THE NEPTIC AND HESYCHASTIC CHARACTER OF ORTHODOX = ATHONITE MONASTICISM greekorthodoxchrch.org

For yet another millennium, = Athonite=20 monasticism constitutes a genuine expression of Orthodox=20 monasticism. Great monastic centers in Egypt, Palestine, = Asia Minor,=20 Constantinople, Russia and the Balkans no longer exist. = God=92s=20 providence maintains until today Agion Oros (=93Mount Athos=94) as a = spiritually=20 thriving Orthodox monastic center, under the jurisdiction of = the=20 Ecumenical Patrhiarchate.

As an institution of the = Church,=20 Agion Oros finds itself in unbroken dogmatic and spiritual = union=20 with the Church. This union assures and guards its neptic* = and=20 hesychastic character, and it allows it to offer to God=92s = people the=20 fruits of neptic and hesychastic life. Orthodox monasticism, = in its=20 entirety, as carrier of the Apostolic and patristic = tradition of the=20 Church, is neptic and hesychastic. It does not aim towards = the=20 external reform of the world, as is the case with Western = monastic=20 orders, but it targets its transformation by means of = repentance,=20 cleansing from the passions and theosis. Furthermore, nepsis = and=20 hesychia constitute the essential point of life in = accordance with=20 the gospel. According to the holy fathers, nepsis is the = vigilance=20 of the nous and watchfulness at the gates of the heart, so = that=20 every thought that moves in it can be controlled . The = neptic work=20 is practiced in various ways , but in all its forms it = presumes=20 renunciation of the world, obedience and hesychia . Hesychia = is=20 distancing oneself from worldly distractions, while sacred = hesychia=20 of the heart is rejection of thoughts which are not = according to God=20 .

The roots of neptic life and of hesychia in = accordance=20 with God are found in the Old Testament. The Prophet Moses = received=20 experience and knowledge of God on Mount Horeb, when faced = by the=20 strange sight of the blazing bush, which did not burn, he = was=20 initiated into rejecting every worldly belief, reflected in = the=20 removal of his sandals, and to contemplate in reflection and = riddle=20 the mystery of the divine Incarnation. According to the holy = Fathers, this experience of Moses presumed a moving away = from the=20 noise and distractions of the world. Prophet Elijah also = received=20 experience of God, while in the desert of Mount Horeb and by = praying=20 in the hesychastic way of the noetic prayer of the heart. = The light=20 breeze, which the Prophet felt after the strong wind, the = temblor=20 and fire , were, according to the holy Fathers, a means by = which God=20 revealed Himself. And Prophet David says, in the psalms, = that=20 knowledge of God presumes the ceasing of dispersal in = worldly=20 occupations: =93Be still and know that I am God=94 (Ps. = 45=92 11). The=20 rest of the Prophets and the Just of the Old Testament also = received=20 experience of the Grace of God after neptic work.=20

Principally, however, the hesychastic way of life is = presented in the New Testament as the most suitable for one = to=20 arrive at knowledge and experience of God. The Just = Forerunner=20 wandered alone in the desert of Jordan from childhood, in = extreme=20 stillness, praying solely to God. There, in silence, he = received the=20 information that the one who will come to be baptized in the = Jordan,=20 and on whom he will see =93the Spirit descending and = resting=94, is the=20 anticipated Messiah (Jn. a=92 32-34).

Lord Jesus = Christ lived=20 in silence for thirty years, while during the three years of = His=20 public activity he frequently retreated to the desert for = prayer.=20 According to St. Nikodimos the Athonite, the entire gospel = and=20 apostolic teachings, aim towards the purification of the = interior=20 man from the passions, and for preparation, so that the = perfect=20 Grace of the holy Baptism can again enlighten the whole man = . With=20 His divine Transfiguration, the Lord showed the way to true=20 knowledge of God and the manner of contemplation of the = uncreated=20 Light of His Person. The way starts with the rejection of = the low=20 and earthly by the actual practice, continues with the = elevation=20 through the divine virtues to the purification of the = spiritual=20 senses, and concludes by means of deifying illumination. = Finding=20 himself in this divine state, man is enabled to contemplate = the=20 ineffable beauty of God.

The Lady Theotokos gave us = the=20 perfect example of hesychastic life and neptic work, = according to=20 Gregory Palamas. In the Holy of Holies, in Solomon=92s = temple, she=20 carried out the practice of the virtues and unceasing noetic = prayer=20 for twelve years, and through them she was able to unite her = entire=20 being with the Grace of the Holy Spirit: =93Having then = rejected=20 these, the earthly relations, from the beginning of her life = [writes=20 St. Gregory, and St. Nikodimos the Athonite gives us in = translation]=20 the Virgin left the people=85 separated from every material = bond; she=20 ejected every relationship; she rose above every kind of = love,=20 including that of her own body, and thus she united her nous = with=20 itself, by means of a spin and by attention, and with divine = and=20 eternal prayer=85 and thus, she constructed a new stratum in = the=20 heavens, in other words the noetic (if I may call it so) = stillness,=20 in which having attached her nous, she rises above all = creatures,=20 and sees the glory of God more perfectly than Moses, and=20 contemplates divine Grace, which is not comprehensible = through the=20 senses=94 .

The holy Apostles worked exclusively in = the world=20 and in the midst of distractions, noise and danger, but deep = inside=20 they remained hesychasts and workers of nepsis and prayer . = Their=20 apostolic work was not a social reform program, but the = rebirth of=20 souls through Christ. The apostolic Fathers, and afterward = the=20 entire subsequent Church lived in the same neptic = environment . St.=20 Gregory the Theologian speaks about the practical virtues as = cleansing, because they prepare the soul to receive Christ = in the=20 heart, and stillness as deifying, because it raises the nous = to God=20 . The divine father desires stillness, and he is distressed = when=20 they deprive Him of it, and they compel him to assume = shepherding of=20 the church. =93For what reason are you slow as far as my = speaking is=20 concerned, friends and brothers, even though you are quick = to upset,=20 and even to take me away from the stillness of my refuge, = which I=20 above all preferred, both as associate and as mother of = divine=20 elation, and deifying, and which I preferred and embraced, = and=20 promoted my whole life?=94

Saint Basil the Great = also, thanks=20 to the neptic work that he practiced in the desert, and = hesychia,=20 was enabled to contemplate the divine and ineffable Light. = About=20 this Saint Gregory of Nyssa, his brother, writes: =93Moses = left Egypt=20 after the death of the Egyptian, and in the following period = he=20 spent time in solitude. He moved away from the noises of the = city=20 and its material offerings, and finally ended up = contemplating God=20 with love. He was illuminated by divine light by the bush. = We have=20 something relative to this apparition, and about this matter = we must=20 say that even though it was night, light shone on him while = he was=20 praying at the house; and the light was immaterial, = illuminating the=20 building by means of divine power, without being dependent = on any=20 substance=94 .

During the same period the desert is=20 distinguished primarily as a place of nepsis and hesychastic = life.=20 Also, Saint Pachomios in Egypt, Saints Euthymios, Theodosios = the=20 Cenobite and Savvas the Sanctified in Palestine, established = cenobitic monasticism. Both of these forms of monasticism = had a=20 hesychastic character. In the 14th century, the Athonite = Saint=20 Nikeforos Monazon refers to the hesychastic and neptic = spirit of=20 both the solitary and the cenobitic holy Fathers. I offer=20 representative examples.

About Saint Anthony: = =93that, seated=20 at the mountain he held his heart still, with the Lord = pointing to=20 him from a distance. You see that by means of stillness of = the=20 heart, Anthony became a witness of God and foresaw the = future;=20 because by means of stillness of the heart God reveals = Himself to=20 the nous=94 .

About Saint Theodosios Cenobiarch: = =93It is said,=20 then, about these noetic energies of the soul, that it was = exactly=20 they that provoked many into considering him formidable. = Even when=20 accusing, he was desirable and sweet to all. He was this = way, yet=20 helpful even when he spoke to multitudes? Most capable of = developing=20 the senses and of refining the nous to those who lived = amidst the=20 noises and those who were in the desert, as if in an endless = serenity. And yet he is the same, whether amidst the crowds = or=20 alone? And here is Great Theodosios who by means of = development and=20 internalization of the senses was wounded by the Creator=92s = love=94 .=20

And about Saint Savvas the Sanctified: =93In fact, = the divine=20 Savvas, the one who was persecuted, having learned precisely = the=20 educational cannon of the monks, he was able to guard the = nous by=20 himself and to fight against hostile thoughts, and even = having=20 accomplished knowledge of the essence of worldly things, = then even=20 as he provided a cell to Lavra =85 You see how the heavenly = Savvas=20 demanded of his students the guarding of the nous, and = having thus=20 provided them with a cell, he joined them?=94 . =

Nepsis and=20 stillness in accordance with Christ also characterizes the = life of=20 the monasteries of Asia Minor and Constantinople. This is = apparent=20 from the life and writings of Saints Symeon the New = Theologian and=20 Nikitas Stithatos. =93Evergetinos=94, the basic ascetic = writing, with=20 which many generations of monks grew up spiritually, was = composed in=20 the Monastery of Theotokos Evergetissa in Constantinople by = monk=20 Paul, and it represents the spirit of monasticism in that = period.=20 Saint Theodoros Stouditis, representative of Cenobitic = monasticism=20 of his period and renowned for his confessional battles for = the=20 Faith, was not lacking in neptic conviction. This is what he = testifies from his compositions, which are in use in Church = services=20 to this day, and from his spiritual advise to his spiritual=20 children. =93To the hermits, life is blissful, flying in = divine Eros=94,=20 he writes characteristically (Paraklitiki, Anavathmi a=92 = sonnet). To=20 his student Parthenios, who endured severe torture for the = Orthodox=20 Faith, in spite of these he does not neglect to remind him: = =93child,=20 guard yourself, because inside as well the tyrant devil is = always=20 tempting with the passions. Practice, and with conscience, = not to be=20 overpowered by sin; cleanse yourself diligently every day, = while=20 always presuming that it is the last one of your life, so = that thus=20 in fear and trembling you will please God, on the one hand = working=20 with your hands, and on the other chanting and praying, no = matter=20 what else happens during the day=94 .

* * * =

From the=20 6th century and following, the hesychastic tradition is also = bequeathed to Athos, with Saint Euthymios the New, Saint = Peter the=20 Athonite and, later, Saint Athanasios, the builder of the = Holy=20 Monastery of Great Lavra, as its main exponents. Saint = Gregory=20 Palamas, in his eulogy of Saint Peter the Athonite, = describes in=20 strong colors the Saint=92s longing to live as a monk in the = incomparable desert of Agion Oros, his noetic wars against = the=20 demons and the visitations of Grace. Henceforth, other = hermits=20 follow the Saint=92s example.

In later centuries = great=20 hesychasts and neptic men are illuminated in Agion Oros, = such as=20 Saints Maximos, Nifon and Akakios the Kafsokalybite, = Theofilos and=20 Neilos Myroblitis, Saint Gregory of Sinai with his students, = Saint=20 Gregory the hesychast (the builder of the synonymous = Athonite=20 monastery) and the whole chorus of hesychast fathers of the = 14th=20 century, lead by Saint Gregory Palamas. Particularly the = last=20 developed and assured theologically the centuries-long = neptic=20 experience of the Church, he confronted the Westerner = Barlaam=92s=20 doubts about it, he refuted the unjust accusations against = the=20 hesychastic method of the noetic prayer, and he formulated=20 definitively the theology of hesychasm.

