The theme of the uncreated divine light and the transfiguration it brings about in the human soul is one of the most frequent concerns in the work of Saint Simeon the New Theologian. For Saint Simeon, the vision of divine light is the assurance of entering into communion with the Persons of the Trinity, for to behold it is to behold God. The first to speak of God as Light was Saint John the Theologian, who said: ‘God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all’1; thus, God is light, and those who draw near to Him draw near to the light and partake of it: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we are lying and do not practise the truth’2. Furthermore, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus speaks of God as Light: ‘God is the supreme, unapproachable and ineffable Light, incomprehensible to the mind and inexpressible by voice, who illuminates all thinking creatures. He is to the intelligible world what the sun is to the sensible world; we can conceive of Him to the extent of our purification, we can love Him to the extent that we can conceive of Him, and we can contemplate Him to the extent of our love. He contemplates and understands Himself, sharing a little (of Himself) with those who are outside Him, that is, the light which is contemplated in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”3. As was to be expected, Saint Symeon the New Theologian also offers a similar description of the light, which he compares to the visible sun; that is to say, just as the visible sun is to created beings, so is the divine light to the spiritual world, the sun from which all spiritual things derive their warmth, light and existence: ‘God created from the beginning two worlds: the visible and the invisible… illuminated by two suns, one sensible, the other intelligible; and just as the sun is to the sensible and visible, that is what God is to the invisible and intelligible… the sensible world and all that is in it are illuminated by this visible sun, whilst the other, that is, the intelligible world and all that is in it, are illuminated and radiant with the intelligible Sun of righteousness’4. Moreover, for Saint Symeon the New Theologian, the entire history of the world is a ceaseless revelation of God as light. Divine light created the angels, who are secondary lights5. We find a similar statement in Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, who says “that the second light after God is an angel, the third light is man; there is also the light of the created world”6.
Man is created in the image of God and is therefore light, for God is light; but the man who forgets or conceals the light within him bows down to the visible world and ‘the One Light that enlightens the world’ (John 1:9; 18:2); ‘not this visible world, for it did not know Him, nor can it know Him’ (John 1:10; 1 Corinthians 2:14) ‘the visible world, nor the friends of the world, for whoever loves the world is an enemy of God’ (James 4:4), ‘but we call man “the world”, whom He made in His own image and likeness’ (Genesis 1:26), “for he is adorned with virtues, he rules over earthly things, and just as He has power over all things, so too does he reign over the passions; this is what it means to be in the image of God”7. Thus, God is light, the Sun of the intelligible world, without whom the unseen would not exist; He is the One who gives life through His light to the unseen world, yet He also cares for the material world, which He leads towards union with Himself. Man, who is both a physical and spiritual being, is called to union with his Creator, a union which perfects and fulfils the purpose for which he was created: eternal bliss in communion with the Persons of the Holy Trinity. Although man often forgets that he also has a spiritual nature and turns his gaze towards created things, believing them to be the only reality, this does not mean that he is not also a spiritual being, but merely that he denies this quality, thereby obscuring the light within him and coming to live in darkness. However dark the human being may be, he always tends towards the spiritual world, as Saint Dumitru Stăniloae notes, quoting Saint Dionysius the Areopagite: ‘he is not content merely with a bodily life, conditioned by the inorganic, vegetative and animal stages of existence. He seeks meaning in his own life and in the world… and at the same time realises that neither he nor the lower world have an independent existence, but depend on a higher power, which in turn must not depend on any force higher than itself”8. Therefore, man’s purpose is, through purity, to return to the original state of the soul’s beauty and, through endeavour, to attain the vision of the divine light, which is equivalent to the vision of God9.
Often, man forgets that he also has a spiritual nature and turns his gaze towards created things, believing them to be the only reality; this does not mean that they are not also spiritual beings, but merely that they deny this quality, thereby obscuring the light within them and coming to live in darkness. However dark the human being may be, they always tend towards the spiritual world.
