Apatheia in the Christian Tradition

Apatheia in the Christian Tradition: An Ancient Spirituality and Its Contemporary Relevance is a concise yet fascinating journey through the history of apatheia—whose roots are traced to Gen 1:26, founding the “theology of the image” (ix). The importance of this theology in Origen and Gregory of Nyssa is not mentioned; however, author Joseph H. Nguyen observes that generally Origen's influence on Evagrius is important (xii).

Chapter 1 surveys ἀπάθεια in Stoicism, based on Pierre Hadot and Richard Sorabji’s Emotion and Peace of Mind: From Peaceful Stoic Agitation to Christian Temptations (Oxford University Press, 2003). Πάθη are correctly identified, not as emotions tout court, but as excessive emotions (3). Stoic apatheia “is a state of the soul in which there are only ordered emotions” (4).

Chapter 2, on apatheia in Evagrius, begins with an overview of apatheia in Christian authors such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Nguyen cites Robert Wilken's thesis (“Maximus the Confessor on the Affections in Historical Perspective” in Vincent Wimbush and Richard Valantasis, eds, Asceticism, Oxford University Press, 1995, 412-23, esp. 412-13), which argued that what apatheia meant for Clement was the eradication of all passions. Origen’s use of λογισμοί is briefly pointed out as a precursor of Evagrius' theory of emotions.

Not “the mind” (25), but the unified mind/nous, subsuming body, mind, and intellect, constitutes the human person for Evagrius. He posited a strong link between apatheia and prayer (14). The highest peak of prayer is “pure prayer” (17d). I think it is important to connect this with the state of “pure nous,” the highest form the intellect can assume. The idea that Evagrius was ordained as a deacon by Nazianzen (10) reflects what is commonly found in scholarship; a case can be made that Nyssen ordained him, on the basis of Palladius.

Chapter 3 addresses apatheia in Cassian. Writing in an Origenian-Evagrian tradition, Cassian uses, not apatheia, but puritas cordis. This, I add, was stressed as an ideal in Nyssen’s homilies on the Beatitudes (being a Beatitude): Cassian’s puritas cordis, I think, translates Evagrius’ “pure nous [mind, intellect].” Nguyen's reconstruction of Cassian's theory is excellent, including his treatment of “agere contra vices,” which goes back to Evagrius' theory of counteraction of passions. I would only emphasize less the opposition between apatheia as resulting from the heart/soul in Cassian, and from the mind in Evagrius, love of God vs knowledge of God (18; 21; passim). In Evagrius, knowledge of God and love of God coincide; apatheia is love of God. Moreover, Origen already clarified that scripture calls “heart” what he calls nous, so he understood scriptural references to purity of heart as references to purity of nous. This is what happens in Evagrius.

In chapter 4, Nguyen is correct that Maximus was mainly influenced by Origen in his exegetical method (but also in eschatology), by Evagrius in his asceticism, and by the Cappadocians in his dogmatics (xii). Note that Cappadocian dogmatics—primarily the Christological and Trinitarian formulas homoousios and mia ousia treis hypostaseis—as I argued elsewhere, derive essentially from Origen. Maximus' use of ousia and hypostasis, concisely illustrated on page 42, comes indeed from Origen. The connection between apatheia and human logos’ knowledge of the essence of created objects (36), and finally knowing things as God knows them, is a derivation from Evagrius and depicts beatitude as knowledge. This also corrects the stress on Maximus’ shift from knowledge to the heart as the seat of the union between God and the human being (41). Maximus' theory of “ever-moving repose” (ἀεικίνητος στάσις) is rightly individuated as paramount (43): I argued elsewhere that it comes from Nyssen and Evagrius, and, in turn, was inspired by Origen. He thought that freewill will remain in rational creatures forever, even after death and at apokatastasis, but will be oriented in the end towards God alone, and stably remain there. This is an anticipation of ever-moving repose: it is repose given that it is stable in the Good, but ever-moving considering that freewill—the movement of the soul—will never be alienated from the rational creature.

In chapter 5, Ignatius’ view of indifferentia is traced back to Stoic sources, which appears right (xiii). Ignatius does not use ἀπάθεια, but his Spanish indifferentia is correctly described as “a condition of the soul in tranquility, free from the disordered affections for created things,” (55) retrieved mainly through Erasmus' Enchiridion. The things to which we should be indifferent—health, wealth, honor, long life—coincides, I find, with those listed by the Stoics as ἀδιάφορα. Those who follow Lucifer have riches, honor, and pride; those who follow Christ have poverty and humiliation in this life (58); poverty can work as a counteraction against riches (SpEx 157). Riches and other indifferent things are not bad per se, but are not constitutive of one's desire to follow Christ (59). Some early Christian philosophico-ascetic thinkers, including Origen, Nyssen, Evagrius, and others, identified the possession of excessive wealth with theft—robbing others of what they need—since God distributed all goods equally (demonstration in my Social Justice, OUP 2017, 190-215).

A helpful comparative table of concepts related to apatheia is offered. The Bibliography is thin, attuned to this slim book; though, for instance, Margaret Graver on apatheia – pathe - eupatheia (Stoicism and Emotions, University of Chicago, 2007), David Konstan (esp. The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks, University of Toronto, 2006) and other important and relevant works are missing. There are only a few typos—e.g., edfectus for adfectus (3); “Julie Annas” for “Julia” (4; 77). Apart from some shortcomings, Apatheia in the Christian Tradition is a very useful introductory work for any scholar and student in the area of asceticism and spirituality.

Ilaria L. E. Ramelli is professor of theology and K. Britt Chair at the Graduate School, SHMS, Angelicum University.

Ilaria L. E. Ramelli

Date Of Review:

October 29, 2018