A = rationalist and=20 not having tasted the experience of the divine Light, the = Calabrian=20 monk Barlaam accused the Athonite monks that the Light, = which they=20 insisted they saw by means of the hesychastic turning of the = nous in=20 the heart and the noetic prayer of the heart, was created = light,=20 light of the intellect, and not divine light. He considered = the=20 monks who practiced this noetic work as deluded. =

Saint=20 Gregory Palamas had personal experience of the Grace of God. = From=20 this experience he knew that the light that these virtuous = monks saw=20 was divine, uncreated energy of God, the Grace of the Holy = Spirit,=20 lived as supernatural Light, which infuses the nous of the = monks=20 once it was cleansed of passions. By referring to the works = of older=20 distinguished teachers of the Church, and with his own = heavenly=20 wisdom, he proved theologically that the Light which is = viewed by=20 the hesychast monks is the uncreated Light of the Holy = Trinity. In=20 relation to this he writes: =93It is for this reason then, = that the=20 lover of perfect communion with God avoids the = technologically=20 assisted life, and chooses the monastic and un-structured = state, and=20 he eagerly offers himself to the sanctuary of stillness, = without the=20 obligations or worries of life, relieved from all other = (worldly)=20 relationships. Thus, having released his soul from every = material=20 bond, to the extent that this is attainable, he attaches his = nous to=20 the unceasing prayer to God, and having, through it, = concentrated=20 the nous entirely into himself, he finds a new and secret = ascent to=20 the heavens, the intangible obscurity of the apocryphal = stillness,=20 as one would say. And having precisely concentrated his nous = into=20 himself with secret bliss, in a state of utterly simple but = perfect=20 and sweet tranquility, and in genuine silence and = speechlessness, he=20 flies above all creation. And thus, having been removed from = himself=20 and become entirely God=92s, he sees the glory of God and = contemplates=20 divine light=94 .

The confirmation of his theology = by three=20 great synods of Constantinople (1341, 1347 and 1351) = distinguished=20 him as the supreme defender and teacher of the neptic and=20 hesychastic experience of the Church.

But the = cenobitic=20 Athonite holy Fathers also gave a hesychastic-neptic = character to=20 Cenobitic Athonite monasticism, because they themselves were = hesychasts and neptic men. Saint Nikodimos the Athonite = wrote for=20 Saint Athanasios the Athonite: =93Like another Moses, having = climbed=20 on holy Athos, as if at another Mount Sinai, and having = entered into=20 the impenetrable obscurity of theoria, he received, as = divinely=20 inscribed tablets, the model, the orders and the teachings = of both=20 the Cenobitic life of the monks and the angelic rite of the = Church,=20 and he gave these to all the Fathers in Agion Oros=94 . It = is apparent=20 from the life of Athanasios the Athonite, and from his = counsel to=20 his students, that the practical commandments of daily = Cenobitic=20 life aim at purifying the monk from the passions and from=20 selfishness.

By the Grace of God, this counsel is = kept to=20 this day in the Athonite monasteries. Withdrawal from = worldly=20 concerns, obedience, poverty, altruism, readiness for Church = psalmody and diakonia, perseverance in face of the = difficulties of=20 the cenovion, are the fundamental virtues that free the = cenobitic=20 monk from selfishness and egocentricity, and introduce him = to the=20 first stages of hesychia according to Christ. The populous = cenobitic=20 environment did not prevent cenobitic monks, who had already = shined=20 in the constellation of the holy Athonite Fathers, from = practicing=20 neptic work (Nifon and Leontios the Dionysiates, Ierotheos = Ibiritis,=20 Paisios Velikhovsky).

The so-called Kollybades = Fathers, more=20 correctly and in the orthodox manner called Fathers of the=20 Philokalia of the 18th century, renewed the hesychastic = tradition in=20 the monasteries, sketes and kellia, during the 18th century = . Saint=20 Nikodimos the Athonite is the most expressive representative = of the=20 hesychastic spirit of the movement of the Renaissance of the = Philokalia. The books that he co-authored in stillness in = the=20 deserts of Agion Oros linger as the perfume of hesychastic = life, and=20 they constitute spiritual delight for contemporary monks. = The=20 enduring hesychastic tradition, which found continuity in = the life=20 of the monks of Agion Oros, becomes apparent in the classic = work=20 =93Philokalia of the Holy Neptics=94, which Saint Nikodimos = edited and=20 of which he wrote the foreword at the request of Saint = Makarios,=20 Bishop of Corinth.

