BOOK REVIEWS

Monastic Wisdom. Elder Joseph. Florence, Arizona: St Anthony's Greek

Orthodox Monastery, 1998, ISBNO-9667000-0-7 (hardcover) Price A$24;
ISBNO-9667000-1-5 Price A$16 (softcover).

I often read the book Monastic Wisdom, which is a collection of letters

the blessed Elder Joseph the Cave-dweller and Hesychast sent to monastics,
hesychasts, hermits, and laymen, and I find very great spiritual benefit. In
fact, the repeated reprints in Greece of this book, which is on a par with
the ascetical writings that have been sanctioned as the ascetical literature,
shows the interest lovers of the monastic life have for it, as well as the
benefit it has for the Christian brethren, monks, and lay persons.
I did not have the exceptional honour and blessing to know blessed
Elder Joseph; however, I have a sense of him and love him from the texts
in the book Monastic Wisdom published by his spiritual children and from
the stories that I have heard about him from monks who knew him
intimately. I also have the testimony of the ever-memorable great elder,
Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov, who knew him when he was struggling
at Karoulia of the Holy Mountain while Elder Joseph was struggling in
caves elsewhere on the Holy Mountain.
It is not easy to write fully my thoughts about the highly spiritual
book Monastic Wisdom, because when one approaches the writings of
experienced Holy Fathers, one feels truly mystified since one then
approaches a land of fire, a colossal nuclear reactor in which all

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conventional thermometers melt down. In order to express oneself

appropriately, one must be at the same level, or at least approach somewhat
the life in the Holy Spirit that the ever-memorable Elder, hermit, and
hesychast lived. I shall simply attempt to set forth a few thoughts of mine,
through the prayers of the Elder, and at the same time, I urge the reader
not to stop after reading them, but to proceed to read the wonderful letters
of the ever-memorable Elder Joseph.
As one reads the letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, he or she
perceives that a scent of theology emanates from them, that these are
theological texts. Unfortunately, we have formed the impression that
theology is lofty theories; scientific, theological analyses; understanding
theological terms; quoting historical, theological events, etc. However,
true Orthodox theology is experience; it is knowledge of God which is
given to the person whose heart and nous (i.e. mind) have been purified
and illuminated. Theologians, according to the teaching of St. Gregory
the Theologian, are those who are 'advanced in theoria', and they, according
to him, are primarily the God-seers. In the New Testament, theology is
identified with Prophecy, and the theologian with the Prophet, who receives
glorification, that is, he participates in the glory of God.
In this sense, the ever-memorable Elder Joseph, as is evident in
this book we are reviewing, is a theologian who knows God from
experience and unerringly guides people to this knowledge - knowledge
which is at the same time communion of man with God. His words are
expressive: When a person prays noetically, much grace comes, 'like a
subtle breeze, like a mighty gust of fragrant wind. It overflows throughout
the body, and the prayer [i.e. the Jesus Prayer] stops; the bodily members
cease to move, and only the nous is in theoria within an extraordinary
light. A union of God and man occurs. Man is unable to distinguish himself.
It is just like iron: before it is thrown into the fire it is called iron, but once
it ignites and becomes red-hot, it is one with the fire' (pp. 182-183).
The entire being of Elder Joseph is theological, as is evident from
every word and phrase he uses. Having been reborn, he spiritually sees
the renewal of all creation. As the theologian he is, he sees creation also
theologising, because with his pure heart, he sees the spiritual, inner
essences of created beings - the uncreated, essence-creating, and life-

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creating energy of God in creation, which St. Máximos the Confessor

expounded on marvellously in the Philokalia. This small excerpt from
the Elder's writings is typical:

Come now, even if for only one day, to talk about God and to
theologise; to enjoy what you yearn for; to listen to the rough
crags, those mystical and silent theologians, which expound deep
thoughts and guide the heart and nous towards the Creator. After
spring it is beautiful here - from Holy Pascha until the Panagia's
day in August. The beautiful rocks theologise like voiceless
theologians, as does all of nature (p. 270).

