The Ladder of Divine Ascent


The Ladder of Divine Ascent or Ladder of Paradise is an important ascetical treatise for monasticism in Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, written by John Climacus in at Saint Catherine's Monastery; it was requested by John, Abbot of the Raithu monastery.
The Scala, which obtained immense popularity and made its author famous in the Church, is addressed to anchorites and cenobites and treats of the means by which the highest degree of religious perfection may be attained. Divided into thirty parts, or "steps", in memory of the thirty years of the life of Christ—the "Divine Model" for the faithful Christian—it presents a picture of all the virtues, and contains a great many parables and historical touches, drawn principally from the monastic life and exhibiting the practical application of the precepts.
At the same time, as the work is mostly written in a concise, aphoristic form, and as the reasonings do not always seem clearly connected from one to the next, it is at times somewhat obscure. This explains its having been the subject of various commentaries, even in very early times. The most ancient of the manuscripts containing the Scala is found in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and was probably brought from Florence by Catherine de' Medici. In some of these manuscripts, the work bears the title of "Spiritual Tables".

Steps or Rungs on the Ladder to Heaven

The Scala consists of 30 chapters, or "rungs",
  • 1–4: Renunciation of the world and obedience to a spiritual father
  • *1. Περὶ ἀποταγῆς
  • *2. Περὶ ἀπροσπαθείας
  • *3. Περὶ ξενιτείας
  • *4. Περὶ ὑπακοῆς
  • 5–7: Penitence and affliction as paths to true joy
  • *5. Περὶ μετανοίας
  • *6. Περὶ μνήμης θανάτου
  • *7. Περὶ τοῦ χαροποιοῦ πένθους
  • 8–17: Defeat of vices and acquisition of virtue
  • *8. Περἰ ἀοργησίας
  • *9. Περἰ μνησικακίας
  • *10. Περἰ καταλαλιᾶς
  • *11. Περὶ πολυλογίας καἰ σιωπῆς
  • *12. Περὶ ψεύδους
  • *13. Περὶ ἀκηδίας
  • *14. Περὶ γαστριμαργίας
  • *15. Περὶ ἀγνείας
  • *16. Περὶ φιλαργυρίας
  • *17. Περὶ ἀκτημοσύνης
  • 18–26: Avoidance of the traps of asceticism
  • *18. Περὶ ἀναισθησίας
  • *19. Περὶ ὕπνου καὶ προσευχῆς
  • *20. Περὶ ἀγρυπνίας
  • *21. Περὶ δειλίας
  • *22. Περὶ κενοδοξίας
  • *23. Περὶ ὑπερηφανείας, Περὶ λογισμῶν βλασφημίας
  • *24. Περὶ πραότητος και ἁπλότητος
  • *25. Περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης
  • *26. Περὶ διακρίσεως
  • 27–29: Acquisition of hesychia, or peace of the soul, of prayer, and of apatheia
  • *27. Περὶ ἡσυχίας
  • *28. Περὶ προσευχῆς
  • *29. Περὶ ἀπαθείας
  • 30. Περὶ ἀγάπης, ἐλπίδος και πίστεως

Iconography

The Ladder of Divine Ascent derived from manuscripts of the 11th and 12th century, pictorially bringing insight to heaven from a 30-rung ladder. The strategic placement of the ladder, which cuts the icon into two complementary triangles, represents heaven in the higher triangle and earth in the lower. The journey to the top of the ladder, where Jesus reaches down with open hands, is rife with obstacles of sin—represented by the demons with bows and arrows, ready to take the souls of those who lack perseverance. The act of climbing represents both physical pain as well as the struggle with internal sin; in this sense, the weight the monks feel is physical, mental, and spiritual. The icon shows several examples of monks that gave into the temptation of sin, as demons with dark chains hoist their victims off the ladder and into hell.
Climacus himself, however, reaches the top rung. His inspirational position close to Christ serves as a guide to those still struggling in their journey. A group of monastic brothers is gathered at the lower right, arms raised in prayer to the angels above in the upper left; this represents the thoughts and prayers that cut through the spiritual battlefield, giving support to those on the virtuous path to heaven: a life based on prayer and penance as the way to salvation. The angels represent the righteous climbing the ladder below in the same way that the holy brethren to the lower right mirror the angels above.
At the top of the ladder is Holy Archbishop Antonios, in a white robe with golden trim embracing the invitation to heaven with God. The white robe that Antonios wears is of silk with gold cuffs and a sash, which distinguishes him from the others on the ascent. The imperial status held by Archbishop Antonios implies a close relation to the icon itself—a symbol of his prominence within the religious community. His hands are lifted openly to mirror the grace Christ has given him; John Climacus, in front of the archbishop, is depicted performing the same gesture. Many inscriptions state that John Climacus has been "made one with God".
According to Hans Belting, it is not known if archbishop Antonios came from the capital of Sinai or was even an archbishop. Others, such as Doula Mouriki, hold that he was indeed an archbishop; this controversy over the imperial patronage of the icon remains today.

Arabic icon

The Heavenly Ladder was also adapted as an icon for the Arabic-speaking Christian community, likely at Saint Catherine's monastery on Mount Sinai. John Climacus leads his people through text on the left side of the page to show the Greek tradition, as contradistinct from the Arabic tradition, which would be read right-to-left instead; too, he does not sit on the floor as in the Muslim fashion, but rather at a desk. This is complemented with a smaller adaptation of the icon. The 17th-century Arabic reproduction shows Christ leading the pious to heaven from a ladder that cuts the icon from bottom right to upper left in ascending fashion—the opposite of the original icon from the late 12th century. Moses is depicted kneeling before the burning bush at the right. The Virgin Mary and Christ Child are illuminated inside the tear shaped flame. John Climacus is seen at the lower left with fellow monks at St. Catherine. At the base of the ladder a monk falling to hell maintains footing on the ladder as John Climacus assists by grabbing hold of the demon.

Translations

Renaissance editions

The Ladder was translated into Latin by Ambrogio the Camaldolese, then writing as Ambrosius Camaldulensis. The Greek of the Scala, with the scholia of Elias, Archbishop of Crete, and also the text of the Liber ad Pastorem, were published by Matthæus Raderus with a Latin translation. The whole is reproduced in Patrologia Graeca, vol. 88.
Translations of the Scala have been published in Spanish by Louis of Granada, in Italian, in modern Greek by Maximus Margunius, Bishop of Cerigo, and in French by Arnauld d'Andilly. The last-named of these translations is preceded by a life of the saint by Le Maistre de Sacy.
One translation of the Scala, La Escala Espiritual de San Juan Clímaco, became the first book printed in the Americas, in 1532.

Modern English editions

Image:StJohnClimacus.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Ladder of Paradise icon showing monks ascending the ladder to Jesus
  • Archimandrite Lazarus Moore. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. First published 1959, / Harper & Brothers; revised edition published 2008, HTM.. This edition is generally preferred over the Paulist Press edition of the Ladder due to the provided verse numberings, which are the standard way of referencing the work.
  • Luibheid, Colm; Russell, Norman. John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Paulist Press, 1982.. This edition contains an extensive introduction by Bishop Kallistos.
  • Mack, John. Ascending the Heights: A Layman's Guide to the Ladder of Divine Ascent. Conciliar Press, 2000..