Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science

A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts

George Tsakiridis

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN:
  9781608990665
  9781498254748
• eBook ISBN:
  9781630876920
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

This study puts the thought of Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth-century theologian, into dialogue with modern cognitive science in regard to the topic of evil, specifically moral evil. Evagrius, in his writings about prayer and the ascetic life, addressed the struggle with personal moral evil in terms of the eight "thoughts" or "demons." These "thoughts" were transmitted by John Cassian to the Western church, and later recast by Gregory the Great as the Seven Deadly Sins. Though present understandings of evil appear to differ greatly from those of Evagrius, his wisdom concerning the battle against evil may prove to be of great help even today. Using the work of Pierre Hadot to recover Evagrius's context, and the work of Paul Ricoeur to discuss how we construct descriptions and myths of evil, Evagrius is brought into dialogue with the cognitive sciences. Using current research, especially the work of Eugene d'Aquili and Andrew Newberg, this study reveals the contemporary relevance of Evagrius' approach to combating evil. In addition, the interdisciplinary study of patristics and cognitive science opens the pathway to a better understanding between Christian tradition and the modern sciences.

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Introduction

From the beginnings of Christianity one wonders why a good God would allow evil to exist, even more why a good God would create evil. In recent years, science has helped us to understand evil in ways previously untapped. Although these questions of theodicy are still important in our day, there is a deeper, more theologically relevant question underlying this: “What is evil for the human person?” If one does not know what evil is, how is it possible to discuss its existence intelligibly in relation to a good God? This particular study will delve into a facet of this question, using one Eastern patristic thinker’s ideas on sin and evil, a philosophic theology of evil, and modern cognitive science as it relates to evil and prayer. This study will show how Evagrius Ponticus’ conception of evil thoughts and their remedies, one of which is prayer, is relevant today within a context of cognitive science and its relation to meditation and prayer. It will also show how Evagrius defines evil thoughts, working predominately in the mind, moving toward a dialogical discussion with cognitive science. In this way, the questions “What is (moral) evil?” and “How does one personally overcome (moral) evil?” are at the fore of this study.

This study is addressed predominately to the Christian, who, despite confessional beliefs, still holds science in high regard and has some doubt as to the validity of supernatural language regarding demons and angels. In addition, mysticism will be a part of this study, which will show that there is some empirical evidence for mystic experience. Relationship with God is one of the ultimate foundations of Christianity, and for some this may take the form of mystic experience. In most mainline Protestant denominations, this sort of relationship is looked at skeptically, and with some reasonable cause. Because mystic experiences, as well as most supernatural experiences, are personal, they are hard to verify and thus are viewed questionably. The Enlightenment has created a level of doubt that must be overcome, although in many cases this doubt helps us to sift through the pretenders and charlatans. Again, this study is not meant to focus on mysticism, although that is a part of it. The supernatural has become suspect due to this sort of Enlightenment approach, despite the fact that Christianity is founded on a supernatural event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, discussion of thoughts, demons, angels, and prayer in Evagrius should not be viewed as strange, despite their distance from the world of mainline Protestant Christianity. Anxiety and moral evil are shown to be combated by prayer and Scripture in Evagrius, and can still be combated in like manner today. It is my hope that this study will offer optimism to those who, in addition to their confessional, relational faith, still look to the scientific world for some answers.

This study is divided into five chapters, including this introduction. The second chapter is a discussion of Evagrius Ponticus—his life and thought. It will present Evagrius’ arguments in regard to evil and the “thoughts.” His use of the eight thoughts is pertinent for dialogue about evil in the mind.1 The fourth-century monastic prescriptions for addressing this “evil” are still theologically significant today. This section will not focus on his biography, but a brief overview of his life may be helpful in showing his context. The third chapter will present a philosophical/historical discussion of evil, focusing in large part on Paul Ricoeur’s work on evil, and also on the work of Pierre Hadot, a scholar who has helped to interpret ancient writers in a contemporary light while respecting their historical context. The fourth chapter will discuss contemporary cognitive science and how research in this field is working with conceptions of evil in the mind. Meditation and prayer are on the opposite side of this discussion and relevant in creating a dialogue with Evagrius. Work in cognitive science is being done on both sides of this issue and in related ways. This brings us to the fifth and final chapter, which will integrate the previous three, working principally with a comparison of Evagrius’ work and modern cognitive science. By using the lens of Ricoeur and Hadot, we will be able to create a dialogical approach to moral evil using Evagrius’ thoughts, philosophy, and cognitive science.

Ultimately the goal of this study is apologetic in nature. Although I dislike using that word at times because of its pejorative use by some scholars, much of the work done in theology is apologetic. Making an argument to defend underlying beliefs and principles is prevalent in most areas of scholarship. In this study, I am attempting to defend both supernatural language and the orthodox Christian faith without being shortsighted on either count. The argument I make is in large part analogical, in part out of necessity due to the historical gap, and in part because of my own proclivity for analogy. Using Evagrius and the cognitive sciences, I am able to connect his own views on evil and prayer to current research in brain science. Thus, some empirical support is offered for Evagrius’ work and orthodox Christian spirituality in general, both Eastern Orthodox and Western.

Evagrius and the Eight Thoughts: Evil and Prayer

Evagrius Ponticus was born in about 345 CE in Ibora, Pontus.2 His life overlapped and interacted with many of the great thinkers of Eastern patristic thought, which any study of his life will show.3 He was trained by the Cappadocian Fathers, which is of importance in exploring his thought. Although I will move forward without recounting his life, it is worth noting that Evagrius holds a somewhat tenuous place in church history due to his entanglements with Origen’s thought.

Given his background as a monastic and a fourth-century thinker, one of Evagrius’ great contributions to theological scholarship is his concept of the “thoughts.” He presented eight different thoughts (in more than one of his works), and this set the groundwork for the seven deadly sins of Gregory the Great.4 The thoughts are: gluttony, fornication, avarice, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory, and pride.5 In reading Evagrius, it is clear that he holds to a viewpoint that might be expected of a fourth-century monk. These “demons”—another term used for the thoughts—are outer forces that work upon the monk’s mind.6 These must be countered by various practices, including prayer. In his work To Eulogios. On the Confession of Thoughts and Counsel in Their Regard, this is made explicit: “The demons make war on the soul by means of thoughts and they are countered in turn with a more difficult warfare by means of perseverance . . . .”7 Earlier in this same work he states, “In the laziness of the soul the demons are able to get hold of our rational mind and in the thoughts they disgorge the pleasures of evil.”8 In addition to this, in the Praktikos he follows the eight evil thoughts with eight corresponding remedies.9 There are countless other examples of this approach to evil and the thoughts, although Evagrius sees evil working in thought more for the holy one than for the secular. Further on in Praktikos he states, “The demons war with seculars more through objects, but with monks they do so especially through thoughts, for they are deprived of objects because of the solitude.”10 In fact, he even references the brain stem being manipulated by deceptive forms of prayer, a reference to both a physical and spiritual reality in a part of the brain.11 Given the time period, it is clear that he did not view the “brain” in the same way a cognitive scientist of the twenty-first century would, but this still raises a relevant point about the language Evagrius uses. “Mind,” “brain,” “soul” and other descriptive nouns are all used with reference to the way demons affect the thoughts of the pious one.

Note that, for purposes of di...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Evagrius and the Eight Thoughts
• Chapter 3: A Discussion of Evil and a Recovery of Evagrius
• Chapter 4: How the Mind Deals with Evil
• Chapter 5: A Synthesis of Evagrius and Cognitive Science
• Bibliography