The Virtuous Life

By St. Isaac of Nineveh and D.P. Curtin

The Virtuous Life is a set of directive put forward by St. Isaac about how the Christian might be able to observe virtue on a regular basis. This is broken down into six books detailing how to avoid the near occasion of sin and observe strength against the power of human temptation. St. Isaac discusses this in terms of being cognizant o

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dalcassian Publishing Company
• Release date: Jul 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9798868939242

Book preview

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First Treatise

Six Treatises of Saint Isaac, anchorite and bishop of Nineveh, on the virtuous life.

First treatise.

About renunciation and religious status.

The fear of God is the beginning of virtue; for it is called the fruit of faith. It is implanted in the heart when we give the mind rest from the attractions of the world, so as to limit its wandering movements to the ideas brought about by the contemplation of future goods.

When the foundation of virtue is established, none of the manifestations peculiar to it precede that when the ego gathers itself together by fleeing from external activities and abides in the word of light, which the psalmist in the holy Spirit calls a straight line on the holy paths.

Rarely, perhaps not at all, is there a person who could bear honor; And we say this about man as such because of his easy inclination to change, even if he resembles an angel in his behavior.

The beginning of the path to life is to occupy the mind with divine words and to practice poverty. The watering from the former gives us strength so that we can reach perfection in this. Conversely, if the growth achieved in observing these leads to a better understanding of them, the mutual help provided by both sides quickly leads to the erection of the entire building.

No one can draw near to God unless he distances himself from the world. By this removal I don't mean leaving the body, but rather its worries.

Virtue consists in man's spirit being emptied of the world. As long as the senses are concerned with external things, the heart cannot rest from the ideas about them. The passions of the body do not subside, and the sinful thoughts do not cease, except in desolation and solitude. For as long as the soul does not find full satisfaction in faith in God by attaining the sensation of his power, it neither heals the weakness of the senses nor is it able to forcefully trample down the visible matter, which, like a fence, encloses the inner and supersensible.

Reason is the cause of freedom, and the fruit of both is inclination. Without the first, the second is not possible; and where the second is missing, the third is held as if with reins.

When grace works powerfully in a person, he despises the fear of death out of love for justice and finds within himself many reasons why it is appropriate to endure suffering for the fear of God. On the other hand, those things which are viewed as harmful, namely for the body, but which only accidentally touch nature and only cause it pain through external connection with it, he has already recognized as nothing in comparison with future hope. He is also firmly convinced in his mind that it is impossible to know the truth without undergoing the test of suffering. He sees as clearly as if he could point to it that God cares for people with great care and that they are not left to chance, especially those who seek Him and endure suffering for His sake.

But if the inner emptiness has already taken over, then one finds the opposite of everything just mentioned. Then those who lie in wait to shoot arrows at you in the dark continually whisper to you that knowledge is better than faith because it is based on investigation, that trust in God does not always bring salvation, and that God is not so concerned for you than one assumes.

The beginning of true life for man is the fear of God. But if you give yourself up to the distraction of earthly things, you cannot rely on them remaining in your soul. For the heart, through the activity of the senses, is drawn away from the sweetness which it finds in God, inasmuch as the inward impulses are prevented from perceiving their object by the senses which should serve them.

The dividedness of the heart brings fear upon the soul; but faith can keep the spirit strong even when the limbs are cut off.

Long as the love of the body is still powerful in you, you cannot become hearty and fearless because of the many inconveniences that continually stand in the way of this beloved object.

He who desires honor can never lack causes for sorrow. There is no person whose mind does not itself undergo a change in the corresponding direction as things change.

While sensation arises secondarily from the senses, desire is naturally born from this, as the Scripture says. Let those therefore be silent who boast that they can keep their minds at peace in the midst of distractions!

He is chaste who not only ward off sinful impulses (outwardly) in order not to be defeated in the fight, but whose unshakable purity of heart also purifies the character of his mind (inwardly) so that he does not lose himself ignominiously in impure thoughts. And while the delicacy of his conscience is witnessed by the attitude of his carefully guarded eyes, the modesty hangs like a curtain over the hidden place of his thoughts, so that his purity, like a chaste virgin, may be preserved intact for Christ.

Nothing is more likely to remove impure habits from the soul and to curb disturbing memories which kindle confusing flames in the body than immersion in the love of doctrine and meditation on the depths of understanding of the sayings of Scripture.

When the thoughts then immerse themselves in bliss by pursuing the wisdom stored up in the (divine) word, knowledge, through the power which it draws in from there, leaves the body behind it, as it the earth with everything, forgets what is in it and erases from the soul all memories that evoke images of the physical world.

How often does the soul, immersed in wonder, remain without even the activity of ordinary thoughts concerned with natural things, because of the new wondrous things that come to it from the sea of the mysteries of Scripture!

Even if the spirit only swims on the surface of its waters and is unable to penetrate with its movements to the deepest bottom and see all the treasures hidden in its abyss, this exploration in its love zeal is able to stimulate thoughts so powerfully through that one wonderful thing to captivate thoughts so that they are prevented from rushing to physical nature.

This is why one of the God-bearers said: Because the heart is weak, it cannot bear the sufferings that attack from without nor the struggles that come from within.

You know how heavy the evil thoughts that come from the body weigh on us; Therefore, if the heart is not acquainted with the doctrine, it cannot overcome the confusion which the body arouses against it. For modesty and fear of God are related to the inclination of the spirit like a heavy weight to a scale that is quickly moved by every gust of wind. What is the non-weighing of the balance here corresponding there to the excessive and arbitrary rule of freedom of choice.

As soon as the weight is reduced here, the shells lose their calm and become easily movable. In the same way, the balance of the spirit moves violently in all directions when freedom of will has gained predominance by removing fear from the soul. So, changeability arises from freedom of will, but changes in the mind arise from inclination. Make a very careful start to your walk in God's way, and in a few days, you will stand at the gate of the kingdom of heaven without any detours!

Do not particularly pay attention to the literary arrangement of the teachers' thought processes in words that are written based on your own experience for your perfection in pious conduct, so that your soul may be further promoted by the sublime thoughts recorded therein! Investigate the intention of