Saint Symeon the New Theologian had his first glimpse of the divine light in his youth, before taking his monastic vows: ‘Suddenly, one day as he stood there, saying more in his mind than with his mouth: ‘Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!’, a divine illumination shone down upon him from on high, in a visible form, filling the entire space. And when this happened, the young man no longer knew, nor could he recall, whether he was indoors or beneath a roof. For, in every direction, he saw nothing but light: even though his feet were on the ground, he was unaware of this fact, and within him there was neither fear of falling nor worldly concern, nor any of the things that assail those who dwell in the fleshassault their thoughts; but being wholly united with the immaterial light, and feeling as though he himself had become light, and having forgotten the whole world, he was filled with tears, joy and unspeakable gladness. Then his mind soared to heaven and he saw another light, clearer than the one that was near him. And as he stood near that light, that holy old man appeared to him in a marvellous manner, together with the angels who had given him the commandment and the book”10. From Saint Simeon the New Theologian’s first vision, we can see that the saint detaches himself from the physical, surrounding world, and at the same time detaches himself from all human thoughts and bodily concerns; then, as the saint says, his mind was lifted up to heaven, where he saw his spiritual father alongside the angels. Thus, the first light that Saint Simeon sees is the light of his own soul, and the second is the light of the angels. This is also mentioned by Metropolitan Ilarion Alfeyev in his work, Saint Simeon the New Theologian and the Orthodox Tradition, when he refers to Evagrius Ponticus, according to whom there is first the blessed light of the Holy Trinity, since ‘God is light by His very nature’. At the same time, there is the light of the human mind, with its own radiance. Between these two kinds of light—the divine and the human—there is a relationship of ‘kinship’: just as the mind is made in the image of God, so too is its light ‘kin to Him’11. Consequently, whoever attains dispassion through prayer comes to discover the light of the mind—the mind illuminated by God, just as it was created. Alongside the illumination of the mind, the beauty of the soul—which until then had been marred by the mire of sins—is also revealed; it is thus a return of the human being to their original beauty, a beauty revealed only through the illumination of the Holy Trinity. The experience of light takes place in a soul cleansed of passions: ‘the lights of the soul, through which we see spiritually, are the spiritual senses freed from lusts and passionate thoughts. Only an enlightened soul, a nature freed from passions, can perceive the workings of Grace. Generally speaking, we do not know divine things, because we lack the faculties capable of this12.
There is the blessed light of the Holy Trinity (…) At the same time, there is the light of the human mind, with its own radiance. Between these two kinds of light—the divine and the human—there is a relationship of ‘kinship’: just as the mind is made in the image of God, so too is its light ‘kin to Him’.
In his writings, Saint Simeon distinguishes between two forms of ecstasy following the vision of the divine light: an ecstasy of beginners, as we have seen from the description of the saint’s first vision in the quotation above, a state of ecstasy expressed through psycho-physical phenomena (the experience of rapture, of stepping outside the present world) and a state of ecstasy of the saints, which manifests itself in the form of spiritual wonder13.
Saint Simeon is aware that the divine light does not merely transfigure the mind and soul of man, but that even the body is transfigured—to a certain extent, of course—foreshadowing the eschatological transfiguration of the age to come.