* * *

In its millennial = history=20 to this day, Athonite monasticism, as a faithful expression = of=20 Orthodox monasticism, has retained its neptic and = hesychastic=20 character.

The 20th century has distinguished a = large number=20 of hesychast monks, who performed high neptic work and = displayed=20 admirable gifts. Men of great learning, such as the Elders = Daniel=20 Katounakiotis and Gerasimos Menagias; monastery abbots, such = as=20 Ieronymos Simonopetritis, Athanasios Gregoriatis, Filaretos=20 Konstamonitis and Kodratos Karakallinos; simple monks, such = as=20 Kallinikos the hesychast; cenobitic monks, such as Saint = Silouanos=20 the Athonite, and his student Sofronios Sakharov, the monks = Isaac=20 and Arsenios of Dionysiou monastery, were also distinguished = themselves as admirable workers of the noetic prayer in the = desert=20 or in the noisy life of large cenobitic monasteries. All = these=20 continued the hesychastic tradition of the Kollybades of the = 18th=9619th centuries and the hesychasts of the late 19th = century .=20

Our age is not lacking in presenting selected=20 representatives in the succession of neptic men in Agion = Oros. The=20 Elders Paisios the Agiorite, Porphyrios Kavsokalybitis, = Efraim=20 Katounakiotis, and Haralampos Dionysiatis are widely known. = Their=20 admirable contribution to the world did not hinder their = neptic=20 work. Rather, it presupposed it. The books which were lately = written=20 about them, and the living experience of those who knew = them, are=20 able to reveal in the most undisputed way that these blessed = Elders=20 were exceptional workers of the noetic prayer, and they = accomplished=20 the supernatural gifts of the Holly Spirit that follows it.=20

In our days, many other, unrenowned hesychasts lived = in the=20 koenovia, the sketes and the kellia of Agion Oros. The = contemporary=20 literature of Agion Oros reveals, after they left the world, = their=20 life and neptic struggles. I will specifically mention the = Elders=20 Gerasimos Mikrayannanites and Modestos Danielides and the = monk=20 Auxentios Gregoriates . Among the =93departed and yet = surviving=94, as=20 Saint Maximos the Confessor would say, there are = indefatigable=20 maintainers of the sacred work of nepsis and of hesychia = according=20 to Christ at Agion Oros. They, even today, receive heavenly = gifts in=20 =93fasting, wakefulness and prayer=94. It would not be right = for our=20 personal experience of them to become public before their = passing.=20 The Athonite prudence does not permit haste on this matter. = In spite=20 of this, even today, these neptic workers become a pole of=20 attraction of God-friendly souls, in other words of the = monks who=20 desire nepsis and prayer.

But beyond these Fathers, = whose=20 life is testified as neptic and hesychastic, is the entire = Athonite=20 climate, which follows the neptic tradition of Agion Oros. = The=20 current generation of monks was nurtured by a series of = neptic=20 readings, such as the Philokalia, Evergetinos, Abba Isaac = the Syrian=20 and the lives of the old neptic Fathers. Today, monks know = the lives=20 and teachings of the sacred neptic figures and they strive = to follow=20 them. The writers of St. Silouanos the Athonite are a = typical=20 example.

With the blessing of the Virgin, the = Athonite=20 monasteries have restored the cenobitic order, which is a = foundation=20 and a starting point towards their elevating, noetic work. = In the=20 monasteries, obedience is practiced, and the Athonite rules, = which=20 help in the cutting off of one=92s will and in the freedom = from=20 self-love, are maintained . Struggle is waged for the = practice of=20 brotherly love, which is the foundation for overcoming = egocentrism.=20 To the extent that it is possible, hospitality is practiced, = which=20 is an expression of the monks=92 love for our brothers who = live in the=20 world. Worship of God, long services at the Church, study = and prayer=20 in the cell, which help a novice cenoviatis to become = grafted onto=20 the monastic temperament, and help the one who is advanced = to=20 maintain the Grace of God in his heart and to guard from the = noetic=20 thieves, the demons, are duties of the monks.

In the = holy=20 sketes and the kellia, the monks practice the virtues of = obedience,=20 poverty, patience, trust in God=92s Providence, and prayer, = making up=20 for certain shortcomings of their cenobitic brothers. =

During=20 the Athonite festivals, the people of the entire Agion Oros=20 celebrate together, they glorify God, the Virgin and the = Saints as=20 one spiritual body. The monks visit the monasteries, = exchange their=20 respective monastic experiences, they renew their brotherly = ties and=20 set off Agion Oros as a living organism, an angelic legion, = a=20 chorus, a glorifying parade, a pan-Athonite family, children = of a=20 common Mother -- the All-Holy Theotokos, fragrant blooms of = her=20 garden.

* * *

Even so, some people are = scandalized=20 by the image that Agion Oros presents today. They accuse it = of=20 having lost its ascetic and neptic character, that it is = becoming=20 worldly, that its charismatic gerontes are of the past, that = spiritual life has become shallow, and that it no longer = fully=20 satisfies contemporary man; that it operates more and more = as a=20 worldly institution, and that it is losing its other-worldly = and=20 hesychastic disposition.

These critics do injustice = to Agion=20 Oros. They are unable to perceive that its external image = must not=20 be appraised by the premisses of older eras. Not having = tasted the=20 Athonite experience, they do not comprehend that the = Athonite=20 temperament is not altered by blameless human needs or by = chance=20 clumsiness and falings of the monks, but by alteration of=20 theological and apostolic moral principles. And on this = point Agion=20 Oros does not differ today from the convictions and morals = of=20 previous generations. It retains its Orthodox convictions = and its=20 neptic-hesychastic character.

The world and its = convictions=20 undoubtedly exert much more pressure on the monks today. = Human=20 nature is apparently more sickly than at other ages. = Communication=20 of the monks with the world uses modern means. The problems = of the=20 world spread, and they violate the gates of Agion Oros. If = one does=20 not take care to face many of these issues with the = yardstick of=20 love and charity, and to note that, in spite of all these = problems,=20 the neptic spirit does not cease to be cultivated, then it = is=20 possible for him to accuse the monks of Agion Oros. =

I think=20 that I know sufficiently the spiritual state of today=92s = Athonite=20 monks. I can pledge that the issues, which to some create = the=20 impression that Agion Oros is becoming worldly, constitute = for=20 today=92s monks new causes for spiritual struggle and a wide = field for=20 askesis and saintliness. They are certainly not indications = of=20 abolition of the neptic and hesychastic character of this = sacred=20 place.

Even today, the monks struggle to practice = nepsis and=20 hesychia in accordance with Christ. They abandon one world = which=20 offers them money and pleasures, and they limit themselves = to the=20 narrow space of the monastery, which is inviolable by = people. The=20 Athonite model presumes hours-long and exhausting services = at the=20 Church Nourishment follows the cenobitic rules. Diakonimata=20 (assigned work tasks) assure sufficient hours of occupation, = and the=20 efforts of the monk are offered to the brothers of the = monastery and=20 to the pilgrims. Obedience to the Abbot or to the Gerontas = of the=20 group protects him from autonomous practice, and from its = sad=20 consequences. Even the use of modern means of transportation = or new=20 technologies, which are perennially spoken of negatively by = people=20 of the world, do not in themselves alter the neptic = atmosphere of=20 the monastery, as long as it is blessed by the Gerontas, and = it does=20 not satisfy the sick selfishness of the old person (his = self-love).=20 The external appearance of the monk continues to be simple = and=20 unadorned, gentle but humble; with his form and word, the = monk=20 transmits the spirit of repentance to the Christians who = visit the=20 monasteries. It is about a kind of internal mission, which = is=20 performed without him pursuing it.

