Macarius of Corinth
Encyclopedia
Macarius of Corinth
Macarius of Corinth (birth name: Macarius Notaras was born in Corinth
in 1731 and died in Chios
in April 1805. St Macarius as Bishop and later Metropolitan of Corinth
, was a mystic and spiritual writer who worked to revive and mostly sustain the Orthodox Church under Turkish rule. He is most famous for working with Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain in collecting and compiling the ascetic text of the Philokalia
.
(love of the beautiful) for the texts, was to enshrine the history of the Jesus Prayer
(the Prayer of the heart) and the spiritual practice of this is called Hesychasm
. It is this love of beauty that revives and gives faith to the hopeless. The history of the prayer begins with its earliest fathers including St Anthony the Great
and the text ends with St Gregory Palamas
. The title conveys the contemplative tradition. In that it teaches understanding of the inner or mystical Kingdom of God
within each person. The spirit of God is an ember, one must cultivate the ember into an open fire. This perpetual fire burns in the heart, in love for all things, which is to share in the energy of God, which is love. It is within the Philokalia that one learns how to properly navigate through the passions and depravity of existence called the World
. The object of contemplation being "the love of beauty" or infinite beauty which is God. For if existence was truly evil it could not contain nor express beauty. This expression conveys the truth about the divine (ascetic) life and purpose which the heart learns through practise of the Prayer. Which is called Hesychasm. God in his energies is love. However God is also the source of all that is truly beautiful, resplendent with divine glory. It is this beauty, the Russian philosophers held, that would "will save the World".
Macarius of Corinth (birth name: Macarius Notaras was born in Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
in 1731 and died in Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
in April 1805. St Macarius as Bishop and later Metropolitan of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, was a mystic and spiritual writer who worked to revive and mostly sustain the Orthodox Church under Turkish rule. He is most famous for working with Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain in collecting and compiling the ascetic text of the Philokalia
Philokalia
The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in...
.
Prayer of the Heart
Macarius also with his friend Nikodemos compiled the five tomes of the Philokalia that first published in Venice in 1782. It was the publication of these sacred and spiritual texts that lead to a renewal of the hesychast movement within the Orthodox.Beauty shall save the World
The term used PhilokaliaPhilokalia
The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in...
(love of the beautiful) for the texts, was to enshrine the history of the Jesus Prayer
Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer or "The Prayer" is a short, formulaic prayer esteemed and advocated within the Eastern Orthodox church:The prayer has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Churches. It is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice, its use...
(the Prayer of the heart) and the spiritual practice of this is called Hesychasm
Hesychasm
Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches, such as the Byzantine Rite, practised by the Hesychast Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches,...
. It is this love of beauty that revives and gives faith to the hopeless. The history of the prayer begins with its earliest fathers including St Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
and the text ends with St Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, his followers as Palamites...
. The title conveys the contemplative tradition. In that it teaches understanding of the inner or mystical Kingdom of God
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
within each person. The spirit of God is an ember, one must cultivate the ember into an open fire. This perpetual fire burns in the heart, in love for all things, which is to share in the energy of God, which is love. It is within the Philokalia that one learns how to properly navigate through the passions and depravity of existence called the World
World (theology)
-Christian views on the World:In Christianity, the concept connotes the fallen and corrupt world order of human society. The world is frequently cited alongside the flesh and the Devil as a source of temptation that Christians should flee...
. The object of contemplation being "the love of beauty" or infinite beauty which is God. For if existence was truly evil it could not contain nor express beauty. This expression conveys the truth about the divine (ascetic) life and purpose which the heart learns through practise of the Prayer. Which is called Hesychasm. God in his energies is love. However God is also the source of all that is truly beautiful, resplendent with divine glory. It is this beauty, the Russian philosophers held, that would "will save the World".
See also
- TheosisTheosisIn Christian theology, divinization, deification, making divine or theosis is the transforming effect of divine grace. This concept of salvation is historical and fundamental for Christian understanding that is prominent in the Eastern Orthodox Church and also in the Catholic Church, and is a...
- TheoriaTheoriaFor other uses of the term "contemplation", see Contemplation Theoria is Greek for contemplation. It corresponds to the Latin word contemplatio, "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of".- Introduction :...
- Ritual purificationRitual purificationRitual purification is a feature of many religions. The aim of these rituals is to remove specifically defined uncleanliness prior to a particular type of activity, and especially prior to the worship of a deity...
- PraxisPraxisPraxis is the putting of theory into practice. The term may refer to:* Christian theological praxis* Praxis , the practice of faith, especially worship* The Praxis School, a school of Marxist philosophy...
- Sacred HeartSacred HeartThe Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
as a Catholic doctrine of devotion.