The Ladder of Divine Ascent

John Climacus

The Ladder of Divine Ascent was written around 600 AD by John, the abbot of the monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai — a man later called John Climacus ("of the Ladder"). It describes thirty ascending steps of the spiritual life, from renunciation of the world through the virtues of the active life to the heights of contemplation, prayer, and divine love. For fourteen centuries it has been read al