Confession and Self-Examination: Evagrius on Naming the Thoughts
Teaching on Confession and Self-Examination from Evagrius Ponticus: Evagrius on Naming the Thoughts
This is a spiritual discipline on naming thoughts and self-observation, drawing on 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12:2 and Philippians 4:8.
Evagrius Ponticus (d. 399) taught a precise practice of identifying and naming disordered thoughts as they arise. He catalogued eight categories of tempting thoughts (logismoi) and taught his students to observe their mental life with clinical clarity. "When you sit in your cell, pay attention to your thoughts. Observe them. Note which one comes first, which comes second, and after what interval they return."…
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