Niketas Stethatos (, ; c. 1005 – c. 1090) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

mystic and theologian who is considered a saint by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

. He was a follower of

Symeon the New Theologian Saint Symeon the New Theologian (; 949–1022) was an Eastern Orthodox monk and poet who was one of the four saints canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and given the title of "Theologian" (along with John the Apostle, Gregory of Nazianzus, ...

and wrote the most complete biography of Symeon, ''Life of Symeon''.

Life

Niketas Stethatos was born c. 1005 and entered the

Monastery of Stoudios The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (), often shortened to ''Stoudios'', Studion or ''Stoudion'' (), was a Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox monastery in Constantinople (modern-day Istan ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

at the age of fourteen. He became a close disciple of

, eventually writing the most complete biography of his teacher, the ''Life of Symeon''. Niketas later became abbot of the Monastery of Stoudios. The sobriquet "Stethatos", meaning "courageous," was given to Niketas due to his speaking out against

Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos (; 980/ 1000 – 11 January 1055) reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita chose him as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring agai ...

having an illicit mistress. Niketas Stethatos is credited with defending Symeon the New Theologian's teachings on hesychast prayer, which were considered subversive even by some eastern church authorities. Niketas gained the support of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, who eventually won Symeon's canonization. Niketas later supported Michael Cerularius in 1054, taking part in the conflict that became the

East-West Schism East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

, writing anti-Latin treatises criticizing the use of

unleavened bread Unleavened bread is any of a wide variety of breads which are prepared without using rising agents such as yeast or sodium bicarbonate. The preparation of bread-like non-leavened cooked grain foods appeared in prehistoric times. Unleavened br ...

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

fasting, and the celibacy of priests.

Writings

Niketas' ''Vita'', or ''Life of Symeon'', is the most complete biography of

. Niketas was also the editor of Symeon's own writings and talks. An edition of Symeon's works was distributed by Niketas following a vision he had of Symeon. Niketas' personal works include polemical writings and treatises on the soul, on paradise, on the meaning of hierarchy, and on the limits of human life. He wrote an unpublished ''hypotyposis'' on the private spiritual life expected of the Stoudios monks. Another widely read work is his treatise on ascetic practices which are contained in the fourth volume of the English editions of the ''

Philokalia The ''Philokalia'' (, from ''philia'' "love" and ''kallos'' "beauty") is "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters" of the mystical hesychast tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. They were or ...

'', the three ''Centuries on Practical, Physical and Gnostic Chapters''. The titles describe three main stages on the spiritual path: ''praktiki'' (practice of the commandments); ''physiki'' (meditation on the essence of creation); ''gnosis'' (the direct knowledge of God). Niketas wrote about many of the same themes as his teacher, Symeon, including: the experience of God as

divine light In theology, divine light (also called divine radiance or divine refulgence) is an aspect of divine presence perceived as light during a theophany or vision, or represented as such in allegory or metaphor. Light has always been associated wit ...

; the importance of having a spiritual father; love for others being more important than prayer; the responsibility of those who have direct experience of God's grace to share it with others. He also wrote that a spiritual life is possible no matter one's outer circumstances—that one doesn't have to physically withdraw from the world, and that true renunciation is an inner practice. Niketas' attitude to the spiritual life is fundamentally positive, and that true sanctity is only a return, through grace, to man's natural condition. His most well known writings are on mystical theology—in addition to the writings in the ''Philokalia'', they include ''On the Soul, On Paradise'' and ''On the Hierarchy''. In his letters, he supports the views of his teacher Symeon, writing that any monk or priest who had the gift of spirit was the equal of a bishop. He also wrote a treatise ''Against those who accuse the saints'', speaking out against a current of belief during that time which said that it was no longer possible to become a saint.

Quotes

"The rays of primordial Light that illumine purified souls with spiritual knowledge not only fill them with benediction and luminosity; they also, by means of the contemplation of the inner essences of created things, lead them up to the noetic heavens. The effects of the divine energy, however, do not stop here; they continue until through wisdom and through knowledge of indescribable things they unite purified souls with the One, bringing them out of a state of multiplicity into a state of oneness in Him."
— From the ''

''. ''On Spiritual Knowledge, Love and the Perfection of Living'', #21. "The Spirit is light, life and peace. If consequently you are illumined by the Spirit your own life is imbued with peace and serenity. Because of this you are filled with the spiritual knowledge of created beings and the wisdom of the Logos; you are granted the intellect of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 2:16); and you come to know the mysteries of God's kingdom (cf. Luke 8:10). Thus you penetrate into the depths of the Divine and daily from an untroubled and illumined heart you utter words of life for the benefit of others; for you yourself are full of benediction, since you have within you Goodness itself that utters things new and old (cf. Matt. 13:52)."
— From the ''

''. ''On Spiritual Knowledge, Love and the Perfection of Living'', #46.

References

Bibliography

* G. Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik des Niketas Stethatos, Münchener Arbeiten zur Byzantinistik, 3, Neuried 2019. * S. Paschalides
Against Those Who Accuse the Saints
- Study with Greek text. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stethatos, Niketas Niketas 11th-century Byzantine monks 11th-century Christian mystics Byzantine theologians Eastern Orthodox mystics Niketas Hesychasts Year of birth uncertain 11th-century deaths Abbots of the Stoudios Monastery 11th-century Byzantine writers 11th-century Christian theologians Philokalia 11th-century Christian abbots