Moses on Mount Sinai in the Early Christian Contemplative Tradition

What is it about?

This chapter considers the way in which early Christian writers used the Exodus account of Moses’ experiences on Mount Sinai in order to map out the human journey towards the divine. It focusses on five key moments in Exodus as interpreted by four theologians, three from the fourth century – Gregory of Nyssa, Evagrius of Pontus and the author of The Macarian Homilies – along with the late fifth/early sixth-century Syrian monk who adopted the persona of Dionysius the Areopagite.

Featured Image

Photo by Evershot on Unsplash

Photo by Evershot on Unsplash

Why is it important?

I argue that the development of Christian mystical theology was inspired by the wording and imagery of Scripture. And that the ambiguities and contradictions in the text of Exodus were elevated to the status of 'paradox', taken as illustrations that God is not subject to the rules of human logic and that human language can never grasp the divine.