The Eastern Christian “Love of the
Beautiful” can
be a companion on your own spiritual
journey
A collection of writings by monks from the
fourth to fifteenth centuries, the Philokalia more than any other text reflects the
Eastern Church’s interpretation of the Bible’s
meaning. Simply translated, the title means “love of the
beautiful,” which reflects the text’s emphasis on
mystical and contemplative practices to engage all of our
senses in the acts of worship and prayer.
This introduction to the wisdom of the Philokalia illuminates
a text that until now has intimidated the general reader in its
scholarly translations from Greek and Russian. Allyne Smith
focuses his thoughtful selection on seven themes that recur
throughout the five-volume work—repentance, the heart,
prayer, the Jesus Prayer, the passions, stillness, and theosis.
Smith’s enlightening, accessible facing-page commentary
fills in the historical and spiritual context, clarifies core
teachings, including the Eastern understanding of salvation,
and draws connections to modern-day practices, such as
contemplative prayer.
Now you can experience the spiritual
wisdom of the Philokalia even if you have no previous knowledge of
Eastern Christianity. This SkyLight Illuminations edition takes
you on a journey through this beloved text, showing you how the
teachings of Eastern monks can help you become by grace what
God is by nature.
“Like water in the desert …
invites us not only to go deeper into the life of prayer but
takes us off the treadmill of endless self-invention. A clearly
and beautifully annotated text that will make the Philokalia
accessible to a new generation of readers. A gift for our
time.”
—Fr. Alan
Jones, dean, Grace Cathedral, San
Francisco; author of Soul Making and The
Soul’s Journey
“[An] authoritative resource….
Will go far toward making one of the great treasures of Eastern
Christian spirituality accessible to followers of Christ in the
West.”
—Frederica
Mathewes-Green, author of The Illumined Heart
and Facing East
“An invaluable treasury of
wisdom…. Offers a simple guide to the way (through
one’s heart) and means (through prayer) of arriving from
the spiritual starting-point (of repentance in the heart) to
the wonderful destination (of stillness and salvation) found in
the love of divine beauty.”
—John
Chryssavgis, author of Light through Darkness: The Orthodox
Tradition
Allyne Smith is
an Orthodox priest who writes and lectures on Orthodox
theology, ethics, liturgy and spirituality, both in the U.S.
and abroad. He teaches theology at Creighton University in
Omaha, Nebraska.
G. E. H. Palmer
also translated Writings from the Philokalia:
On Prayer of the Heart.
Philip Sherrard was
a poet, translator, literary scholar, theologian and
interpreter of the Orthodox tradition.
Bishop Kallistos Ware is a renowned Orthodox theologian, author and
translator of the Philokalia.
