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Popular Patristics Series #11
On Ascetical Life
On Ascetical Life Isaac of Nineveh was a native of Bet Qatraye near present-day Bahrain on the Persian Gulf. A teacher and monk, he was consecrated bishop (ca. 660-680), but preferred to live out his live as an anchorite. A Scriptural scholar, he studies Scripture so much that he became blind and had to dictate his writings. He died at an advance age and was buried in Rabban Shabur, where he spent most of his monastic life. St Isaac's monastic anthropology has a major influence on all of Byzantine spiritual literature. The way toward God, in his writing, was the way of the body, the way of the soul, and the way of the spirit. In the first stage, the person begins with a total preoccupation with the passions and moves toward God by means of bodily fasting, vigils, and psalmody. The next stage involves a struggle against thoughts foreign to the nature of the soul, turning from created objects to the contemplation of God's wisdom and a transformation within. As the person arrives at a total openness of the soul to the future hope, he proceeds to the final stage of unified knowledge, which is an attitude of wonder and praise in continual prayer to God, leading to the freedom of immortal life that is given after the resurrection.This translation, by Mary Hansbury, of St Isaac of Nineveh's work On the Ascetical Life is based on the Syriac text edited by P. Bedjan in Mar Isaacus Ninivita, De Perfectione Religiosa. On Ascetical Life is part of the POPULAR PATRISTIC SERIES.
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
About the author
Isaac of Nineveh
17 books21 followersSee also إسحاق النينوي for Arabic profile.
Isaac of Nineveh (Arabic: إسحاق النينوي Ishak al-Naynuwa Greek: Ισαάκ της Νινευή died c. 700) also remembered as Isaac the Assyrian, Abba Isaac and Isaac Syrus was a 7th-century bishop and theologian best remembered for his written work. He is also regarded as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Catholic Church. His feast day falls on January 28.
Isaac of Nineveh (Arabic: إسحاق النينوي Ishak al-Naynuwa Greek: Ισαάκ της Νινευή died c. 700) also remembered as Isaac the Assyrian, Abba Isaac and Isaac Syrus was a 7th-century bishop and theologian best remembered for his written work. He is also regarded as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Catholic Church. His feast day falls on January 28.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 28, 2024
Wow. This is some good medicine. Like, some STRONG medicine that needs to be truly ingested so that it can do its work. When I read these early Church Fathers, I’m always struck that Scripture is not something that is merely “referenced” to support an argument. Rather, they have Scripture baked into their bones, so it simply weaves through the entire development of their works. Isaac’s writing carries a sort of “paradoxical proverbial” tone; he flows through one discourse after another, all of which are steeped with wisdom about the layers of the soul, the rigor of sanctification, and the nature of God and man. It can feel lofty and, perhaps, unattainable at times. But my goodness did he experience the beauty and mercy and wonder of God:
“As much as the heart finds peace from the memories of created things, so much will your mind receive the gift of wonder for the understanding of the sayings of Scripture… At that time, while the man is immersed in these supplications and groanings, a fountain of delight will spring up suddenly in his heart and his limbs will be relaxed. His eyes closed and his face covered, his thoughts will be transformed so that not even his knees are able to stay on the ground before the exultation of that good which swells up through his whole body.”
“As much as the heart finds peace from the memories of created things, so much will your mind receive the gift of wonder for the understanding of the sayings of Scripture… At that time, while the man is immersed in these supplications and groanings, a fountain of delight will spring up suddenly in his heart and his limbs will be relaxed. His eyes closed and his face covered, his thoughts will be transformed so that not even his knees are able to stay on the ground before the exultation of that good which swells up through his whole body.”
January 30, 2026
Oh blessed Saint Isaac, master of the ascetic life! There are some excellent insights in this book. Here are some quotes that really stuck out:
“…every purification which is achieved easily, quickly and with little labor is easily defiled. But the purity acquired with great troubles over a long period and by the highest part of the soul does not fear insignificant contacts with worldly things.” (pp. 50-51)
“And if you become indignant with anyone, and you burn with zeal for the sake of the faith or because of his evil works, or you accuse him or blame him, be attentive to your soul. We all have a just judge in heaven. But if you have pity and seek to turn him to the truth, certainly you must suffer for his sake. And with tears and with love you must speak a word or two to him, and not be enraged against him; you must even put away from your face any sign of hostility. Love does not know how to be angry; it is not enraged; it does not reprove passionately.” (98-99)
“…confusion of thoughts is generated by gluttony…” (p. 101)
Saint Isaac, please pray to God for us!
“…every purification which is achieved easily, quickly and with little labor is easily defiled. But the purity acquired with great troubles over a long period and by the highest part of the soul does not fear insignificant contacts with worldly things.” (pp. 50-51)
“And if you become indignant with anyone, and you burn with zeal for the sake of the faith or because of his evil works, or you accuse him or blame him, be attentive to your soul. We all have a just judge in heaven. But if you have pity and seek to turn him to the truth, certainly you must suffer for his sake. And with tears and with love you must speak a word or two to him, and not be enraged against him; you must even put away from your face any sign of hostility. Love does not know how to be angry; it is not enraged; it does not reprove passionately.” (98-99)
“…confusion of thoughts is generated by gluttony…” (p. 101)
Saint Isaac, please pray to God for us!
May 30, 2020
The fact that I gave this book such a low rating shows the extent of my sinful character. As I understand the system, ratings are determined by how much I "enjoy" the book, not by any sort of semi-objective determination of the quality of the book. Otherwise the rating would be five stars.
In a nutshell, I struggle with ascetic literature (no pun intended). Every page is effort, and I rarely recall any of what I read.
Upon asking my father confessor whether I could/should read The Ladder of Divine Ascent, having been told that others had been steered away from it, he replied, "Certainly. I see no proclivity in you for untoward or dangerous ascetical leanings." Nothing could be more true.
In a nutshell, I struggle with ascetic literature (no pun intended). Every page is effort, and I rarely recall any of what I read.
Upon asking my father confessor whether I could/should read The Ladder of Divine Ascent, having been told that others had been steered away from it, he replied, "Certainly. I see no proclivity in you for untoward or dangerous ascetical leanings." Nothing could be more true.
July 10, 2011
This work by St. Isaac the Syrian remains among my favorites because it involves discourses on prayer, fasting, and ascesis which all Christians are called to. St. Isaac so far is the first Church Father I have seen to say "hate the sin but love the sinners" which is often quoted today as anonymous.
April 24, 2022
“The gratitude of the recipient stimulates the donor to gifts greater than before. One who defrauds in little things is also deceitful and unjust in greater things.”
“No one is able to draw near to God without leaving the world far behind. By leaving the world I do not mean departing from the body but rather leaving bodily affairs behind.”
“(...) When you have no care for the things of virtue, then you will be carried off by all means to those things which are contrary. Any departure from one side is the beginning of an approach to the opposite side. Let the work of virtue prevail in your soul; reflect on it, et cetera.”
“Everything which is readily found is also easily lost.”
“Without the constant practice of virtue true knowledge cannot be found.”
“Let your mouth be constant in blessings and no one’s abuse will ever fall on you. Insult generates insult and blessing, blessing.”
Denna bok är helt fullsmockad med aforismer (illustrerar det hela med ett litet urval här ovanför ‘,:), och alltihop är så fint! Ofta rör det sig om så himla självklara (och universella) ting, men som man ändå kan behöva påminna sig själv om lite då och då. Kanske särskilt i de stunder då livet får ens hjärnis att snurra omkring däruppe i huvudet av alla de intryck och tankar man erfarar. Isak av Nineve (eller Isak Syriern) tar liksom ner en på jorden igen, men enbart för att man återigen ska få chansen att börja sväva iväg – men denna gång med siktet att utforska djupet. Det är liksom inte helt ovanligt att ens väg i livet stundvis kan komma att omfamnas av ett slags mörker, där sinnesron rubbas och ens reflektion upphör. Att man liksom bara låter allt flyta på trots att man går runt där och är halvt olycklig. Men detta mörker kan börja skingra sig bara man börjar utforska nya ting och fyller sinnet med ny kunskap och erfarenhet. Då får det där negativa inte något utrymme att röra sig på längre. Isak av Nineve belyser även vikten av att sträva efter att värdesätta de små sakerna i livet, för det är först då som man på riktigt kan komma att uppskatta de lite större tingen man ställs inför. Det är trots allt det lilla som lägger grunden för något större. Detta betyder även att man konstant bör sträva efter att göra det bästa av alla situationer man ställs inför. Men det kan absolut vara pisssvårt ibland, och när allt känns sådär tungt kanske det inte är så himla kul att höra att man “måste göra det bästa av det man har”, MEN det ligger trots allt något i det. Bara den där strävan efter att finna små ljusglimtar i en situation gör så man kommer en bit på vägen. Fint fint 🐌🌱
“No one is able to draw near to God without leaving the world far behind. By leaving the world I do not mean departing from the body but rather leaving bodily affairs behind.”
“(...) When you have no care for the things of virtue, then you will be carried off by all means to those things which are contrary. Any departure from one side is the beginning of an approach to the opposite side. Let the work of virtue prevail in your soul; reflect on it, et cetera.”
“Everything which is readily found is also easily lost.”
“Without the constant practice of virtue true knowledge cannot be found.”
“Let your mouth be constant in blessings and no one’s abuse will ever fall on you. Insult generates insult and blessing, blessing.”
Denna bok är helt fullsmockad med aforismer (illustrerar det hela med ett litet urval här ovanför ‘,:), och alltihop är så fint! Ofta rör det sig om så himla självklara (och universella) ting, men som man ändå kan behöva påminna sig själv om lite då och då. Kanske särskilt i de stunder då livet får ens hjärnis att snurra omkring däruppe i huvudet av alla de intryck och tankar man erfarar. Isak av Nineve (eller Isak Syriern) tar liksom ner en på jorden igen, men enbart för att man återigen ska få chansen att börja sväva iväg – men denna gång med siktet att utforska djupet. Det är liksom inte helt ovanligt att ens väg i livet stundvis kan komma att omfamnas av ett slags mörker, där sinnesron rubbas och ens reflektion upphör. Att man liksom bara låter allt flyta på trots att man går runt där och är halvt olycklig. Men detta mörker kan börja skingra sig bara man börjar utforska nya ting och fyller sinnet med ny kunskap och erfarenhet. Då får det där negativa inte något utrymme att röra sig på längre. Isak av Nineve belyser även vikten av att sträva efter att värdesätta de små sakerna i livet, för det är först då som man på riktigt kan komma att uppskatta de lite större tingen man ställs inför. Det är trots allt det lilla som lägger grunden för något större. Detta betyder även att man konstant bör sträva efter att göra det bästa av alla situationer man ställs inför. Men det kan absolut vara pisssvårt ibland, och när allt känns sådär tungt kanske det inte är så himla kul att höra att man “måste göra det bästa av det man har”, MEN det ligger trots allt något i det. Bara den där strävan efter att finna små ljusglimtar i en situation gör så man kommer en bit på vägen. Fint fint 🐌🌱
August 21, 2018
In general I really like the writings of St. Isaac. This book I found somewhat disappointing, but mostly because I found the translation hard to read. I'm not a translator and don't know what the original text was like, but for me this read like a very 'wooden', literal translation. It needed work to polish it and make is read with a beauty to it. Many translations today also provide footnotes to explain the difficulties in the text, but this translation does not have that. St. Isaac is worth reading, and there are gems in this text, just not my favorite translation of St. Isaac.
March 28, 2026
Written by a desert monk 1300 years ago but probably more relevant than ever in the age of social media.
My main criticism is Isaac's arguments against the passions and for the ascetic life often tip into a Gnostic contempt for material reality itself, which is a recurrent problem with Orthodox writing more broadly.
Still, taking the time to consciously deaden the mind and soul to the passions of the world (lust, wealth, honour, comfort, and so forth), as Isaac guides us to, is a necessary task for any Christian and one with rich rewards.
My main criticism is Isaac's arguments against the passions and for the ascetic life often tip into a Gnostic contempt for material reality itself, which is a recurrent problem with Orthodox writing more broadly.
Still, taking the time to consciously deaden the mind and soul to the passions of the world (lust, wealth, honour, comfort, and so forth), as Isaac guides us to, is a necessary task for any Christian and one with rich rewards.
December 15, 2022
Great reminder to view everything in wonder. This book emphasizes the necessity of adoration of who God is and abandonment of all else that does not lead to that, almost to an extreme degree, but in a very spiritually grounded sense.
December 10, 2023
I thought it was a good little read. The difficulty in these patristic books is usually there verse like structure and lack of narrative quality. It can often feel like reading lists or proverbs. But I did enjoy some of the wisdom of it.
April 27, 2026
More than any of the Fathers I’ve read, this collection feels personal, like the guidance received in confession from one’s spiritual father. Time slips here and the weight of the present brings St. Isaac’s counsel painfully close.
March 22, 2025
Really good book, can sometimes feel confusing cause it doesn’t follow a narrative format. Nevertheless give good exhortations and insight to the spiritual life and Syriac Asceticism.
June 28, 2013
There is no other book that I read as much as this one. While it is not extremely practical, it does condition an outlook and way of thinking when approaching other works and the concrete struggle of the spiritual life.
October 25, 2018
St. Isaac dazzles with spiritual insight and wisdom!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews