6th?7th-century Christian monk
"Johannes Climacus" redirects here. For the philosopher who used this pseudonym, see
Søren Kierkegaard
.
John Climacus
(
Greek
:
?ω?ννη? τ?? Κλ?μακο?
;
Latin
:
Ioannes Climacus
;
Arabic
:
????? ??????
,
romanized
:
Yu?ana al-Selmi
), also known as
John of the Ladder
,
John Scholasticus
and
John Sinaites
, was a 6th?7th century
Christian
monk
at the monastery on
Mount Sinai
.
[1]
He is revered as a
saint
by the
Eastern Orthodox Church
and
Roman Catholic Church
.
History
[
edit
]
There is almost no information about John's life. There is in existence an ancient
vita
(life) of the saint by a monk named Daniel of
Raithu
monastery. Daniel, though claiming to be a contemporary, admits to no knowledge of John's origins?any detail on John's birth is the result of much later speculation, and is confined to references in the
Menologion
. The
Vita
is generally unhelpful for establishing dates of any kind. On the basis of John's entry in the Menologion, John Climicus had at one time been placed him in the latter 6th century. That view was challenged by J. C. Guy and others; consensus (such as there is) has shifted to a 7th-century provenance.
[
citation needed
]
If Daniel's
vita
is trustworthy (there is nothing against which to judge its accuracy), then John came to the
Vatos
Monastery at
Mount Sinai
, now
Saint Catherine's Monastery
, and became a novice when he was about 16 years old. He was taught about the spiritual life by the more senior monk, Martyrius. After the death of Martyrius, John, wishing to practice greater
asceticism
, withdrew to a
hermitage
at the foot of the mountain. In this isolation he lived for some twenty years, constantly studying the lives of the saints and thus becoming one of the most learned
Church Fathers
.
[2]
In the meantime, the above tradition has been proven to be historically implausible.
[3]
The artful rhetorical figures in his writings, as well as philosophical forms of thought indicate a solid academic education, as was customary for a profession in administration and law during his epoch. Such training could not have been acquired in Sinai.
[4]
Furthermore, biographical observations indicate that he probably lived by the sea, probably in Gaza, and apparently practiced Law there. It was only after his wife's death, in his early forties, that he entered the Sinai Monastery. These findings also explain the horizon and the literary quality of his writings, which have a clear philosophical background. The legend of his renunciation of the world at the age of 16, found also in other biographies of saints, is to suggest his having been untouched by secular education. Blurred deliberately would have been any roots in theological and philosophical educational traditions.
When he was about sixty-five years of age, the monks of Sinai persuaded him to become their
hegumen
. He acquitted himself of his functions as abbot
[5]
with the greatest wisdom. John Climacus' reputation spread so far that, according to the
Vita
, Pope
Gregory the Great
wrote to propose himself to his prayers, and sent him a sum of money for the hospital of Sinai, where pilgrims lodged.
Of John's literary output we know only the
Κλ?μαξ
(
Latin
:
Scala Paradisi
) or
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
. This was composed in the early seventh century at the request of John,
[6]
Abbot of Raithu, a monastery situated on the shores of the
Red Sea
. Also surviving to the present day is a shorter work
To the Pastor
(Latin:
Liber ad Pastorem
), most likely a sort of appendix to the
Ladder
. It is in the
Ladder
that we hear of the ascetic practice of carrying a small notebook to record the monk's thoughts during contemplation.
[7]
The
Ladder
describes how to raise one's soul and body to
God
through the acquisition of ascetic virtues. Climacus uses the analogy of
Jacob's Ladder
as the framework for his spiritual teaching. Each chapter is referred to as a "step", and deals with a separate spiritual subject. There are thirty Steps of the ladder, which correspond to the age of
Jesus
at
his baptism
and the beginning of his earthly ministry. Within the general framework of a 'ladder', Climacus' book falls into three sections. The first seven Steps concern general virtues necessary for the ascetic life, while the next nineteen (Steps 8?26) give instruction on overcoming vices and building their corresponding virtues. The final four Steps concern the higher virtues toward which the ascetic life aims. The final rung of the ladder?beyond prayer (προσευχ?), stillness (
?συχ?α
), and even dispassion (
?π?θεια
)?is love (
?γ?πη
).
