Dec

30

Cassian and Ceaseless Prayer

December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

“Everything Cassian teaches about prayer depends on the Bible. One
finds both the interplay of *meditatio* and *oratio* and the link
between imageless prayer and the spiritual interpretation of
Scripture. In Cassian’s world prayer simply could not exist outside of
a biblical environment. His map of progress in prayer leads from
multiple forms and words to simpler forms and fewer words and finally
to wordless ecstatic prayer. At each stage, however, the basis of
prayer is biblical. He prescribes particular words for prayer even as
he urges his readers toward wordless prayer. Only the Bible can
sustain the paradox of the human need for words and the divine
imperative to transcend them. The biblical text, which like Christ is
both historical and spiritual, mediates between ascetical realities of
human frailty and the theological promise of intimate communion with
God.”
~ Columba Stewart, “Cassian the Monk”, pages 5, 6


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