THE POWER OF THE WORD IN THE APOPHTHEGMATA PATRUM: THE CHARISMA OF SPIRITUAL SPEECH IN ABBA ARSENIUS, ABBA POEMEN, AND ABBA MOSES
THE POWER OF THE WORD IN THE APOPHTHEGMATA PATRUM: THE CHARISMA OF SPIRITUAL SPEECH IN ABBA ARSENIUS, ABBA POEMEN, AND ABBA MOSES

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the spiritual power of the spoken word within the Apophthegmata Patrum, focusing on the charismatic dimension of speech as embodied by Abba Arsenius, Abba Poemen, and Abba Moses. Building on the biblical foundation of the “word with power” (Luke 4:32) and its patristic interpretation, the paper explores how the divine Logos becomes the model and source of authentic spiritual utterance. The research highlights the essential conditions for charismatic speech—purity of heart, prayer, discernment, and interior stillness—showing how these virtues shape the ascetic pedagogy of the Desert Fathers. Through a close reading of representative apophthegms, the study analyzes the unique manner in which these elders transmitted a word capable of illuminating the mind, wounding the conscience, and transforming the heart. Their brief yet grace-filled sayings reveal a theology of speech in which the word becomes an instrument of divine action rather than rhetorical persuasion. In a contemporary context marked by verbal excess and spiritual fragmentation, the witness of these Fathers offers a compelling model of sacred speech rooted in silence, humility, and life in Christ. This work thus proposes a patristic framework for understanding the charisma of spiritual speech as both gift and responsibility within the Christian tradition.

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