The occasional = exit of=20 monks to the outside world, especially Spiritual Fathers, = for the=20 purpose of confession of Christians or missionaries in the = echelons=20 of external missions, is a known fact of Athonite tradition. = The=20 monk who goes out in the world for a church mission, when he = is=20 invited by the Church and has the blessing of his Gerontas, = does not=20 go beyond the limits of his monastic vocation, nor does he = abolish=20 his hesychastic characteristic. He humbly executes his = diakonia, and=20 then returns to the rhythm of his monastic practice. =

Today,=20 monks possibly fall short of imitating the ascetic battles = of the=20 earlier Fathers. Yet, they consciously desire the Lord, and = they=20 follow the hesychastic path toward Him. In 1953, the blessed = Gerontas Gabriel Dionysiates wrote about the monks of his = age, which=20 still holds today: =93Regardless of the status of things = pertaining to=20 monasticism today, and apparently that of Agion Oros, about = which we=20 are speaking, it constitutes the class of the =91chosen=92, = the order of=20 those who have been branded with the =91love of the lamb=92, = eminent of=20 the spirit, about whom the question in the scripture: =91who = are these=20 flying like a cloud?=92 (Is 60:8). If not equal to the = angels, as=20 required by their order and mission, today=92s monks are = undoubtedly=20 the ones who lift the Lord=92s burden, the carriers of the = Cross of=20 martyrdom, who by toil and pain consume the fare of = asceticism,=20 those tried in obedience and perseverance, for life=94 . =

By=20 their way of living, even today, the monks cultivate the = true=20 theanthropic community and make real the words of Basil the = Great:=20 =93Because I propose a perfect community of life, where the = attribute=20 of ownership takes place automatically, the community is = freed from=20 opposition, and every turbulence, squabble and quarrel end = with the=20 stomping of a foot; everything is owned in common, souls, = opinions,=20 bodies and all those by whom the bodies are fed and healed; = God is=20 in common, reverence is in common, salvation is in common, = contests=20 are in common, sufferings are in common, and so are the = rewards,=20 which are received by many; and no one is left alone, as he = is=20 always with the others. What else could equal such as state? = Is=20 there anything more blessed?=94 The community of love, the = foundation=20 of Athonite life!

* * *

The hesychastic = character of=20 Agion Oros is assured today, apart from the neptic spirit = that was=20 bequeathed by the holy founders of the monasteries and holy = Fathers,=20 it is also assured by two more aspects.

The first is = the=20 ecclesiastical privilege to not be subject to the direct=20 jurisdiction of a local bishop, but to belong in the = spiritual=20 jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The = second is=20 the state privilege of autonomy, enshrined in the Greek=20 constitution. The avaton, a significant aspect of the = autonomous=20 status of Agion Oros, permits the monks to practice free = from the=20 troubles that the commingling of men and women provokes. The = avaton=20 of Agion Oros contributes to the utmost in keeping the Place = hesychastic and the monk=92s lives neptic. Abolition of the = avaton, as=20 demanded by certain feminists, in the name of so-called = equality of=20 European citizens, is incompatible with the hesychastic = quality of=20 Agion Oros. It is in the interest of the world for neptic = and=20 hesychastic monks to exist. It is realistic for one to = accept that=20 only when the monk achieves dispassion is he able to also = love women=20 dispassionately. In every age, men and women have a need for = this=20 dispassionate (without carnal passion) and whole love = towards all.=20 If the feminists wish to defend this women=92s right as = well, they are=20 obligated to defend the avaton of Agion Oros, and not to = demand its=20 abolition .

Nepsis and hesychia are the essence of = monastic=20 life at Agion Oros. Through them, the monk pursues his = elevation=20 towards God and union with Him in Christ. A tradition longer = than a=20 millennium continues today in Agion Oros.

