Author: John Chryssavgis
Publisher: World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN: 193331656X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Father John's inspiring introduction to the spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers brings their words to life for the modern reader. These key figures of the early church chose lives of hardship and solitude, where they could point their hearts away from the outward world and toward an introspective path of God's calling in a deliberate and individual way. Contains a Foreword by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, the second highest ranking Orthodox Bishop in England.
In the Heart of the Desert
Author: John Chryssavgis
Publisher: World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN: 193331656X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Father John's inspiring introduction to the spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers brings their words to life for the modern reader. These key figures of the early church chose lives of hardship and solitude, where they could point their hearts away from the outward world and toward an introspective path of God's calling in a deliberate and individual way. Contains a Foreword by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, the second highest ranking Orthodox Bishop in England.
Publisher: World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN: 193331656X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Father John's inspiring introduction to the spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers brings their words to life for the modern reader. These key figures of the early church chose lives of hardship and solitude, where they could point their hearts away from the outward world and toward an introspective path of God's calling in a deliberate and individual way. Contains a Foreword by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, the second highest ranking Orthodox Bishop in England.
Mystics
Author: William Harmless
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 9780195300383
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world.In Mystics, William Harmless, S.J., introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. He explores both mystics' extraordinary lives and their no-less-extraordinary writings using a unique case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, Harmless's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context.Harmless highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dogen. Harmless concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers a unique, multifaceted optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings. Geared toward a wide audience, Mystics balances state-of-the-art scholarship with accessible, lucid prose.
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 9780195300383
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world.In Mystics, William Harmless, S.J., introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. He explores both mystics' extraordinary lives and their no-less-extraordinary writings using a unique case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, Harmless's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context.Harmless highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dogen. Harmless concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers a unique, multifaceted optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings. Geared toward a wide audience, Mystics balances state-of-the-art scholarship with accessible, lucid prose.
Desert Christians
Author: William Harmless
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199883041
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 877
Book Description
In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians-from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals-moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul's long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Christians were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity's finest. This book introduces the literature of early monasticism. It examines all the best-known works, including Athanasius' Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the so-called Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries-to new texts and recent archeological finds-that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are fascinating snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly-textured world of early monasticism. Geared to a wide audience and written in clear, jargon-free prose, Desert Christians offers the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to early monasticism.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199883041
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 877
Book Description
In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians-from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals-moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul's long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Christians were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity's finest. This book introduces the literature of early monasticism. It examines all the best-known works, including Athanasius' Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the so-called Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries-to new texts and recent archeological finds-that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are fascinating snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly-textured world of early monasticism. Geared to a wide audience and written in clear, jargon-free prose, Desert Christians offers the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to early monasticism.
Oasis of Wisdom
Author: David G. R. Keller
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9780814630341
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
"Introduces readers to the wisdom of the desert elders in the context of their daily lives, presenting their background (historical, cultural, and religious) and describing the environment of solitude, ascetic disciplines, labor, and interactions with other people that was the source of their wisdom"--Provided by publisher.
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9780814630341
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
"Introduces readers to the wisdom of the desert elders in the context of their daily lives, presenting their background (historical, cultural, and religious) and describing the environment of solitude, ascetic disciplines, labor, and interactions with other people that was the source of their wisdom"--Provided by publisher.
The Word in the Desert
Author: Douglas Burton-Christie
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195359410
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The growing scholarly attention in recent years to the religious world of late antiquity has focused new attention on the quest for holiness by the strange, compelling, often obscure early Christian monks known as the desert fathers. Yet until now, little attention has been given to one of the most vital dimensions of their spirituality: their astute, penetrating interpretation of Scripture. Rooted in solitude, cultivated in an atmosphere of silence, oriented toward the practical appropriation of the sacred texts, the desert fathers' hermeneutic profoundly shaped every aspect of their lives and became a significant part of their legacy. This book explores the setting within which the early monastic movement emerged, the interpretive process at the center of the desert fathers' quest for holiness, and the intricate patterns of meaning woven into their words and their lives.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195359410
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The growing scholarly attention in recent years to the religious world of late antiquity has focused new attention on the quest for holiness by the strange, compelling, often obscure early Christian monks known as the desert fathers. Yet until now, little attention has been given to one of the most vital dimensions of their spirituality: their astute, penetrating interpretation of Scripture. Rooted in solitude, cultivated in an atmosphere of silence, oriented toward the practical appropriation of the sacred texts, the desert fathers' hermeneutic profoundly shaped every aspect of their lives and became a significant part of their legacy. This book explores the setting within which the early monastic movement emerged, the interpretive process at the center of the desert fathers' quest for holiness, and the intricate patterns of meaning woven into their words and their lives.
