(Part 3) The Lenten Prayer of St Ephraim is the ‘Step Stool’ of ‘Ladder of Divine Ascent’ for the Rest of Us

“Despair (ἀκηδία / ἀπόγνωσις)”

Habitual inactivity of soul and body; reluctance to begin or continue the work of prayer, repentance, and virtue

• Step 5 – Repentance: distinguishes godly sorrow from despair; repentance is “daughter of hope and renunciation of despair.”

• Step 26 – Discernment: analyses two kinds of despair:

• From a multitude of sins (cured by temperance and hope).

• From pride when we think we “don’t deserve” a fall (cured by humility and not judging).

• Step 7 – Mourning: godly mourning that leads from fear to confidence and love, not to hopelessness.

 

Biblical References for ἀκηδία (Despair)

In the Greek Bible the exact noun ἀκηδία itself is not common, but its verb and related forms do occur, and the Fathers later read these passages as pointing to the passion of acedia.
The Fathers (Evagrius, Cassian, etc.) explicitly identify the δαιμόνιον μεσημβρινόν (“noonday demon”) of Psalm 90(91):6 LXX with the demon of ἀκηδία.
This is the classic “biblical reference” for acedia in patristic literature, even though the word ἀκηδία itself is not in the verse.
A scholarly survey notes that the verb related to ἀκηδία is used several times with meanings like “to be exhausted / weary” or “to be in anguish / to grieve”:

Key biblical points you can cite:

• Psalm 90(91):6 LXX – the “noonday demon”
  

• Verbal forms in the LXX
  

• Psalm 60(61):3 LXX

• Psalm 101(102):1(11) LXX

• Psalm 142(143):4 LXX

• Deuteronomy 7:15 LXX

• Sirach 22:13 LXX 

These places give you the biblical vocabulary background; Psalm 90(91):6 LXX is the main text traditionally linked to ἀκηδία as the “noonday demon.”

In the ascetical tradition, especially as articulated in The Ladder of Divine Ascent by Saint John Climacus, the vice of ἀκηδία (despair or despondency) is not merely sadness but a paralyzing weariness of soul that resists prayer, repentance, and every good work. It is carefully distinguished from true repentance: in Step 5, repentance is called the “daughter of hope,” explicitly rejecting despair; in Step 7, godly mourning leads the soul from fear to love; and in Step 26, two forms of despair are diagnosed—one born from the weight of sins (healed by hope and endurance), and another from pride (healed by humility and non-judgment). Though the exact term ἀκηδία is rare in Scripture, its reality is revealed through the language of spiritual exhaustion and anguish, and most vividly in Psalm 90(91):6 LXX, where the Fathers identify the “noonday demon” as this very passion, a midday assault of listlessness and hopelessness. As taught by Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian, this demon tempts the soul to abandon its struggle, yet the remedy remains steadfast hope, humility, and perseverance in prayer, by which despair is transformed into watchful, life-giving repentance.