Some Syriac writers such as Aphrahat, Ephrem and Narsai believed in the "dormition", or "sleep", of the soul, in which "...souls of the dead...are largely inert, having lapsed into a state of sleep, in which they can only dream of their future reward or punishments." John of Damascus denounced the ideas of some Arab Christians as "thnetopsychism" ("soul death"). Eustratios of Constantinople (after 582) denounced this and what he called "hypnopsychism" ("soul sleep"). The issue was connected to that of the intercession of saints. The writings of Christian ascetic Isaac of Nineveh (d. 700), reflect several perspectives which include mortalism.