St. Isaac the Syrian

St. Isaac the Syrian, also called Isaac of Nineveh, lived in the seventh century in the region around the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia, and died late in that century. A monk devoted to the solitary life, he was consecrated bishop of Nineveh but, after only a short time, laid down that office to return to the silence and prayer of the mountains and monasteries, where he spent the rest of his days in ascetic contemplation.

He is revered across the Christian East as one of the greatest of all spiritual writers. His treatises, translated into many languages, explore the interior life of prayer, humility, repentance, and above all the boundless mercy and love of God, whose compassion he described in terms of overwhelming tenderness. Though he lived on the far edges of the Christian world, his ascetical wisdom has been treasured for centuries, and he is venerated as a saint and a master of the spiritual life.