonging to mercy, which were conceived of in their essence by God as a result of His eternal goodness”

Posted on 28 January 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Just because the terms wrath, anger, hatred, and the rest are used of the Creator, we should not imagine that He actually does anything in anger or hatred or zeal. Many figurative terms are em­ployed in the Scriptures of God, … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | 7 Comments

Preaching Good Good Very Good News: St Isaac the Syrian and Universal Salvation

Posted on 16 September 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

How do we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as good news that liberates and trans­forms? How do we tell the narrative of the Savior in such a way that the kingdom of God is made present?  These are the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian, Preaching | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments