St. Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022) wrote the Hymns of Divine Eros as the outpouring of a heart that desired one thing alone—to know its Creator. Composed toward the end of a turbulent life, the Hymns are shot through with Symeon’s characteristic insistence that it is not only possible but indeed necessary to experience God in this life. While various of the Hymns treat of one theological topic or another, the unifying thread throughout can be found in Symeon’s rejection of a theology that would carve out communion with God as something attainable only in the next life or that must be sought only by a rarified spiritual elite. Instead, Symeon shows the reader time and again the importance of experiencing God and dedicating one’s life to the obedience of His commandments.
While this is not the first translation of the Hymns into English, its quality, the helpful notes from the translator, and the erudite introduction to Symeon’s life and theology make this an indispensable edition of the Hymns. This is also the first English translation to be printed alongside the original Greek text.
Translator: John A. McGuckin is a world-renowned scholar, the author of more than 35 books and more than 170 scholarly articles (several of which are reprinted by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press in the Collected Studies of John A. McGuckin). He was Nielsen Professor of Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary and taught for over thirty years in numerous universities in Europe and America. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain, and the recipient of honorary doctorates from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Sibiu University. He is an archpriest of the Orthodox Church of Romania and the recipient of the Romanian Order of St. Stephen, the Gold Cross of Moldavia and Bukovina.
