Symeon the New Theologian

St. Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022 AD) is the third saint to receive the title 'Theologian' in Orthodox tradition. He is the most insistent advocate for the necessity of personal, conscious experience of the Holy Spirit: not merely intellectual assent to doctrine but direct perception of the divine light. His Hymns of Divine Love are among the most intimate mystical poems in Christian literature. He was controversial in his own time; the Church has vindicated him entirely.