Acedia

Last Sunday in our discussion on Chapter 6, we spent a few minutes talking about acedia, the Greek word Ford says is "a state of soul marked by sluggishness, moodiness and distaste for spiritual things." According to Ford, "the fourth-century monk John Cassian called acedia "the noonday demon" (121).

Yesterday I received the latest issue of Books and Culture which contains a review of Kathleen Norris' Acedia & Me. Dennis Okhom, the reviewer, reporting from Norris, helps us understand the history of the word and its meaning:

The Greek word acedia simiply means "a lack of care." But as Norris excavates the concept we find that it is deeper and richer. She rightly traces the Christian discussion to the 4th-century ascetic Evagrius Ponticus and his list of eight "thoughts" that characterize the human condition. One of the eight--acedia--was the "noonday demon" (Ps. 91.6) that attacked the monk who kept checking the angle of the sun to see if was time for the afternoon meal as he languished in the tedium of what seemed like a 50-hour day. John Cassian (5th century) carried forward the list of eight to Gregory the Great (6th century), who transposed acedia (along with tristitia) into "sloth" as he reconfigured the list into the "seven deadly sins."

Okholm goes on to report much, much more of what Norris aims to do in Acedia & Me, indicating that her consideration of acedia is highly nuanced, well worth the purchase of the book and a consequent careful reading. Carmen Acevedo Butcher provides another review. After I read two or three more reviews to make sure I want to read the book, I may be off to the bookstore to locate a used copy.

Image: 12:00 noon