The Ladder of Divine Ascent

The Ladder of Divine Ascent or Ladder of Paradise (Κλῖμαξ; Scala or Climax Paradisi) is an important ascetical treatise for monasticism in Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, written by John Climacus in c. 600 AD at Saint Catherine's Monastery; it was requested by John, Abbot of the Raithu monastery.

The Scala, which obtained immense popularity and made its author famous in the Church, is addressed to anchorites and cenobites and treats of the means by which the highest degree of religious perfection may be attained.

[1] The journey to the top of the ladder, where Jesus reaches down with open hands, is rife with obstacles of sin—represented by the demons with bows and arrows, ready to take the souls of those who lack perseverance.

The icon shows several examples of monks that gave into the temptation of sin, as demons with dark chains hoist their victims off the ladder and into hell.

[3] At the top of the ladder is Holy Archbishop Antonios, in a white robe with golden trim embracing the invitation to heaven with God.

The imperial status held by Archbishop Antonios implies a close relation to the icon itself—a symbol of his prominence within the religious community.

His hands are lifted openly to mirror the grace Christ has given him; John Climacus, in front of the archbishop, is depicted performing the same gesture.

The Ladder was translated into Latin by Ambrogio the Camaldolese, then writing as Ambrosius Camaldulensis (Venice, 1531 and 1569; Cologne, 1583, 1593, with a commentary by Denis the Carthusian; and 1601.

The Greek of the Scala, with the scholia of Elias, Archbishop of Crete, and also the text of the Liber ad Pastorem, were published by Matthæus Raderus with a Latin translation (Paris, 1633).

One translation of the Scala, La Escala Espiritual de San Juan Clímaco, became the first book printed in the Americas, in 1532.