Theological jargon in non-Roman Catholicism

[Ora_et_Labora_1]

Roman Catholics generally tend to talk about the will, intelect, and memory as faculties of the soul, and will generally discribe the spiritual life in these terms (I don’t believe that this a strictly Scholastic view given that even St. Augustine of Hippo uses these terms in his Confessions). What are the Eastern and Oriental equivalent concepts. I know that the Byzantine traditions talk a lot about the “nous” though I’m still not too sure about what the “nous” is. Anyway, clarification would be much apreciated!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Roman Catholics generally tend to talk about the will, intelect, and memory as faculties of the soul, and will generally discribe the spiritual life in these terms (I don’t believe that this a strictly Scholastic view given that even St. Augustine of Hippo uses these terms in his Confessions). What are the Eastern and Oriental equivalent concepts. I know that the Byzantine traditions talk a lot about the “nous” though I’m still not too sure about what the “nous” is. Anyway, clarification would be much apreciated!

Hello! I can’t speak for the Orientals (Catholic or Orthodox), but Byzantines tend to speak of the heart (kardia) and intellect (nous). That’s the most common division that I’ve come across at least, but there are others. The heart, which is associated with the physical organ, but not limited to that, is seen as the center of man’s very being; it is man’s “deepest and truest self.” To pray with the heart means to pray with body, soul and spirit. This includes, but goes well beyond, emotion. The intellect (“nous”) is considered man’s highest faculty, but we do not understand it as being solely a matter of reason. The intellect is the very center of the heart, and thus the very center of the person. It is the “organ of contemplation, the ‘eye of the heart’.”

I hope this helps. It can be really confusing to Roman Catholics when they’re first introduced to it.**

 

[Madaglan]

Roman Catholics generally tend to talk about the will, intelect, and memory as faculties of the soul, and will generally discribe the spiritual life in these terms (I don’t believe that this a strictly Scholastic view given that even St. Augustine of Hippo uses these terms in his Confessions). What are the Eastern and Oriental equivalent concepts. I know that the Byzantine traditions talk a lot about the “nous” though I’m still not too sure about what the “nous” is. Anyway, clarification would be much apreciated!

The belief in a tripartite soul goes back to at least the time of the Greek philosophers (e.g. Plato).

Orthodoxy, in meditation on the relationship between the Trinity and the soul, continues with the tripartite understanding of the soul. The soul is said to have three powers: nous, soul and spirit. The nous is very important in Orthodoxy, and it is given several different meanings. It can mean the soul, but it can also mean a power of the soul. It is also understood as meaning the heart. In other contexts, it is related to the intellect. Orthodoxy also speaks of will and energy, and the ascetic life is understood as a war with the passions, with the aim as acquiring dispassion.

The Philokalia series translated into English by Bishop Kallistos Ware provides an excellent glossary of spiritual terms at the end of each book in the series.

Another good source is Orthodox Psychotherapy.

 

[Madaglan]

just a correction to my last post: the nous is the intellect, not just related to it.

 

[Ora_et_Labora_1]

Thanks for the replies so far!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I also suggest reading “Orthodox Psychotherapy” (with the caution that the author does indulge in polemics against Roman Catholicism from time to time) as well as the Philokalia. There is a great glossary in the Philokalia that gives definitions for all the terms that most Roman Catholics would find unusual or “foreign” and could even be helpful for any Orthodox person who is interested in deepening their understanding of the Eastern spiritual tradition. In the introduction to “The Art of Prayer” Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) also explains the Orthodox notions of intellect/nous, soul and spirit. It’s well worth the read and is probably available at your local Borders (at least that’s where I got my copy).

I would like to point out that the Eastern Christian (Orthodox and Catholic) notion of “heart” is very much in line with the biblical notion of "heart/kardia being the seat of man’s moral decisions. It is very interesting to take this Orthodox notion and then reread the passages in Scripture concerning conversion/repentance and “circumcision of the heart.”