Page 248 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
excellence, the most radiant vestments are preserved. The Eu-
charist manifests the joy of the Kingdom and must not be
obscured by a spirit of gloom.
Monasticism, too, is a charisma of the Holy Spirit. Like
every gift of the Spirit, it reflects the Kingdom of God and
belongs to the life of the whole Body. In the Acts of the Apos-
tles, charisms are linked with the coming of the last days, and
Saint Paul insists that no charisma may isolate itself or say to
another, “I have no need of you” (1 Cor. 12:21). Thus monasti-
cism cannot exist apart from the Church, nor apart from the
bishop, the presider of the Eucharistic assembly. This is a sine
qua non if monasticism is not to fall into distortion.
Yet there is a difference between the Eucharist and monas-
ticism. In the Eucharist the Church experiences above all the
joy of the Resurrection; in monasticism she experiences above
all the Cross in history. Monasticism, rooted in the Gospel
itself, spread widely from the third century onward, first in
Syria and Egypt, then in the West through figures such as Je-
rome and other Fathers who carried Eastern monastic ideals
into Western Christianity.
As monasticism expanded, it became not merely a move-
ment of withdrawal from the world but a regulating factor in
the Church’s life. It influenced liturgical forms, shaped episco-
pal structures, and intervened in doctrinal and ecclesiastical
conflicts. Yet this very growth created dangers: monasticism
could become detached from the Church and claim to be the
sole criterion of ecclesial life. This danger was overcome
through the intervention of great Fathers, who preserved mo-
nasticism from distortions such as Evagrian intellectualism,
which reduced ascetic life to purification of mind while ne-
glecting the heart. The Macarian tradition restored the heart
as the center of obedience and love, thus saving monasticism
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