Apatheia (Dispassion)
Freedom from disordered passions opens the soul to love
Apatheia, or dispassion, is the state of inner freedom from disordered passions that frees the soul for love and contemplation. Taught by Evagrius Ponticus and rendered by John Cassian as purity of heart, it is not cold indifference but a healed stability in which the heart is no longer ruled by craving or fear. From this calm the soul is opened toward God and genuine charity.
How it traveled
- Life of Antony. (Vita Antoni.)Alexandria · c. 373 CEexplains
- On VirginityNyssa · c. 395 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- A Commentary on the Acts of the ApostlesConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and ThessaloniansConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies on the Statues to the People of AntiochConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal FaultsMarseille · c. 435 CEexplains
- The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-XMarseille · c. 435 CEexplains
- The Conferences of John Cassian. Part III. Containing Conferences XVIII.-XXIVMarseille · c. 435 CEexplains
- The Ecclesiastical History of SozomenConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 450 CEexplains
- Internal ConsolationZwolle · c. 1471 CEexplains
- Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the SoulZwolle · c. 1471 CEexplains
Key passages(20)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom
Such is a soul winged with heavenly love. For if those who cherish the foul (earthly passion which men call) love, think nothing either glorious of precious, but those things alone which tend to grati
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A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom
Let us imitate these, my beloved: let us be undaunted in all our dangers. There is nothing dreadful to him that fears God; but all that is dreadful is for others. For when a man is delivered from his
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Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul · Thomas à Kempis
WE SHOULD enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractio
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians · John Chrysostom
If thou sayest, I am not able to preside over many, I ought to lead a solitary life; thou offerest an insult to virtue, for it can make use of every state, and shine through all: only let it be in the
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There is only one right path. It is narrow and contracted. It has no turnings either on the one side or the other. No matter how we leave it, there is the same danger of straying hopelessly away. This
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The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen · Sozomen
Chapter XXIX.—Concerning the Monks of Thebaïs: Apollos, Dorotheus; concerning Piammon, John, Mark, Macarius, Apollodorus, Moses, Paul, who was in Ferma, Pacho, Stephen, and Pior. Apollos flourished a
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom · John Chrysostom
However, not to inquire into those things for the present, having left them to the conscience of those that have been taken captive, come let us discourse of the life of the common sort of men, and we
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The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch · John Chrysostom
12. And that ye may learn that he only is blessed, who feareth the Lord, I will now demonstrate this to you, not by what has happened in past times, but by what has befallen ourselves. Our city was in
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A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom
Why then, it is asked, did not Christ exercise His influence upon Plato, and upon Pythagoras? Because the mind of Peter was κενοδοξίας) absurdity, as to affirm that the irrational creatures are endued
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On Prayer. · Ethical
Chapter XII.—We Must Be Free Likewise from All Mental Perturbation. Nor merely from anger, but altogether from all perturbation of mind, ought the exercise of prayer to be free, uttered from a spirit
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X · John Cassian
Of the life of Abbot Daniel. Among the other heroes of Christian philosophy we also knew Abbot Daniel, who was not only the equal of those who dwelt in the desert of Scete in every sort of virtue, bu
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part III. Containing Conferences XVIII.-XXIV · John Cassian
John: I should absolutely maintain that one and the same man could not attain perfection in both lives unless I was hindered by the example of some few. And since it is no small matter to find a man w
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The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch · John Chrysostom
16. This also let us consider not only with respect to an oath, but to every thing. And when we are about to do any good action for God’s sake, and it is found to bring loss with it, let us look not m
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The Letters · Basil of Caesarea
Letter CCCLXVI. Introduced by the Ben. with the following preface: “En magni Basilii epistolam, ex prisco codicelxi. f. 324, a me exscriptam quæ olim clarissimis quoque viris Marcianæ bibliothecæ des
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The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults · John Cassian
There is still one valuable charge of the blessed Macarius to be brought forward by us, so that a saying of so great a man may close this book of fasts and abstinence. He said then that a monk ought t
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Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul · Thomas à Kempis
SEEK a suitable time for leisure and meditate often on the favors of God. Leave curiosities alone. Read such matters as bring sorrow to the heart rather than occupation to the mind. If you withdraw yo
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians · John Chrysostom
“Not that I speak in respect of want.” I said, saith he, “now at length,” and I rebuked you, not seeking mine own, nor censuring you on this account, as if I were in want: for I sought it not on this
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Internal Consolation · Thomas à Kempis
MY CHILD, if you place your peace in any creature because of your own feeling or for the sake of his company, you will be unsettled and entangled. But if you have recourse to the ever-living and abidi
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On the Duties of the Clergy · Ambrose of Milan
14. If any one takes heed to this, he will be mild, gentle, modest. For in guarding his mouth, and restraining his tongue, and in not speaking before examining, pondering, and weighing his words—as to
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X · John Cassian
Introduction to the Conference. What was promised in the second book of the Institutes See the Institutes Book II. c. ix. Isaac was, as we gathered from c. xxxi., a disciple of St. Antony, and is m
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