“I read
Macarius and sang,” so wrote John Wesley in 1736 upon his discovery of the Ancient Church author whose writings have been
transmitted under the name of Macarius. The major themes of those texts of
Macarius available to Wesley nicely dovetailed with the Methodist leader’s
interests, for in them Macarius especially set forth the biblical dimensions
and theological implications of the salvific work of the Holy Spirit and
explored the experience of the believer, who, though indwelt by the Spirit,
nevertheless battles indwelling sin.
While there
is much that is unclear about Macarius, he appears to have been especially
active between the 380s and the first decade of the fifth century. He had
strong ties to Syrian Christianity, although his mother tongue was most likely
Greek. He would thus have been very comfortable with the theological ambience of
Greek Christian life and piety. His ministry seems to have been situated on the
frontier of the Roman Empire in upper Syria
and in southern Asia Minor, where he was the
spiritual mentor of a number of monastic communities. There are also
indications that he was known to and even friends with two of the great
Cappadocian Fathers, Basil of Caesarea (c.330–79) and Gregory of Nyssa (c.335–c.395). In fact, Gregory of Nyssa so admired Macarius that he
incorporated holus-bolus significant portions of one of Macarius’ works into
one of his own theological treatises!
Macarius’
deeply realistic approach to the human condition, his emphasis on the vital
necessity of the Holy Spirit to effect eternal transformation, and his desire
to take seriously human responsibility reveal him to be a thinker worthy of
attention in our day that is also marked by a fascination with spirituality and
a passionate interest in what it means to be truly human. In the two articles
that follow, we shall explore what this Ancient Christian author can teach us
about the nature of being human and what it means to be filled with the Spirit.
Michael
Haykin, PhD
Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary
