This unit explores the experiential and mystical theology and spirituality of the Macarian writings. Reference will be made to St. Macarius’ triadology, cosmology, anthropology, and soteriology. Key topics include “love intoxication,” “wound of love,” the centrality of the heart and the role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual life, the importance of the “scale of the heart,” the central role of prayer, and illustrative examples of Macarius’ biblical exegesis. Through close readings and analysis of primary texts, students will gain an understanding of Macarius’ distinctive mystical imagery and his enduring legacy in Christian spirituality.
Unit code: CT9300A
Unit status: Approved (New unit)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Systematic Theology
Delivery Mode: Blended
Proposing College: St Athanasius College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Critically discuss the distinguishing features of St Macarius’s works with reference to their genre, historical context, attribution debates, and literary, ecclesiastic, theological, and mystical contribution |
| 2. | Appraise the spiritual and mystical vision of St Macarius’s writings and its historical context |
| 3. | Critically evaluate the role of the works of St Macarius in the development of Christian mysticism |
| 4. | Demonstrate an understanding of the legacy and impact of St Macarius’s writings in intellectual, theological, mystical, and ecclesiastic contexts |
| 5. | Develop a critical framework for reading and interpreting the key expressions contained in the primary sources |
Asynchronous lectures and synchronous face-to-face tutorials with guided reading.
Desprez, Vincent. “Pseudo-Macarius. I: Perfection, Community and Prayer in the Great Letter.” The American Benedictine Review 46.1 (1995a): 73–86.
Desprez, Vincent. “Pseudo-Macarius, II Spiritual Combat, Prayer and Experience.” The American Benedictine Review 46.2 (1995b): 207–24.
Golitzin, Alexander. “A Testimony to Christianity as Transfiguration: The Macarian Homilies and Orthodox Spirituality.” In Orthodox and Wesleyan Spirituality, edited by S. T. Kimbrough. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002.
Golitzin, Alexander, and Andrei Orlov. “Many Lamps Are Lightened from the One: Paradigms of the Transformational Vision in Macarian Homilies.” Vigiliae Christianae 55.3 (2001): 281–98.
Horyacha, Mariya. “Adam’s Inheritance: Macarian Teaching on Indwelling Sin.” In Inherited Sin?: Erbsünde? Forscher Aus Dem Osten Und Westen Europas an Den Quellen Des Gemeinsamen Glaubens. Studientagung Wien, 15.–19. September 2021, edited by Theresia Hainthaler, Alexey Morozov, Franz Mali, and Emmeneger Gregor, 44:98–116. Pro Oriente. Vienna: Wiener Patristische Tagungen, 2024.
Howells, Edward, and Mark Allen McIntosh, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology. First edition. Oxford Handbooks. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Louth, Andrew. The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.
Maloney, George, ed. Pseudo-Macarius: The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and The Great Letter. Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1992.
Plested. Marcus. The Macarian Legacy: The Place of Macarius-Symeon in the Eastern Christian Tradition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Review | 3000 | 40.0 | |
| Essay | 4000 | 60.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 11 Sep, 2024
Unit record last updated: 2024-09-11 10:54:49 +1000