Category Archives: Isaac the Syrian

The Father, Justice, and the Hermeneutic of Love

Posted on 18 March 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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 →

Posted in Bible, George MacDonald, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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

Posted on 9 November 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel
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“Divine hope uplifts the heart, but fear of Gehenna crushes it”

Posted on 1 October 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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”

Posted on 25 September 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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 →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 George MacDonald, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments