Thomistic Institute lecture: Exploring Finitude – Weakness, Suffering, and Faith in Isaac of Nineveh

A Thomistic Institute lecture by Dr Valentina Duca, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on Isaac of Nineveh’s theological anthropology.

The lecture will take place at 7.30pm at Blackfriars (OX1 3LY), will be followed by refreshments, and all are welcome.

Isaac of Nineveh (7^th c.) is the major exponent of East-Syriac mysticism, which developed in the Church of the East in the 7^th and 8^th centuries. Some of his writings were translated into Greek, and then from Greek into other languages of the Christian world, including Latin and Slavonic. In this way, Isaac became a central reference for the Orthodox tradition. This talk explores Isaac’s anthropology, a central element of his thought. Isaac has, in fact, a highly original view on the human condition, which with great modernity places at the center creatural finitude and the consequences of human exposure to suffering and death. Following a brief introduction to Syriac Christianity and East-Syriac mysticism, this talk will focus on three elements of Isaac’s anthropology: the human condition of limitation and vulnerability, the ontological state that he calls “weakness” (m?iluta), and the journey of the relationship with these that he outlines. This will enable us to examine Isaac’s understanding of faith, which must necessarily confront (even extreme) limitations and suffering. I will conclude with a note on Isaac’s best-known affirmations on universal mercy, which include love for evil people, wild animals and demons, showing how this position is rooted in his anthropological perspective, which may still be meaningful in a contemporary context.

Valentina Duca is a postdoctoral researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After obtaining degrees in Theology and the History of Religions, she specialized in Eastern Christianity at Oxford University, especially Syriac (MPhil; DPhil). She spent two years at the Catholic University of Leuven, exploring the influence of the thought of Paul and Mark the Monk on Isaac of Nineveh. Her current project involves the production of a critical edition of hitherto unedited writings of Isaac and an analysis of the concept of experience in East-Syriac mysticism. She recently published a monograph titled “Exploring Finitude”: Weakness and Integrity in Isaac of Nineveh (2023) with Peeters, Leuven (OLA).

Venue: Blackfriars Hall - St Giles Oxford, OX1 3LY United Kingdom Array ( [lat] => 51.756248 [lng] => -1.259881 )