In the rough rocks he sees the mystical theologians as the sacred

iconographer depicts them to be illuminated by Christ Who is in the centre
of the icon of the Transfiguration.
The theological atmosphere and his theologising being appear
diffused throughout the epistles of Joseph the Hesychast from the great
gift of discerning spirits. Indeed, empirical theology is characterised
primarily by the ability of the ascetic to discern between created and
uncreated, to differentiate demonic energies from the energy of divine
grace, to 'test the spirits'. We are dealing with a discerning monk and
theologising Father. And this is significant for two reasons. First, because
theology is primarily prayer and the theoria of God. When prayer ceases,
a person stops theologising, even if he or she writes theological treatises;
and second, because a theologising spiritual Father is he who detects the
spiritual illnesses of his spiritual children and is able to heal them with his
wise and experienced guidance, as the Christian remains, of course, within
the sacramental and ascetical life of the Church. This discerning, pastoral
guidance which the theologising Fathers employ is clearly evident in the
writings of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Every word of the great
abbas was theological, since it would heal the spiritual ailments of the
Christians, precisely because their words were God's energy.
Innumerable are the examples that one can use from the writings
of the blessed great elder, Joseph. In one letter he writes:

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The grace of the priesthood is one thing, the grace of the great
schema is another, the grace of the Mysteries is different, and the
action of grace in ascesis is also different. They all spring from
the same source, but each one differs from the other in eminence
and glory (p. 181).

He knew the differences among people, since 'there are great differences
from man to man and monk to monk' (p. 48), so a different approach is
necessary for each.
The ever-memorable Elder knew personally all the subtle, internal
workings, which is why he is an experienced teacher of the spiritual life.
He knew clearly the changes of souls and body during the spiritual struggle.
His words are stunning when he analyses all things associated with
delusion, showing how a person is deluded primarily by overemphasising
one spiritual gift, such as fasting, vigil, tears, the prayer, hesychia, the
monastic schema, etc. He reached the point of saying:

If the Lord does not send the purifying waters of His divine grace,
we remain without fruit, and our works become food for the
demons.... So then, above all we need discernment, and we must
arduously seek it from God (p. 372).

The book of the blessed great hesychast, Elder Joseph, is a

significant and wonderful summary of the Philokalia of the holy Watchful
Fathers of the Church, and it ranks equal to the Philokalic literature. One
could stress that it is the best introduction to interpreting the Philokalia. I
remember that since the first times I read this book, I realised its great
value for understanding the terms of the Patristic tradition used by the
Watchful Fathers. In his writings, Elder Joseph analyses terms with
amazing facility and extraordinary ease, in a digested way, explaining,
for example, what 'contrary to nature,' 'according to nature,' and 'above
nature' mean; what 'praxis' and 'theoria' are; what 'noetic prayer' is and
how it is differentiated from prayer done with the reason; what we mean
when we speak about the purifying, illuminating, and deifying energies
of God, etc. Lofty concepts become easily understood, and these
compunctious writings certainly lead man to live them within the furnace

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of yearning and eros for God. I would like to quote an amazing and inspired
excerpt:

The spiritual life is divided into three stages, and grace acts in a
person accordingly. The first stage is called purification, during
which a person is cleansed. What you have now is called the grace
of purification. This form of grace leads one to repentance.... The
second form of grace is called the grace of illumination. During
this stage, one receives the light of knowledge and is raised to the
vision of God. This does not mean seeing lights, fantasies, and
images, but it means clarity of the nous, clearness of thoughts,
and depth of cognition.... The third stage - when grace overshadows
- is the grace of perfection, truly a great gift. I shall not write to
you about this now, since it is unnecessary (pp. 44-45).

Elder Joseph knew that the energy of God is one, but corresponding
to the effects it has on each person, it takes a different name. Sometimes it
purifies, later it illuminates, and then it perfects or deifies, and thus it
receives the corresponding names. The Elder clearly knew, though, in
what state the recipient of his letter was. Therefore, on the one hand he
would give him or her the perspective of the spiritual life without keeping
them at low spiritual levels (because otherwise, he would be preaching
ethics), but on the other hand he would show them what must be done in
their present state, but without expounding on lofty spiritual states, 'since
it is unnecessary.'
Often in his writings he speaks about noetic prayer, which is the
circular prayer within the heart, which is superior to prayer with the reason,
but inferior to theoria. This is why, when the ascetic reaches the theoria
of God, noetic prayer stops. He wrote very theologically and discerningly:

Illumination is followed by interruptions in the prayer and frequent

theorias, rapture of the nous, cessation of the senses, profound
silence of the bodily members, and union of God and man into
one (p. 182)

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Indeed, many treatises would be necessary for one to analyse this great
theology in its simplicity, regarding the teachings of the Holy Fathers on
this divinising state of man.
The words of the saints, though, cannot be analysed by
inexperienced people, but they are to be meditated on within the perspective
and atmosphere of prayer.
In addition to what we have mentioned previously, Elder Joseph,
as is evident from his writings contained in the book Monastic Wisdom, is
characterised by a sensitive heart, full of paternal love and affection - a
love that melts even the most hard and rough heart. He wrote in one letter:

Love of my soul, my son whom I begot through the Holy Spirit: I

received your letter, my beloved son. When I saw your news I
wept bitterly... (p. 251).