Originally written simply for the monks of a neighbouring monastery, the
Ladder
swiftly became one of the most widely read and much-beloved books of
Byzantine
spirituality. This book remains one of the most widely read among
Orthodox Christians
, especially during the season of
Great Lent
which immediately precedes
Pascha
(Easter). It is often read in the
trapeza
(refectory) in Orthodox
monasteries
, and in some places it is read in church as part of the
Daily Office
on Lenten weekdays, being prescribed in the
Triodion
.
An
icon
known by the same title,
Ladder of Divine Ascent
, depicts a ladder extending from earth to heaven.
[8]
Several
monks
are depicted climbing a ladder; at the top is Jesus, prepared to receive them into
Heaven
. Also shown are angels helping the climbers, and demons attempting to drag down the climbers or shoot them with arrows, no matter how high up the ladder they may be. Most versions of the icon show at least one person falling. Often, in the lower right corner John Climacus himself is shown, gesturing towards the ladder, with rows of monks behind him.
Saint John's
feast day
is 30 March in both the East and West. The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Catholic churches also commemorate him on the Fourth Sunday of
Great Lent
. Many churches are dedicated to him in
Russia
, including
a church and belltower
in the
Moscow Kremlin
. John Climacus was also known as "Scholasticus", but he is not to be confused with
John Scholasticus
,
Patriarch of Constantinople
.
Several translations into English have been made, including one by Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston, 1978). This volume contains the
Life of St. John
by Daniel,
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
, and
To the Pastor
, and provides footnotes explaining many of the concepts and terminology used from an Orthodox perspective, as well as a General Index.
[9]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Zecher, Jonathan L. (2013), "The Angelic Life in Desert and Ladder: John Climacus's Re-Formulation of Ascetic Spirituality",
Journal of Early Christian Studies
,
21
(1): 111?136,
doi
:
10.1353/earl.2013.0006
,
ISSN
1086-3184
,
S2CID
170616546
- ^
"Clugnet, Leon. "St. John Climacus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 26 March 2015"
.
- ^
Johnsen,Henrik Rydell: Reading John Climacus: Rhetorical Argumentation, Literary Convention and the Tradition of Monastic Formation. Lund University Press, Lund 2007.
- ^
Duffy, John: Reading John Climacus: Rhetorical Argumentation, Literary Convention and the Tradition of Monastic Formation (review). In: Journal of Early Christian Studies. vol 18, no.1, 2010, pp. 145?146, doi:10.1353/earl.0.0303.
- ^
An abbot is the head of a monastery; the term is usually used in a Christian situation, but is used sometimes in a Buddhist context.
- ^
Duffy, John (2010), "Reading John Climacus: Rhetorical Argumentation, Literary Convention and the Tradition of Monastic Formation (review)",
Journal of Early Christian Studies
,
18
(1): 145?146,
doi
:
10.1353/earl.0.0303
,
ISSN
1086-3184
,
S2CID
170969273
- ^
Stroumsa, Guy (2008), "The Scriptural Movement of Late Antiquity and Christian Monasticism",
Journal of Early Christian Studies
,
16
(1), Johns Hopkins University Press: 61?77,
doi
:
10.1353/earl.2008.0011
,
ISSN
1086-3184
,
S2CID
170261691
- ^
cf.
Genesis 28:12
- ^
Climacus, John (1 October 1991),
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
, Holy Transfiguration Monastery,
ISBN
978-0-943405-03-2
, retrieved
13 March
2013
Relevant Literature
[
edit
]
- Popova, Tatiana. "The Naming of Food and Drink in the Ladder of John Climacus." Studia Ceranea.
Journal of the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe
11 (2021): 371-386.
External links
[
edit
]
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