Thursday, April 18, 2024

Isaac the Syrian (7th century) vs. the Immaculate Conception

  

 

Although we have already spoken on this subject in another context in the foregoing disquisitions), when an opportunity offered itself, yet we do not object to elucidating the subject further here.

 

Maggenanutha denotes help and guardianship and also the receiving of the heavenly gift. As for instance: The Holy Ghost shall come and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee). And: Thy right hand shall save me4), which is a prayer for help. And: I will defend this city to save it).

 

So we understand two kinds of action in the maggenanutha granted by God unto mankind one is symbolical and intelligible; the other practical. The former is connected with the holiness which is received through divine grace; this means: by the influence of the Holy Ghost a man is made holy in body and soul, as is the case of Elisha and John and Mary the blessed among women. But because this is incomparable and above that which happens to the rank-and-file of creatures we have to come to that partial [holiness] which is granted unto the other saints, in the relation between the limbs and the body. (Isaac of Nineveh, Mystic Treatises [trans. A. J. Wensinck; Amsterdam: Koninklijke Akademie Van Wetenschappen, 1923], Treatise 54: Other Explanations Concerning Maggenanutha, 261–262)

 

Notice how Issac groups the purification of body and soul of Elisha, John the Baptist, and Mary together. This shows that, as with other Syrian theologians, while he did believe in Mary becoming panagia/all holy, it was not at her conception, but some time afterwards. He is a witness, albeit implicit, against the Immaculate Conception.