Work
On Faith
Faith as direct experience rather than intellectual assent
Symeon the New Theologian's teaching on faith as direct experience rather than intellectual assent. Symeon insists that genuine faith involves a conscious encounter with divine grace — not merely believing correct propositions about God, but actually perceiving the divine light. This text reflects Symeon's characteristic boldness in claiming that mystical experience is normative for the Christian life, not exceptional. A clear introduction to Symeon's experiential theology.