THe Icon of tHe Ladder of Divine Ascent

 

THe Icon of tHe Ladder of Divine Ascent

mong the important icons depicted on the walls of our

churches is the icon of The Ladder of Divine Ascent. This icon is given great prominence, usually in the narthex of some of the churches or trapezas of Mount Athos, as well as in some parish churches throughout the world.

The icon is a depiction of the famous spiritual classic entitled The Ladder of Divine Ascent written by St. John Climacos (of the Ladder), who lived

during the 17th century and whose memory is celebrated on March 30th as well as the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent. In this book, St. John describes thirty stages of spiritual de- velopment, which he likens to thirty steps upward on a ladder. The steps lead the struggler to theosis, divin- ization, and salvation—the ultimate goal of askesis or spiritual struggle. St. John’s Ladder expresses the Orthodox understanding that theo- sis and ultimately salvation is not something attained all at once, as by a leap, but comes after a long and arduous process of spiritual striving or asceticism. In this process, with sustained effort one rises gradually from lower to higher and higher levels of spiritual development. As St. John writes, no one can climb a

ladder in one stride. Just as St. John’s book, the icon stands as a witness to the violent effort needed for entrance into God’s Kingdom. The spiritual struggle of Christian life is a real one, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the present darkness, the hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. (Eph 6:12).

In the icon, a ladder stands on the earth and reaches to Heaven. St. John describes thirty stages of spiritual devel- opment in his book and he likens the stages to thirty steps upward on a ladder. At the right side of the scene is shown a monastery building. Standing outside its door is St. John Climacos. His right hand points at the ladder and watching monks stand behind him. In his left hand he holds a scroll on which is written: Ascend, ascend, Brethren.

Some of the Icon’s Details

Ladder: St. John Climacos was inspired by the Ladder which the righteous Jacob saw in a dream. Jacob saw a lad-

 

der which rose from earth to Heaven, on which some angels were ascending and others were descending. His vision is described in the book of Genesis: And Jacob dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all

places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Gen 28:12-13, 15). The ladder in this icon is sometimes depicted in such a way to express the idea

that more effort is required for ris- ing to the highest levels of spiritual development.

Christ from Heaven: With His right hand Christ blesses the monk who has climbed to the top of the ladder. The scroll in His left hand is symbolic of His Gospel. Reach- ing this heaven is a heaven of the mind within the heart. Its effect is to sanctify the mind and to detach it from material things, and it does so in such a way, that after entering this heavenly harbor, a man, for most of his earthly life, is enraptured, like someone already in heaven, and he is lifted up to the contemplation of God.

Climbing Monks: Below the victo- rious monk, there are other monks at various stages of ascent. Some stand on the ladder firmly, and are

about to rise to the next rung. Others, however, are barely retaining their hold, as they are drawn by demons. One of the monks has fallen off the ladder and is being swallowed by a dragon with wide open jaws.

Demons: The demons are flying at the ladder. The demons are depicted in order to remind the observer that they ex- ist. Such evil spiritual beings act upon us through mental suggestion and assaults. Their tails symbolize their fallen state, their animalistic state. The demons also symbolize various sins. Saint John’s book minutely analyzes the nature of the passions of pride, gluttony, lust, anger, despondency, malice, and so on.

Dragon: The dark dragon is used as a symbol of Hell. Angels: Angels are viewed as real beings. The angels also symbolize positive qualities, virtues, the opposites of the “passions,” humility, temperance, chastity, gentleness, hope, love, etc.