Our prayer = is for=20 the Lord to enable us to overcome our personal shortcomings = and=20 awkwardness, and to follow the calling to which we were = summoned, in=20 the footprints of the teachers of the monastic way, our holy = Fathers=20 who were enlightened through their askesis, =93to worship = Him in the=20 manner of an angel, to serve Him entirely, to have faith=20 (gr. pistis)=20 in the Highest and to pursue the Highest; because, according = to the=20 Apostle, our authority exists in the Heavens=94 .

GLOSSARY

Askesis:
The effort or spiritual = training waged by Christians to keep the commandments, to = purify the=20 heart from passions and to practice the virtues, together = with=20 prayer and related activities, so as to bring harmony = between the=20 body, soul and God.

Avaton:
The = prohibition of=20 women in Agion Oros. A mandated aspect of its autonomous = status,=20 which is enshrined in the constitution of Greece.=20

Diakonia, diakonima, diakonimata (pl.): =
Service=20 or ministration, in other words the assigned work tasks of a = monk.=20

Evergetinos:
A collection of texts, = primarily=20 short stanzas and anecdotes from monastic life, illustrating = the=20 struggles and rewards of monastic life.

Faith:
See pistis

Gerontas,=20 gerontes (pl.):
Also called Elder, or Staretz, an = honorific=20 appellation of a spiritually developed monk or a senior monk = in a=20 monastery, such as the abbot.

Hesychia, = hesychast,=20 hesychastic:
Silence, stillness. Stilling of the = thoughts,=20 but not emptiness, whereby the nous may descend into the = heart=20 through the Jesus prayer. It is the inner attentiveness in = prayer=20 which brings the remembrance of God and the grace of the = Holy=20 Spirit.

Kelli, kellia (pl.):
A monk=92s = cell in a=20 monastery. Also, in Agion Oros, a dwelling, something like a = farmhouse with a small chapel, where the monks pray and work = out=20 their salvation.

Koenovion, Cenobitic:
A=20 monastery where all monks follow the same rules.=20

Lavra:
A monastery.

Nepsis,=20 neptic:
Nepsis is vigilance of the nous and = watchfulness at=20 the gates of the heart, so that every thought that moves in = it can=20 be controlled. Neptic is an adjective pertaining to the = method used=20 for nepsis.

Nous, noetic:
Often = translated as=20 mind. The highest faculty of man, through which, upon = purification,=20 he can contemplate God, and the inner essences of created = things, by=20 means of direct apprehension or spiritual perception. Noetic = understanding is not intellectual, but it comes from = immediate=20 spiritual experience.

Pistis:=20
Faith. The modern idea of faith, based on Aquinas's=20 differentiation of knowledge from blind belief, is not what = is meant=20 in traditional Christianity. Although it can be a component = of what=20 the fathers of the Church, such as Saint Maximos the = Confessor,=20 referred to as "preliminary faith", it can only be = considered an=20 initial stage in our ascent towards knowledge and the Word, = which is=20 true faith based on experience, a gift of God. At a higher = stage,=20 faith (Gr. pistis) leads to = noetic=20 knowledge (Gr. gnosis) that is founded on experience = and=20 completed by inspiration and, therefore, cannot be = overthrown by=20 reasoned argument. It changes the heart, it leads to = substantial=20 changes in being, it can move mountains, and it leads to = salvation.=20

Skete:
Typically similar in appearance to = a small=20 village, where kellia are built around a central Church. = Each kelli=20 performs its daily prayers independently except on Sundays = and on=20 feastdays, where theygather together in the main Church to = worship.=20

Theanthropic:
Pertaining to theanthropos, = man-god.

Theosis:
The deification of man. = According to the Orthodox tradition, Man=92s purpose in life = is to=20 achieve union with God, and to become god by grace. =

THE=20 NEPTIC AND HESYCHASTIC CHARACTER OF ORTHODOX ATHONITE = MONASTICISM By=20 Archimandrite Georgios Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. = Gregorios=20 On Mount Athos=20