Overcoming Bounds of Knowledge in Theosis: Spiritual Perception in Isaac of Nineveh and Gregory Palamas

I will discuss two approaches in describing the ways of surpassing bounds of human knowledge in theosis by gaining spiritual perception, both having a great impact on the Christian East. One was formulated by Plotinus and later by Maximus the Confessor or Gregory Palamas, having as a major concern theorizing the outlines of spiritual perceiving. The other one gained its expression starting from practice, from the very experience in questing/acquiring spiritual perception, the most influential author being Isaac of Nineveh. Different approaches in describing ways of surpassing the bounds of human knowledge in theosis, of gaining supernatural knowledge, had multiple reasons but were decided mainly by the historical and cultural contexts. Indicating the ways of acquiring hyper-knowledge from a theoretical perspective was, in many cases, a stringent necessity due to controversies or refutations. But for those pursuing the way to theosis and questing for a higher level of spiritual experience, it was much needed to account for stages, hallmarks, obstacles encountered, errors to be avoided, so a different language was used. Same path, but two manners to express it. But both accounts had an exceptional role in developing means of terming what is supra-intellectual knowledge, the deified perception. Isaac of Nineveh (7th Century) gave an expression on the ways the spiritual perception was experienced in the search for the peak of theosis, rapture. The phrases and the words he used were made to accustom the stages of spiritual experience. That’s why his texts have been used as an experiential guide. Isaac's wording on the spiritual experience had a tremendous impact on the Eastern Christian spiritual practice. Spiritual perception is described as a state of discontinuity with the normal functioning of the mind and senses, occurring when the mind and the senses cease from their natural functioning. Affinities are to be found with the state of ek-stasis, as it was described by Neoplatonism, or by some Greek Fathers, but what Isaac expresses on the radical experience of the discontinuity of the mind in the state of rapture is different: the mind is swallowed up in wonder and receives in Spirit an understanding falling over unexpectedly onto the soul and keeps the mind still. This makes the mind remain non-working. In the rapture state, there is no longer meditation, conversation with thoughts, or concern with them. A state of wonder that is outside and beyond human perception. The senses remain steady, and the mind is in awe, filled with a glorious view. This pattern of paradoxical spiritual perception implies a postponement of the senses, since in the state of rapture both mind and senses enter a state of immobility, what happens being just contemplative amazement. Gregory Palamas (14th Century) gave a perspective on spiritual perception that became exceptionally important due to the role played in establishing the frameworks of spiritual practice in the Christian East and establishing, as well, the common acceptance of Theosis in this part of Christianity. The Palamite paradigm of understanding spiritual perception involves a series of assumptions that have become benchmarks in assessing human, reality, and ultimate reality. Palamas developed a doctrine of knowledge as given to the whole human and not just to his mind, rehabilitating matter, which spiritualist tendencies of Hellenism inclined to despise. He did this by not precluding spiritual to material but supernatural to the created world. Knowing God does not require certain exteriorization between the subject of knowledge and the known object, but a union of them. Intellect does not receive divine illumination by its power, but only to the extent that it is made capable of it by grace. The vision of uncreated light using spiritual perception is shown in an analogy with the bodily eye perception. Perceiving the uncreated light, however, requires purification of the intellectual vision as well as illumination from God. Therefore, preparation is needed. Perception at this level is not done through the bodily eyes, nor through the intellect, but through the Holy Spirit. The ecstatic experience, as described by Palamas, should not be seen as the mind's withdrawal from the body, but as the transcendence of the human powers, in the self-concentration of the mind, achieved through divine illumination. When the mind is concentrated on its energy, self-conversion, and self-observation are induced, wo/man transcends and communes with God. Thus, through the descending ecstasy of God and the transcendent ecstasy of human, the mystical meeting and union is achieved: the mind is deified and communicates this grace to the body. Centered within itself, within the heart, the mind rules through each of the soul's faculties. Thus, self-control is cultivated by controlling both the content of sensory perception and its orientation. For Palamas faith is different from any intellectual pursuits, being the equivalent of the union with God. So, faith is described as a supernatural faculty granting the possibility of knowing God. Human is understood as one and indivisible unity; supernatural grace is granted to the whole wo/man, and not to the mind only. Intelligence and senses, only when transformed by grace, can unite with God. The sensual and intellectual faculties constitute means of knowing beings; they are limited to beings and manifest the Divine through these beings. But those who possess not only powers of sensation and intellection, but have also attained spiritual and supernatural grace, are not limited by beings in their knowledge, but know also spiritually, above sense and intelligence, that God is Spirit, for in their entirely become God, and know God in God. Spiritual light is not only the object of vision; it is also the faculty enabling us to see; this is neither sensation nor intellection, but a spiritual power distinct, in its transcendence, from all created cognitive faculties.