Christian Scholars Series

Over four lectures, Nicholas introduces us to the lives and sayings of the desert fathers, with a particular focus on the fascinating writings of Evagrius of Pontus (c. 345-399). In doing so, he makes the wisdom of the desert relevant to contemporary spiritual practice. The course begins by looking at the origins of Christian monasticism during the third century CE, when thousands of men and women renounced the world and withdrew to the deserts of Egypt, Syria and Palestine to seek God in a life of solitude and prayer. What inspired them to do this? What were they trying to achieve? In seeking answers to these questions, we will examine the lives and sayings of the so-called 'desert fathers', with a particular emphasis on the theological writings of Evagrius of Pontus (c. 345-399). Evagrius was described as being one 'skilled in the discernment of spirits'. In his ascetical treatises, he elaborates a detailed programme for aspirants to the holy life comprising a foundation of stillness (hesychia), the cultivation of equanimity (apatheia) and, ultimately, unitive knowledge of the divine reality (gnosis). Particular attention will be given to his psycho-spiritual taxonomy of the 'eight thoughts', and the practice of contemplative prayer, as expounded in texts such as the Foundations, Praktikos, Eight Thoughts, and On Prayer. Session One – Monks of the Desert – Historical origins of Christian monasticism • the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness • St Antony, the 'first monk' • fleeing the world to face the self • life in the desert • Pachomius and the beginnings of institutional monasticism. Session Two – The Ascetic Rationale – The theology of Origen of Alexandria • principles of monastic asceticism • the importance of humility and purity of heart • Evagrius of Pontus, theologian of the desert • stages on the path of spiritual progress • the cultivation of apatheia (equanimity). Session Three – The Eight Thoughts – On the subject of demons • the eight categories of obsessive thoughts: gluttony, lust, avarice, sadness, anger, acedia, vanity and pride • the practice of the discernment of thoughts. Session Four – On Prayer – Types of prayer in the Christian tradition • prayer in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus • the nature of the mind • the notion of 'pure prayer' in Evagrius • the legacy of the Desert Fathers. The Reverend Dr Nicholas Buxton is the Director of St Antony's Priory, in Durham, and founder of 'Just Meditation' and the Newcastle Meditation Centre. He has a PhD in Buddhist philosophy from the University of Cambridge and is an experienced meditation teacher and retreat leader. Publications include The Wilderness Within: Meditation and Modern Life (Canterbury Press, 2014), and Tantalus and the Pelican: Exploring Monastic Spirituality Today (Continuum, 2009).

In these four talks, Peter Tyler explores the factors that contributed to the rise of mystical writing in 16th Century Spain. He traces the particular history of the Peninsula that shaped the milieu within which mysticism flourished at this time.   One of the most popular and approachable Christian saints of all time, St Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582) is justly celebrated as one of the key writers in the Christian mystical tradition. Yet her popularity belies the struggles she had to overcome in her own lifetime, to have her mystical approaches accepted by the wider church. Peter looks at how her life and struggles influenced her mystical teaching, especially as found in The Book of the Life and The Interior Castle.   Peter explores the author of the Dark Night of the Soul, St John of the Cross (1542 – 1591). His teachings on the spiritual life are remarkably light and beautiful. Peter places John's life and teaching within the context of 16th Century Spain and explores questions such as: 'How can God be known in this life?' and 'How far does knowledge of God lead to annihilation of the individual personality?'   Peter Tyler is Professor of Pastoral Theology and Spirituality at St Mary's University, Twickenham. He is also the Founding Director of the Centre for Initiatives in Spirituality and Reconciliation (InSpiRe). His own work has been on the borderlands of psychology, theology and philosophy. He is a registered psychotherapist and his work can be followed on the insoulpursuit blogspot.

Moses' encounter with God on the summit of Mount Sinai, as told in the biblical book of Exodus, contains a number of peculiarities and paradoxes.  Early Christian mystics seized on these as clues to the spiritual understanding of Moses' experiences, and as guides to the practice of contemplation. In this course we will examine five moments in Moses' ascent of Mount Sinai: his entry into the darkness; the elders' vision of the sapphire pavement; the pattern of the tabernacle revealed; God's placing of Moses into the cleft of the rock; and Moses' shining face.  We will explore how these intriguing passages inspired four early Christian writers – Gregory of Nyssa, Evagrius of Pontus, Pseudo-Macarius and Dionysius the Areopagite – as they reflected on such topics as the unknowability of God and the state of a mind at prayer.  In doing so, we will discover the influence of scripture on the development of the Christian mystical tradition. 1. The darkness of unknowing (Exodus 20.18-21) "[Moses] breaks free … away from what sees and is seen and he plunges into the truly mysterious darkness of unknowing.  Here, renouncing all that the mind may conceive, wrapped entirely in the intangible and the invisible, he belongs completely to him who is beyond everything."  (Dionysius) 2. Divine Blue (Exodus 24.9-11) "When the mind has put off the old self and shall put on the one born of grace, then it will see its own state in the time of prayer resembling sapphire or the colour of heaven; this state scripture calls the place of God that was seen by the elders on Mount Sinai."  (Evagrius of Pontus) 3. The heavenly tabernacle (Exodus 25 – 28) "Moses was educated beforehand by a type in the mystery of the tabernacle which encloses everything. This would be Christ, 'the power of God and the wisdom of God', which in its own nature is not made by hands, yet allows itself to be physically fashioned when this tabernacle needs to be pitched among us, so that, in a certain way, the same is both unfashioned and fashioned: uncreated in pre-existence, but becoming created in accordance with this material composition."  (Gregory of Nyssa) 4. The cleft in the rock (Exodus 33:11-23) "This truly is the vision of God: never to be satisfied in the desire to see him.  But one must always, by looking at what he can see, rekindle his desire to see more.  Thus, no limit would interrupt growth in the ascent to God, since no limit to the Good can be found nor is the increasing of desire for the Good brought to an end because it is satisfied." (Gregory of Nyssa) 5. Transformation (Exodus 34:29-35) "For blessed Moses provided us with a certain type through the glory of the Spirit which covered his countenance upon which no one could look with steadfast gaze.  This type anticipates how in the resurrection of the just the bodies of the saints will be glorified with a glory which even now the souls of the saintly and faithful people are deemed worthy to possess within, in the indwelling of the inner person."  (Pseudo-Macarius)