The work of the mind for spiritual fulfillment in Orthodox patristics
The work of the mind for spiritual fulfillment in Orthodox patristics

Summary/Abstract: The mysticism of the Orthodox Church provides spiritual fulfillment of man inthree stages: purification, enlightenment or knowledge, and perfection orunion with God. Purification is the removal of passions and their replacementwith virtues. For example, the philokalic texts, which are a collection of textswritten by 25 Holy Fathers, form a true handbook containing various themes,but all of them educate on “the love of divine beauty” or “the love of virtue”,as the etymology of the chosen title for the compilation. Of these, the study ofthe mind and its dynamics is a predilection for most authors, some of whomhave offered real treatises on this subject. This study limits the presentation ofsome Church Fathers who have spoken of this argument. The mind is a placewhere good and evil thought stake on a continuous struggle that positively ornegatively influences human behaviour and closeness to God. For thisreason, man’s special attention is needed on the mind, that is, a permanentnepsis.

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