Philokalia and Isaac Syrian: Silence (shelya) as the essential law of the spiritual journey

Abstract

This chapter presents one of the dominant spiritual themes of Isaac Syrian. First introduces his ideal of a spiritual man in a form of hermit (ihidaya).

Then he deals with the terminology of a silent prayer. The main part of the chapter focuses on the function of silence on different degrees of the spiritual journey, from the purification of beginners to the climax of contemplation.

Keywords

• Syriac Christian spirituality
• Isaac Syrian (of Niniveh)
• silence
• contemplation
• hermit (ihidaya)