Orthodox Christian Spiritual Practice from the Desert to Today

Spirituality can both define a faith community and expand past its formal boundaries, prompting us to question what it means to be people of faith. Within this broader context, Orthodox Christian spirituality offers a distinctive theological and contemplative path shaped by centuries of ascetical practice, apophatic theology—the way of "unknowing" that questions our presumptions about God—and mystical experience. This course traces the historical development of Orthodox spiritual practice, from the desert ascetics through the Byzantine fathers to contemporary Orthodox life. Students will examine how apophatic and mystical theology has shaped Orthodox contemplative practices including prayer, fasting, and hesychasm. Central figures include Pseudo-Dionysius, Maximus the Confessor, and Gregory Palamas, whose writings establish the theological foundations for Orthodox spirituality. Through careful study of patristic texts and contemporary Orthodox practice, students will explore how this ancient tradition understands the ascetic and contemplative life not as solely monastic but as a common Christian calling. The course emphasizes the distinctively Orthodox understanding of deification (theosis), divine energies, and the integration of body and soul in spiritual practice.