What is important to emphasise is that Saint Simeon is aware that the divine light does not merely transfigure a person’s mind and soul, but that even the body is transfigured—albeit to a certain extent, of course— foreshadowing the eschatological transfiguration of the age to come: ‘He Himself is within me, flashing forth within my wretched heart, enveloping me all round with His immortal radiance, causing all my limbs to sparkle with His rays… I partake of the light, I partake also of the glory, and my face shines like that of the One I long for, and all my limbs become bearers of light. I then become more beautiful than the beautiful… far more honourable than all that is seen”14. This clearly shows that a primary consequence of being enlightened and of beholding the divine light is the realisation of the real and tangible presence of the Grace of the Holy Spirit: “Behold, once again I turn to those who say they have the Spirit of God within them in an unknown (unconscious) way, and who reckon that they have acquired Him within themselves through divine Baptism, and believe they possess this treasure (2 Corinthians 4:7), yet they find themselves entirely unaware of it… but they assume that the gift of God has taken up residence within them and that it has existed from then until now in their souls in an unknown and imperceptible way”15. Thus, the presence of God’s Grace is a real and tangible presence, for, as we have seen before, even the body is transfigured to some extent whilst still in this world. Thus, Saint Simeon is convinced that by keeping the commandments we attain the vision of Christ, and with the vision of Christ we receive the Spirit, Who becomes our guide to God the Father. In this way, we become like the Apostles and Prophets who were guided by the Spirit: ‘And if you do not know how to speak, listen and know that they were taught by the Holy Spirit, just as the Lord Himself told them: ‘But when the Comforter comes, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you’ (John 14:26). And that even those things which Christ did not say to them, but which the Holy Spirit taught and revealed to the Apostles when He came”16. In this way, those who keep the commandments and, through their efforts, attain the vision of the divine light are guided by the Holy Spirit and become witnesses to the age to come, for they begin to live the life to come whilst still on earth alongside the Holy Trinity—though, of course, not in the way they will live it after passing from this life and the resurrection of the dead, for then they will share in communion with the Holy Trinity in a perfect manner, and after the resurrection of the dead, the body too will be transfigured and will share in this eternal joy.
The Day of the Lord cannot be confined to time; rather, it is beyond time, and for some it has already come, whilst others are still awaiting it, and some who are in darkness will never see it.
A very important point to emphasise is that by beholding the divine light even here on earth, we become partakers of the Day of the Lord, which, as Saint Simeon says, ‘is called the Day of the Lord not as the last of these days, nor because He will come on that day, just as, with regard to the days of the present age, we speak of the day of Easter and the day of Pentecost, …but because God Himself, the Lord of all, will then shine forth with the Glory of His Divinity”17. Therefore, the Day of the Lord cannot be confined to time, but is above time; for some it has come, whilst others are still awaiting it, and some who are in darkness will never see it, “for, whilst still in this life, they have not striven to see the light of His glory through purification and to cause Him to dwell within themselves in His fullness; rightly, therefore, He will in future remain unapproachable to them”18.
Consequently, for those who come to behold the divine light, a Day of Judgement is brought about; that is to say, those who receive it will no longer face the Last Judgement, for they have been purified and have proved themselves worthy to receive God. Through the repentance they have shown, God cleanses their sins; and so, for those who are pure, judgement has already been passed and would serve no further purpose, for they have God within their souls and have been united with Him: ‘Therefore, from this we are taught precisely that for those who are in unbelief and are held captive by passions, Grace is entirely unapproachable and unseen, whilst for those who, through faith, carry out the commandments with fear and trembling and show worthy repentance, it reveals itself and, through itself, unquestionably brings about within them the coming judgement; or rather, a Day of Judgement comes about, on which the pure, being continually enlightened, truly sees himself as he is, and all his deeds—both those performed outwardly and those wrought within the soul—he sees in detail just as they are. But not only this: he is also judged and re-judged by the divine fire; and, bathed then in the water of tears, his whole body is moistened and, little by little, is baptised in its entirety by the divine fire and Spirit, becoming entirely pure, utterly unstained, becoming from that moment on a child of light and of the day (1 Thessalonians 5:5), not of a mere mortal man. Therefore, such a person is not judged at the coming Judgement and in the coming righteousness, for he has already been judged; he is not revealed by that light, for he has already been enlightened; he is not tested or burned by entering that fire, for he has already been tested; nor does he consider that the Day of the Lord was revealed to him then, for through his communion and union with God, his day has become entirely bright and radiant; nor will he be found in the world or together with the world at that time, but is entirely outside it”19. Therefore, the Day of the Lord will come only for the sinners, those who live in darkness, whilst for the righteous it has already come, for they always have the Lord: ‘Therefore, for those who become children of that light and of the coming day, and are able to walk properly as in the light of day (Romans 13:13), for them the Day of the Lord will never come, for they are always and forever in it. For the Day of the Lord is not for those who are ever enlightened by the divine light; it will be revealed all at once to those who are in the darkness of the passions and dwell in the world and covet the things of the world, and to them it will be regarded as terrifying and like an unbearable fire”20.
Evidently, the Light is experienced on earth, but merely experiencing it is not enough; rather, it must be attained, for ‘the Father is Light, the Son is Light, the Holy Spirit is Light—a timeless, unbroken, undivided, uncreated, boundless, lacking nothing, unseen, as that which is and is understood apart from all things and above all things, which no one amongst men has ever been able to see before being purified, nor received it before having seen it… for many have seen it, but have not attained it, like those who are deemed worthy to see a great treasure in the royal treasuries, yet depart from there empty-handed”21. Through repentance and the observance of God’s commandments, man thus receives the opening of the eyes of his soul and sees and perceives God, Who is Light. To behold the divine light is to behold God—not fully, but according to each person’s capacity and worthiness. When a person receives this gift from God, they return to the state of Adam in Paradise, who spoke directly with God, without intermediaries. The fact that man is united with God even in this life, as far as is possible, and is perfected after death and resurrection, this leads Saint Simeon to say that man begins to live in the Kingdom of God whilst still on earth, for Christ the Saviour also said: ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’22.
Through repentance and keeping God’s commandments, man thus receives the opening of his spiritual eyes and sees and feels God, Who is Light. To behold the divine light is to behold God—not fully, but according to each person’s capacity and worthiness.
- 1
1 John 1:5.
- 2
1 John 1:6.
- 3
Ilarion Alfeyev, Saint Symeon the New Theologian and the Orthodox Tradition, ed. Sofia, Bucharest, 2010, p. 209.
- 4
Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Hymns, Epistles and Chapters, p. 395.
- 5
Ilarion Alfeyev, op. cit., p. 212.
- 6
Ibid., p. 209.
- 7
Saint Symeon the New Theologian, op. cit., p. 199.
- 8
Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, ‘The Creative, Saving and Ever-Renewing Word’, in M.O., XLIII, 1991, no. 1, p. 9.
- 9
In what follows, drawing on the writings of Saint Simeon the New Theologian, we shall examine the saint’s personal example, who, through his own efforts and divine grace, attained a vision of the divine light—that is, of God— and even in this life partook of the love of communion with the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
- 10
Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Catecheses, Deisis, Sibiu, 2001, p. 239; SC 104, Catéchèse, XXII, 88–104, Les Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 1964.
- 11
Ilarion Alfeyev, op. cit., pp. 277–278.
- 12
Ion I. Bria, MA student, ‘The Mystical Perception of the Presence of Grace according to Saint Symeon the New Theologian’, ST, vol. VIII (1956), no. 7–8, p. 418.
- 13
Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Teșu, ‘The Experience of Divine Light in Saint Symeon the New Theologian’, Scientific Annals of ‘Al. I. Cuza’ University, Iași, Theology, vol. IX, 2004, p. 164.
- 14
Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Hymns, Epistles and Chapters, p. 98.
- 15
Ibid., Theological and Ethical Discourses, pp. 235–236; SC 129, Traités Théologiques et Éthiques, V, 1–13.
- 16
Ibid., p. 246; SC 129, Ethical Treatises, V, 394–403.
- 17
Ibid., pp. 308–309.
- 18
Ibid., p. 309.
- 19
Ibid., p. 311.
- 20
Ibid., p. 312.
- 21
Ibid., p. 323.
- 22
Luke 17:21.