Tag Archives: Isaac of Nineveh

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 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

St Isaac the Syrian and Apokatastasis

Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

On 27 November 2014 I gave a talk titled “St Isaac the Syrian, Apokatastasis, and the Renewal of Orthodox Preaching” at the first Theotokos Institute Conference in Cardiff, Wales. An expanded, footnoted version of the talk will be published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Scandalous Injustice of Grace

Posted on 27 October 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

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 Gang. … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Will the “Real” St Isaac of Nineveh Please Stand Up

Posted on 15 October 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by Eric Jobe, Ph.D. In a series of seven posts on his blog Mystagogy, John Sanidopoulos has published an essay by the Protopresbyter John Photopoulos regarding some of the more controversial theology found in the so-called Second Part of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Sebastian Brock on St Isaac the Syrian and his Understanding of Universal Salvation

Posted on 4 August 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I wish to thank the internationally respected scholar of Syrian Christianity, Dr Sebastian Brock, for giving me permission to share with the readers of Eclectic Orthodoxy this previously unpublished lecture on the eschatology of St Isaac the Syrian. Enjoy! If … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

St Isaac the Syrian: Hell and the Scourge of Divine Love

Posted on 19 March 2013 by Fr Aidan Kimel

This article has been revised, expanded, and republished: “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 eternal Paradise … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments