Introduction: Approaching the Ladder as a text in tradition -- John of Sinai and the quest for unity -- Biblical and philosophical foundations -- The Life of Antony: embracing death on the ascent to God -- The Desert Fathers: "Like a body whose soul has departed" -- The great old men of Gaza: learning to die through obedience -- The ladder of divine ascent: death makes the Christian -- Conclusion: John Climacus' achievement
Summary
This study of the 'Ladder of Divine Ascent', which was written by the Palestinian ascetic, John Climacus (c.570-c.649), examines the role of death in the development of Christian identity, both within the text and in other Greek literature in the centuries preceding its composition
