canonical christian mysticism Greek

Praktike πρακτική

ascetic practice (default in Evagrian / Maximian usage; the active stage of the spiritual itinerary)

Praktike (πρακτική) — In Evagrius (Praktikos) and Maximus the spiritual life partitions into praktikē (ascetic practice, the purgation of the passions) and theōrētikē (contemplation, the noetic vision of the logoi and of God). Praktikē is the prerequisite for theōria. ‘Action’ is forbidden because it imports the modern voluntarist sense; ascetic practice is the technical patristic-monastic discipline of fasting, vigil, prayer, and the cultivation of the virtues — not action-as-such.

Etymology

[STUB: editor to author etymology, root, and morphological notes.]

Cross-tradition resonance

Related terms across traditions (each relation is a stub the editor expands):

  • Mujahada (islamic-mysticism) — [STUB: editor to expand — parallel-ascetic-struggle]

Primary sources

[STUB: editor to list locus classicus and other canonical attestations.]

Scholarly literature

[STUB: editor to list standard secondary scholarship.]

Tradition
christian mysticism
Language
Greek
Script
Greek
Last revised
2026-05-02

Hekhal Editorial

Cite this page

Stable URLs are part of the editorial commitment. This address will not change.

Hekhal Editorial. "Praktike." Hekhal: An Open Reference for Esoteric Tradition. Last modified May 2, 2026. https://hekhal.org/lexicon/praktike.