Prelest
Sign in to savePrelest, also known as spiritual delusion, spiritual deception, or spiritual illusion, is an Eastern Orthodox Christian term for a spiritual state of false holiness or deluded self-righteousness, believing in one's own spiritual superiority.
~39 min read
Article
25 sectionsContents
- Overview
- General prelest and prelest proper
- View from the outside
- Kinds of prelest
- Prelest and insanity
- False visions
- Self-conceit
- False gifts
- Passion of teaching
- Carelessness
- Causes of prelest
- The most likely time to fall into prelest
- Expectation of grace
- Healing
- Orthodox saints who suffered from prelest and recovered
- The term "prelest" in the liturgical texts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
- Prelest and Jesus prayer
- Attention during prayer
- Three ways of attention and prayer
- Magicism and "automatic" view of prayer
- Delusions of Antichrist
- Orthodox views on the lives of certain Orthodox elders and saints
- Orthodox views on the lives of certain Catholic saints
- References
- Notes
Prelest, also known as spiritual delusion, spiritual deception, or spiritual illusion, is an Eastern Orthodox Christian term for a spiritual state of false holiness or deluded self-righteousness, believing in one's own spiritual superiority.
Prelest should not be confused with mental illness, but is a spiritual illness caused by vainglory, pride, and demonic suggestion. It is said to be cured by humility and the Holy Sacraments under the guidance of one's spiritual father. In a broad interpretation, prelest afflicts everyone, as everyone has wrong thoughts, without fully understanding the meaning of life and the gravity of their sins. In a narrow sense, it refers to a person initially on the path of a pious Christian life, instead becomes proud and conceited about his or her own sanctity and triumph over sin.