#the vision of the divine light

Authority in the Byzantine Church of the 11th century is analysed through the conflict between institutional authority and charismatic-mystical authority, with a focus on the figure of Saint Symeon the New Theologian. The tension between the secular humanism of Michael Psellos and the charismatic mysticism of Simeon, his dispute with Metropolitan Stephen of Nicomedia, and the modern interpretations of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, paint a picture of authority gained through the mystical experience of the vision of God.

Saint Symeon the New Theologian’s theology of the Holy Spirit is presented in close connection with the Father and the Son, emphasising the unity and inseparability of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. Through images such as the key in Catechesis 33, the wine in Catechesis 23 and the divine seed, Saint Symeon demonstrates that the grace of the Holy Spirit is essential for purification, deification and the conscious perception of the divine presence in the human soul.