St. John Klimakos (ca. 579-ca. 659)
JOHN CHRYSSAVGIS
The ascetic author par excellence, John Klimakos (meaning John “Of the Ladder”) lived on Mt. Sinai as a hermit and, later, abbot in the great monastery of St. Katherine there. The precise dates of his life are difficult to determine, but he is probably a contemporary of Maximos the Confessor (580–662). It seems reasonable to place his dates between ca. 579 and ca. 659.
It is not known where John was born but he arrived at Sinai when he was only 16. When already quite advanced in age he accepted to write the Ladder at the request of another John, Abbot of Raithou. Originally entitled Spiritual Tablets, as many manuscripts indicate, it was the title Ladder which ultimately prevailed and which gives the book its unique flavor and feature. The Ladder consists of thirty steps (sections), including a range of virtues to acquire and vices to avoid. As a supplement to this John also authored a short treatise entitled To the Shepherd, describing the spiritual task of the abbot and likewise addressed to John of Raithou. Each step opens with a series of brief definitions, followed by a detailed exposition of the theme with illustrative anecdotes, and a terminal summary with inspiration.
John is deeply influenced by the early desert tradition of Egypt as well as the Gaza monastics, such as Barsanuphius and John. In some ways, he lays the foundations for the “school” of Sinaite spirituality commonly attributed to Hesychios and Philotheos. His extensive influence is witnessed in the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian (especially in his teaching on tears) and the 14th-century hesychasts, such as St. Gregory Palamas (especially in his teaching on silence and prayer).
With the exception of the scriptures and the liturgical books, no other writing in Eastern Christendom has been studied, copied, and translated to the same extent as John’s Ladder of Divine Ascent. It has shaped not only Eastern Orthodoxy, and especially its monastic tradition, but also the entire Christian world. Even today, the Ladder is appointed to be read aloud in churches or in the refectory, as well as privately in the cells of Orthodox monasteries, each year during Lent, a practice that may date back to the time of the author’s life. There is no equivalent of the Ladder in the West, but its popularity may be compared with that of the Imitation ofChrist, though the two books differ greatly in character.
Some of the key doctrines of the Ladder include the notion of spiritual direction (the separate treatise To the Shepherd is sometimes known as the “31st step”), the remarkable concept of joyful-sorrow (perhaps John’s most original and most influential contribution), the emphasis on “divine eros” or “holy passion” (to describe the soul’s mystical yearning for God), and certain key phrases that proved crucial passages in the development of the Jesus Prayer (John speaks of using a “single-phrase” or the “name of Jesus”). St. John Klimakos is liturgically commemorated on March 30 and on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
SEE ALSO: Jesus Prayer; St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359); St. Maximos the Confessor (580–662); St. Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022); Sts. Barsanuphius and John (6th c.)
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Chryssavgis, J. (2004) John Climacus: From the Egyptian Desert to the Sinaite Mountain. London: Ashgate Press.
Ware, K. (1982) “Introduction to John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” in Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press.