In another letter he wrote:

Come, my child, come let us make peace, so you can come to

your senses. Like a physician, I am able to cure your passion of
agitation and grief, which now has laid a strong hold of you. Come
and see that I shall change the tune. We shall chant piagai of the
first tone which is joyous. I shall slay the fatted calf and we shall
make merry. I am full of love and forgiveness. As a loving father,
I shall receive you in my arms, like the son in the parable...' (p.
275).

In another letter, again we see the affectionate father confess:

My soul grieves and a heavy cloud covers my heart. My mind

stops; my tongue is silent, and my hand grows numb for you....
Oh, my child, if you could only see my pain and the tears I shed
for you! How much I worry until I hear that you haverisenand
slapped the adversary! ...So take courage, my child, and rise from
your fall.... Don't despair. These things happen to everyone. It is a
war of the tempter that will pass (pp. 120-121).

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His love is boundless, so he takes upon himself the problems of his spiritual
children:

As for me, I am constantly ill. I am like a paralytic. I can't take ten

steps. Because of this and everything else, I am dead tired. Please,
I ask that you pray for me, because I have many souls that seek
my help. And believe me, my fathers and brethren, for every single
soul that is helped, I go through the warfare he has. This is also
why your elder is constantly ill' (pp. 67-68).

This is the kind of heart a person has who has become one with
God, who has acquired a heart of compassion and consolation, who has
been united with God and has acquired His love for the entire world, and
consequently is capable of walking the road of Gethsemane, Golgotha,
and even the Cross. Only he who has received from God martyric grace
can have such a compassionate heart and sacrificial love.
No matter how many treatises are written about this wonderful
book of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, they cannot present the great worth
it has for the spiritual life, since it shows not only the height of the vision
of God, but also the multifarious struggle to ascend eagerly the ladder
leading to God. It can help all the classes of monks and struggling
Christians. To monks it shows what genuine monastic life is, and this is
essential in our times, when a distortion is being observed in monastic
life. To laypersons it shows the great love of God which is manifested in
various ways, butit also consoles them and encourages them to take the
steps, as much as possible, of spiritual therapy and perfection.
Elder Joseph reached lofty levels of perfection; he knew God from
experience, and this knowledge he imparts in an easily digestible form to
his spiritual children, who love him and seek words of eternal life from
him to be saved. In other words, he imparts the revealed tradition and
experience to his spiritual children to which he gave rebirth in the life in
Christ. His spiritual maturity, however, was not the fruit of a fictitious
spiritual state and moralistic exercises, but the fruit of a spiritual struggle,
the fruit of synergy. He struggled hard; he fought against the devil; he
lived ascetically with insatiable hatred towards the devil and the 'old man'

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(cf. Rom. 6.6), as is evident in all his writings and especially in his thirty-
seventh letter. There the prerequisites for his overshadowing and
strengthening by divine grace show.
St. John of Sinai, the author of The Ladder, defined the monk in
this manner:

A monk is one who forces his nature and unceasingly watches

over his senses. A monk is he who keeps his body chaste, his
mouth pure, and his nous illumined. A monk is a mourning soul
that while both asleep and awake is constantly occupied with the
remembrance of death.

Such a monk was Elder Joseph the Cave-dweller and Hesychast.

And his book, An Expression of Monastic Experience (the Greek title of
Monastic Wisdom), could very well have been titled: 'An Expression of
Prophetic or Apostolic or Martyric or Patristic or Hesychastic/Philokalic
Experience'.
I have completed these few thoughts of mine a few hours after
midnight - the same hours during which Elder Joseph would pray insatiably
to God with a pure nous and shed blood in his sacrificial prayer for
mankind. And now that he is in heaven, where there is no day and night, I
seek his intercessions so that God may transform the night into day and
constantly inspire us, 'until the day dawns and the morning star rises in
our hearts'(cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).

Reviewed by His Eminence Hierotheos Vlachos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos

and St. Vlasios and translated by St Anthony's Monastery. Florence,
Arizona
-oOo-

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