The Ladder of Divine Ascent references on wikipedia
The_Ladder_of_Divine_Ascent The Ladder of Divine Ascent or Ladder of Paradise (Κλίμαξ; Scala or Climax Paradisi) is an important ascetical treatise for monasticism in Eastern Christianity, written by John Climacus in ca. AD 600, at the request of John, Abbot of Raithu, a monastery situated on the shores of the Red Sea.The "Scala", which obtained an immense popularity and has 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.