Spiritual Fatherhood: Evagrius Ponticus on the Role of the Spiritual Father

by Gabriel Bunge

Spiritual fatherhood is popular, controversial, and misunderstood. For Evagrius Ponticus (AD 343-99) and the early fathers, nothing can be spiritual without the Holy Spirit, and true spiritual fathers can say, with St in Christ Jesus I begot you through the gospel (1 Cor 4.15). This begets freedom, not dependence. In this relationship we see an image of the freedom given to all who receive the Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father! (Rom 8.15).

True spiritual fatherhood is a charism and a ministry of healing and teaching. It is a timeless part of the Church s tradition, which has been maintained in the East. Fr Gabriel Bunge leads readers into the ancient understanding of spiritual fatherhood in the teaching of Evagrius, without losing sight of our contemporary condition.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality

119 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2016

Reviews

[Michael Culbertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for something more pastoral and practical, but this is a rather dry and academic text. Bunge’s intended audience appears to be those who are already familiar with Evagrius’s historical context (presumably other academics), and Bunge does little to help the modern reader understand the values and conceptual framework of the world in which Evagrius is writing.

Bunge says that Evagrius is an important author to study because he is among the earliest desert fathers, and his major contribution is linking the practice of virtue (asceticism) with the contemplation of God (theology). According to Bunge’s reading of Evagrius, the spiritual father must be one who is long practiced in asceticism, for one cannot pass on that which one has not experienced. The practice of asceticism works as a purifying action to free the soul from the tyranny of worldly passions and thereby develop a meek love of God and his creation. Grounded in this experience, the spiritual father bestows life on others (“begetting”) by imparting divine wisdom in an imitation of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Since the opposite of meekness is anger, there is nothing so dangerous to the health of the soul, for Evagrius, than anger, wrangling, confrontation, etc. The spiritual father is a kind of physician, helping to impart health (meekness) by assigning appropriate “remedies” (ascetic practices) to sick (impassioned) souls. According to Evagrius, the teaching of the spiritual father must be in measure of the spiritual readiness of the student, a capacity grown through ascetic practice. Unloading the full mysteries on an unready student would likely just frighten the student away, counterproductively.

For Evagrius, true knowledge (gnosis) is distinct from the false gnosis of Gnosticism. In Gnosticism, secret knowledge is the way to salvation, but Evagrius says that true knowledge is, rather, the fruit of salvation, the result of faithful pursuit of virtue (asceticism) and contemplation of God. Moreover, while Gnosticism is primarily about self-knowledge, true knowledge comes through a loving personal relationship (friendship) with God.

[Glenn Harden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat academic treatment of Evagrius's writings related to the idea of "spiritual fatherhood" (or parenthood) so it is not always the most accessible reading. I read it for devotional purposes to better understand what being a spiritual parent might look like, and the book was helpful to me. In the Christian tradition of Evagrius, spiritual parenthood is always grounded in the Holy Spirit and it is received as a gift. The spiritual parent gives life to another by directing toward virtue and by depicting an image of Christ. The spiritual parent is meek (gentle, tender, discrete), giving the other space to grow. There is much more here, even though it is buried in somewhat academic prose. If you're looking for something on spiritual parenthood--there seems to be very little out there--this isn't a bad starting place.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was different from what I was expecting, in that it read more like an academic essay than a more accessible exposition on the teachings of Evagrius of Pontus. I think, without a doubt, that it is a well researched book but there was simply much difficulty trying to follow the jumps and leaps that Fr. Gabriel has from section to section and page to page. There are many areas that seem to be quite unrelated to the title of the book, as well. There were many redeeming points and entire chapters worth reading and re-reading, but it was hard to come to terms with the language in many sections and how these areas fit into the overall narrative of the book.

[Navel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Grafted into the knowledge of the Lord, the righteous will bring many men to bloom, in this world, that is to say, in the Church, by allowing them to bear fruits through their spiritual teaching."