Divine Light Research Articles

The Spiritual Garment in Medieval Islamic Mysticism and Kabbalah

Abstract This article seeks to compare two of the most significant mystical corpora of Judaism and Islam, Zoharic literature and the oeuvre of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī (1165–1240) respectively. Following a few pioneering studies on relations between Jewish and Islamic mysticism in the medieval Iberian Peninsula from recent years, this article intends to contribute further to the understanding of such relations. It compares one motif or concept shared by both corpora, that of the spiritual garment, according to which the different realms of creation are divine “garments” that cover the Godhead or veil the primordial divine light. It suggests that the similarities between Zoharic literature and Ibn al-ʿArabī’s writings can be explained by their shared roots, which can be traced to the tradition of Arabic Neoplatonism. Some possible Neoplatonic sources for the similarity between the two corpora are also discussed.

The Universal Light, or the Only Way to the Father? Universalism and Exclusivism in John’s Provocative Christology

Among the most perplexing of John’s theological riddles is question of salvific universalism and particularity. John is both the greatest biblical source of Christian universalism and the greatest source of Christian exclusivity. After all, the Johannine Overture affirms universal access to the saving–revealing Light of Christ, declaring: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world!” (Jn 1:9). What else could this mean, other than to affirm that every person has saving access to the divine Light of Christ? And yet, Jesus also declares in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me!” What could this mean, other than to assert that there is only one means of access to God, and that it involves saving belief in Jesus as the Christ? Sorting out the apparent contradictions within these tensions is the goal of the present essay.

Harmony of Combining of Architectural Ideas: Light Oculus and Stalactite Muqarnas Tent

The origin of the common type of overlap of the Armenian monastic fore-churches or narthex (zhamatun or gavit) – a stone muqarnas tent with a light oculus at the top – has not yet been fully disclosed. Denying the absolute autochthonous nature of this architectural idea, the author of the article develops a point of view about the transformation by Armenian architects of the form of a brick tent, known from the mausoleums of Muslim rulers, which were built since the 11th century in Mesopotamia and Syria. At the same time, the rich local context of the early forms of the high tent with an oculus and the architectural compositions associated with it are analysed anew. At the same time, in 1038 in the Horomos monastery the king Hovhannes Smbat Bagratuni has constructed the multi-column zhamatun with eight-side tent and an oculus. Intended for the repose of the king, this zhamatun could embody in its architecture both the forms of a residential building and, to a greater extent, the idea represented in Rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre. Since the second half of the 12th century, when many monastic vestibules were built, about a dozen such structures with a stalactite tent were also erected. It seems acceptable that in the process of creative processing of the idea of Muslim tents, Armenian architects embodied their formal features in the stone structure of the false vault, preserving the traditional light oculus for the local culture. Identified with the divine light, the stream looked spectacular against the background of a stalactite sculptural form resembling a cave. The key role in the creation of a new type of tent in the monastic buildings could be played by the masters of the Ani school of architecture.

Al-Ghazālī’s Methodological Skepticism and Foundationalism

In this article, I examine al-Ghazālī’s methodological skepticism and its role in establishing foundational knowledge.Despite the considerable scholarly attention given to The Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl), the foundationalism present in it has received relatively limited investigation. Al-Ghazālī established the foundations of knowledge by taking his methodological skepticism to its logical conclusions. His engagement with the sources of knowledge, namely, taqlīd, sense perception, and self-evident truths form the cornerstone of his skepticism. To understand how al-Ghazālī finds deliverance from his skeptical impasse, and ultimately establish foundational knowledge, the concepts of “divine light” and fiṭra will be dis­cussed. Unlike Greek skepticism, al-Ghazālī’s skepticism was not a denial of the possibility of knowledge about the nature of reality, nor was it a denial of Muslim doctrine, but a methodological approach to establish the foundations of knowledge.

Подлинное существование человека по учению преподобного Симеона Нового Богослова

The article reveals the main aspects of the teaching of St. Simeon the New Theologian about deification from the perspective of the problems of authentic and inauthentic human existence. An analysis of this teaching is carried out in comparison with the thoughts of some representatives of modern philosophy and sociology. The concept of mysticism is also revealed, the teaching of modern philosophy about the authenticity and inauthenticity of human existence is assessed, and the concepts of existence and deification are differentiated. The article provides characteristics of the authentic and inauthentic existence of a person from the position of the Christian teaching of St. Simeon and from the point of view of some representatives of philosophy and sociology. It is concluded that existence and deification are not the same thing; it is said that inauthentic existence manifests itself in the form of imitation and oblivion, but genuine existence — in the vision of truth, “divine light”, God. The main sign of genuine existence is human repentance and questioning (prayer) (Heb. 5:7–9), and of inauthentic existence — pride and oblivion, which were the reasons for the fall of the first man Adam.

Diaphanous bodies: projections of ecstasy, insolence, and yearning in Les États et Empires du Soleil by Cyrano de Bergerac

In Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac’s (1619–55) tale of a voyage to the sun, Les États et Empires du Soleil, a cosmic traveller’s physical body, as well as his light-propelled spacecraft, undergo eerie transformations. After the vehicle shines like enamel and gold in blazing sun rays, it fades to transparency. Meanwhile, the narrator’s body becomes diaphanous, revealing inner organs that gleam in hues of scarlet, vermillion, and garnet. This article develops a close reading of this passage. The authors analyse the passage’s narrative descriptions, first alongside Neoplatonic metaphors of saintly bodies as prisms for divine light, then in relation to early modern discourse about optics, magnetism, and anatomy, and finally as burlesque allusions to an infant’s conception and birth. At length, the authors suggest that these descriptions can inspire feelings of ecstasy, insolence, and yearning in readers, and that this array of sentiments can facilitate an experience of freeing the imagination.

The Nous Seeing its Own Light According to Evagrius Ponticus

Abstract Evagrius of Pontus (345–399 AD) presents in his spiritual doctrine the concept of “pure prayer,” that is, prayer not only devoid of any contact with material things but also divorced from any concrete image in the νοῦς (i. e., the mind/intellect). Upon reaching this state of deep purification, the νοῦς sees during such a prayer the light of God and also perceives himself as radiant. Evagrius specifies that the νοῦς sees itself in the colour of the sapphire or in sky-blue, or even as a star. Scholars have been asking for a long time whether, for Evagrius, this light originated within the mind itself, or came from God. It seems that monk of Pontus joins these two lights together, although considering them always as separate. The light of νοῦς itself is but a reflection of the divine light, in the same way like the moon reflects the light of the sun. Even if the νοῦς is not the source of its own light, nevertheless its light is real. In a time of deep spiritual union with God, His light illuminates the human νοῦς and turns it into radiance.

Corrigendum to Japanese divine light in Kinshasa: Transcultural resonance and critique in the religiously multiple city

Corrigendum to Japanese divine light in Kinshasa: Transcultural resonance and critique in the religiously multiple city

Leo Schaya Bağlamında Tasavvufta İçsel Dönüşüm

Leo Schaya [Sidi Abdul-Kuddus] (1916-1986), a member of the traditionalist school, is a significant researcher and author of the 20th century who carried out in-depth studies particularly on Islamic Sufism and Jewish mysticism. Born in Switzerland into a non-religious Jewish family, Leo develops a deep interest in Sufism to study Islamic mysticism following his encounter with Frithjof Schuon [Īsā Nūr al-Dīn] (1907-1998), a distinguished representative of Islamic spirituality in the West. He turns to Schuon, whom he values for his spiritual journey and sees as an experienced guide. He converts from his current religious belief and joins the Shadhiliyya order. As a result of his warm and visionary nature, during his travels, he gains knowledge about Islamic tradition and Sufism through his relationships with famous masters of Sufism such as Shaikh Muhammad at-Ta'dīl (d. 1371/1952) and Sufi thinkers like Titus Burckhardt [Sidi İbrahim] (1908-1984), who conducted theoretical studies on eastern doctrine. He perceives mystical teachings as a journey into the depths of the heart and soul in pursuit of a transcendent reality and truth. He sees them as a guide for human spiritual development and getting closer to Allah, representing the internal dimension of Islam. In his theory, overcoming the self or controlling ego-centered thoughts, the process of reaching divine love and truth, discovering one's true potential, killing one's self in this world of multiplicity to bring out the divine light within, and recognizing one's essence are all important. Furthermore, in the studies in which Schaya put his thoughts into writing, he associates certain Sufi concepts with other metaphysical principles and emphasizes the existence of a universal metaphysical understanding. The aim of this study is to analyze Leo Schaya's Sufi thought from a traditionalist perspective, to understand and evaluate the universal dimension he puts forward regarding Islamic tradition and mysticism. In other words, it is to investigate how Schaya's Sufi teachings provide guidance in the inner journey of humans and to delve into the universal dimension of his thoughts. For this purpose, document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, has been used to examine the author's mystical teachings, and the data related to the subject has been collected. This data, categorized according to specific characteristics or themes, formed the general framework of the text. Schaya's inner teachings offer significant information on topics such as societal dynamics, spiritual interactions, and relationships between universal religious teachings. It is also seen that Schaya, rather than fully adopting the doctrines of traditionalist school pioneers, is in the effort to shape his own spiritual vision in an original way.

Aisthetics of Religion and embodied spiritual perception: hermeneutic approaches in Hesychasm, Christian Platonism, and Aesthetics of Idealism, to ‘divine light’ and ‘mystical flight’

In this essay I show developments in Aisthetics of Religion, a new discipline of Science of Religion, towards the inclusion of the body, and the senses, departing from an approach of naturalistic reductionism towards the integration of the category or dimension of the transcendent”. Here, recourse is taken to the philosophical aesthetics of German Idealism, that integrates ‘body’ and ‘soul, by its concept of the faculty of ‘imagination’ as instrument of aisthesis and divination. Hesychasm is presented as sharing the same principles of spiritual aesthetics of the phenomenology of the divine, including supernatural paradigmatic iconic event, as of Jesus’ Transfiguration and St. Paul’s mystical flight. The epistemic basis regarding the role of body, soul, and mind, with their specific aisthesis, and their formation towards it, recognised. Affinity between these Aisthetics of Religion, and Hesychastic epistemics are recognised as inspiration for theology and hermeneutics beyond the limits of ‘logo-centrism’. The Hesychastic approach towards sensoriform perception of paradigmatic ‘iconic’ manifestations of the divine, in embodied perception, and preparation to such aisthesis is recognised as inspiration and theological challenge in response to Aisthetics of Religion.

The Struggle of the Prophet Muhammad SAW in Building the ummah of Islam: A Story of Sacrifice and Courage

Background. Based on his life journey, the prophet Muhammad has always been a hot topic of conversation among the world's intellectuals (Ondeng, 2004). Da'wah is the main pillar in the teachings of Islam, because it has woven every story of the Prophet Muhammad's life. Purpose. In the midst of this difficult situation, the prophet Muhammad and his companions did everything they could to maintain the security and safety of Muslims. The emergence of these various problems shows that the truth of Islam is challenged to provide the right solution. Method. This research uses a literature study that collects and analyzes data related to the Prophet Muhammad's struggle in building Muslims. Results. Before Islam came through the prophet Muhammad, the Arabs believed in the existence of gods through the worship of idols and these were made of stone. During his childhood, Prophet Muhammad always contemplated the lives of the Jahiliyyah people and regularly visited the cave of Hira. On the 27th of Rajab in 610 AD prophet Muhammad was sent as an apostle. The Quran is a sacred revelation delivered directly by God to Prophet Muhammad. Conclusion. So based on the description above, the author will explain the struggle of the Prophet Muhammad to free Muslims from the grasp of the hands of the infidels. So compelling is the life of the Prophet Muhammad, a story colored by divine light and unwavering glory.

“Set the Gaze on Fire”: Gold-Cloth Furnishing and Sacred Propaganda in the Courts of Early Mediaeval Islam

Abstract Three documents from Fatimid Egypt, ʿAbbasid Mesopotamia, and Taifa Toledo – dated between the fourth–sixth/tenth–twelfth centuries – describe the practice of decorating audience halls with gold-threaded furnishing textiles. By identifying fragments believed to be described in these texts, it is proposed that these vibrant interiors were an aesthetic and ceremonial phenomenon of the period. The colour potential of such fabrics, often emphasised in poetry, appears to have encouraged their use, given the symbolic significance associated with the palace and the caliph-imam as vessels and emitters of divine light.

Thousands of Glittering Shards: Spirituality as Resonance in the Lives of People with Intellectual Disabilities

In the Kabbalah creation myth, God creates the universe by “stepping back”, releasing ten holy vessels with his light—only to have those vessels shatter with shards of divine light, or “shards” scattered throughout the earth. In a parallel approach, this paper suggests that the sacred must be sought in diverse encounters within everyday life and professional practice. In counseling or other therapeutic support, the definition of and search for spiritual dimensions must be broadened to thoughtfully incorporate the diverse experiences and expressions of people with intellectual disabilities. Similarly, those who seek to understand people’s relationship with the divine and support meaning in their lives must welcome a wide range of “artistic” engagements, an approach exemplified in grief and loss intervention. This article concludes by pointing towards resonance as a helpful concept to reconceptualize accessible spirituality in future work.

Defining nothingness: Kazimir Malevich and religious renaissance

In the treatise “Suprematism. The World as Objectlessness or Eternal Peace” (1922), Kazimir Malevich positions himself as a “bookless philosopher” who did not consider theories of other philosophers. In fact, the treatise contains a large number of references to philosophers belonging to different traditions. A careful reading shows the extent to which Malevich’s theory is linked to the Russian religious philosophy of the early twentieth century. In my view, Nikolai Berdyaev, Sergei Bulgakov, Pavel Florensky—philosophers of “Religious Renaissance,” as well as some other intellectuals—acquaint avant-gardists with Neoplatonic conceptions of apophasis. Malevich had access to ideas of fourteenth-century theologian Meister Eckhart, and I will refer to two sources to demonstrate this, including Margarita Sabashnikova’s translation of Eckhart and works of Sergei Bulgakov. Without any reference, Malevich retells the concepts of Dionysius the Areopagite, Meister Eckhart, and Gregory Palamas. I will demonstrate parallels between the treatise on Suprematism and Meister Eckhart’s Sermons concerning the concepts of apophaticism, Platonism, and Nothingness. I will also touch on the theme of Divine Light in the theology of Palamas (fourteenth century) to show the diversity of the avant-garde’s sources of inspiration.

The Hermeneutics of Conversion: Apostrophe, Reader Engagement, and the Medusa-Beatrice Binary

This essay traces the parallels between Vita nuova 19 and the impasse at the gate of the City of Dis in Inferno in order to propose Medusa and Beatrice as diametrically opposed figures. Whereas Beatrice activates the intellect and catalyzes internal reflection and conversion, Medusa deactivates the intellect and obstructs reflection and conversion. Moreover, contextualizing the Medusa figure within the wider approach to the gate in Inferno 8 and 9 reveals the figure to be linked to the forging of the poet’s novel apostrophic mode of reader engagement inaugurated in those cantos. Dante weaves into both of these episodes a philosophical / theological discourse of light and darkness, drawing upon Aristotelian sources filtered through Guido Guinizzelli, as well as the Pauline dialectic of light and darkness in 2 Corinthians. Moreover, Dante the poet unfolds the Medusa / Beatrice binary alongside his development of his novel apostrophic mode, thus laying out the parallel actions of viewer and reader, both of which depend upon healthy intellects capable of absorbing and reflecting divine light in a way that brings about conversion.

Трансформация понятия «метанойя» в религиозной традиции

The article analyzes the ancient concept of ‘metanoia’ in the religious and philosophical tradition, carries out a historical and philosophical reconstruction of the term. The author considers the concept of ‘metanoia’ in the context of the problem of the relationship between mind and body. Tracing the transformation of the concept, coming from Aristotle, the author of the article shows that the Eastern religious tradition understands repentance as the integration of the divine mind, which exists separately, into the human body and the beginning of its existence according to new laws. Western scholasticism, following Aristotle, separates the active divine and passive human minds, but denies their union in the body, endowing repentance with a supra-individual meaning, interpreting it as a kind of turn towards the Divine light that occurs outside the physical body and is not the result of a genuine experience of union with Christ. The author considers understanding of the concept of ‘metanoia’ by such theologians as Gregory Palamas, Clement of Alexandria, Thomas Aquinas. It is concluded that the problem of the bodily localization of the mind, the essence of the mind, is closely related to the problem of repentance and the historical transformation of the concept of ‘metanoia’.

Al-Ghazālī, nativism, and divine interventionism

ABSTRACT Al-Ghazālī’s engagement with scepticism in the Deliverance from Error has received much attention in recent literature, often in the context of comparing him with Descartes. However, there is one curious text that has gone largely unnoticed by commentators. In his account of how he overcame scepticism vis-à-vis a divine light cast unto his heart, al-Ghazālī makes a cryptic claim that suggests that primary truths are inherent to the mind, and that said cognitive status of primary truths is related to his overcoming of scepticism. Although this one text does not straightforwardly prove that al-Ghazālī is a nativist, I argue that there are other texts that plausibly reveal his nativism. As such, I argue that al-Ghazālī can be read as a nativist, and I reconstruct a way in which his nativism helps explain how he overcomes scepticism. In doing so, I defend the (standard) strong divine interventionist reading of al-Ghazālī’s response to scepticism, against Hadisi’s recent weak divine interventionist reading.

Theology of Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers as a Specific Way of Philosophical Thinking in an Epistemological Context

The article presents the theological ideas and mystical–religious teachings of the Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, which, at the same time, are philosophical because Byzantine theologians also reflected on human and their life, on the relationship between man and God, on the possibilities of God-cognition and obtaining higher sacred knowledge. Based on the analysis of the anthropological and epistemological ideas of the Greek Church Fathers, we highlight that philosophizing was always at the heart of Byzantine theology. Therefore, the Byzantine tradition of the Church Fathers is considered a unique type of philosophy of religion, which originated in the historical formation of the Christian faith in the era of the Triadic and Christological theological debates of the 4th to 7th centuries. This article reflects the teachings of three of the brightest thinkers-theologians of Byzantium—John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor, and Symeon the New Theologian. Their teachings are the foundation and main source of the mystical–religious tradition of Byzantine theology and philosophy. John Climacus’s conception of human self-improvement and self-cognition on the path of theosis is revealed as one of the first philosophical and moral systems of early Byzantium and the source of subsequent Christian concepts of Eastern Christianity. Maximus the Confessor’s conception of the logoi—or energies—of God is presented as a system of symbols with profound philosophical and anthropological meaning. The human being in St. Maximus’s doctrine is the main and self-sufficient symbol of the universe, connecting the two worlds—the Divine and the earthly ones. The doctrine of Symeon the New Theologian on uncreated light is revealed as a personal comprehension of God in the perception of Divine Light. The transforming power of the Light is demonstrated, which changes the nature of a human being and raises an individual to the height of spiritual unity with God. Finally, conclusions are made about the beginning and formation of the philosophy of religion as a special type of philosophical–religious thinking found already in the period of early Christianity.

Saint Sophrony Sakharov’s Vade Mecum towards the Divine Light

The present study aims to capitalise on Saint Sophrony Sakharov’s theological/mystical view of experiencing the divine Light, which the Essex Abbot construes as an aspiration to be pursued by any Christian, not only by spiritual elites. For this reason, the experience, and exhortations of Saint Silouan’s disciple as to the believer’s partaking in God’s uncreated Light can become for contemporary man a vade mecum adapted to the spiritual requirements and realities of our time. The drafting of these spiritual guidelines will be based on the writings of St. Sophrony (especially We Shall See Him as He Is) and the testimonies of his direct disciples and of those who assumed his way of life in the light of Jesus Christ (Zacharias Zacharou, Hierotheos Vlachos, Neacşu Nathanael, and Maxime Egger). We believe that our effort to capitalise on the mystical experience of St. Sophrony will enable the reader to access the knowledge required to understand how one may come to partake in the divine Light.

Visions of Heaven: Dante and the Art of Divine Light. Martin Kemp. London: Lund Humphries, 2021. 240 pp. £45.

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