Padre Cisco
Author: Michael McCabe
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1532053584
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 285
Book Description
Cartoonist Rocky Stellar has just lost his job. Out of work for the first time in forty years, Rocky knows he is not ready for retirement and wants to rediscover his artistic passion. Seeking advice, he visits a quirky Arizona desert recluse and storyteller. Through powerful questions and stories, Padre Cisco challenges Rocky as he embarks on a journey of reflection and self-discovery. His story unfolds in unexpected ways as his desire to repair his art life and his contentious relationships with his father and daughter take precedence. Driven to find a clear path to fulfillment, Rocky must learn to balance his inner-struggles with Padre Cisco’s wisdom as he seeks to answer the padre’s pivotal question: “Are you willing to give up what you know to learn what you do not?” Padre Cisco: Conversations with a Desert Father shares the introspective journey of an out-of-work cartoonist as he searches for spiritual understanding through his own reflections and the wisdom of an Arizona storyteller. “It isn’t often I get to learn from someone who delivers the truth on a punch line.” ~ Rocky Stellar
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1532053584
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 285
Book Description
Cartoonist Rocky Stellar has just lost his job. Out of work for the first time in forty years, Rocky knows he is not ready for retirement and wants to rediscover his artistic passion. Seeking advice, he visits a quirky Arizona desert recluse and storyteller. Through powerful questions and stories, Padre Cisco challenges Rocky as he embarks on a journey of reflection and self-discovery. His story unfolds in unexpected ways as his desire to repair his art life and his contentious relationships with his father and daughter take precedence. Driven to find a clear path to fulfillment, Rocky must learn to balance his inner-struggles with Padre Cisco’s wisdom as he seeks to answer the padre’s pivotal question: “Are you willing to give up what you know to learn what you do not?” Padre Cisco: Conversations with a Desert Father shares the introspective journey of an out-of-work cartoonist as he searches for spiritual understanding through his own reflections and the wisdom of an Arizona storyteller. “It isn’t often I get to learn from someone who delivers the truth on a punch line.” ~ Rocky Stellar
Fifteenth-Century Carthusian Reform: The World of Nicholas Kempf
Author: Dennis D. Martin
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004477918
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
Fifteenth-Century Carthusian Reform argues that monastic theology offers a medieval Catholic paradigm distinct from the scholastic theology that has been the conventional source for medieval-oriented interpretations of Renaissance and Reformation. It is based on thorough study of the manuscript record. Nicholas Kempf (ca. 1415-1497) taught at the University of Vienna before becoming the head of Carthusian monasteries in rural Austria and Slovenia. Faced with calls for reform in church and society, he placed his confidence in the patristic Christian idea of reform: the reform of the image of God in the human person. This contemplative monastic idea of reform depended on authoritative structures, especially the monastic rule and rational -- yet divinely inspired -- discernment by a spiritual director. What seemed like simpleminded submission to monastic structures was actually a way to avoid relying on human effort for salvation. By returning to one's true self (the image of God), one opened oneself up for genuine social relationships. To activist reformers, whether adherents of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance humanism, or modern Enlightenment, this monastic idea of reform has seemed escapist, backward-looking, and "womanish." Monks accepted these labels but read them as signs of hidden strength. This book attempts to read through monastic lenses.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004477918
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
Fifteenth-Century Carthusian Reform argues that monastic theology offers a medieval Catholic paradigm distinct from the scholastic theology that has been the conventional source for medieval-oriented interpretations of Renaissance and Reformation. It is based on thorough study of the manuscript record. Nicholas Kempf (ca. 1415-1497) taught at the University of Vienna before becoming the head of Carthusian monasteries in rural Austria and Slovenia. Faced with calls for reform in church and society, he placed his confidence in the patristic Christian idea of reform: the reform of the image of God in the human person. This contemplative monastic idea of reform depended on authoritative structures, especially the monastic rule and rational -- yet divinely inspired -- discernment by a spiritual director. What seemed like simpleminded submission to monastic structures was actually a way to avoid relying on human effort for salvation. By returning to one's true self (the image of God), one opened oneself up for genuine social relationships. To activist reformers, whether adherents of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance humanism, or modern Enlightenment, this monastic idea of reform has seemed escapist, backward-looking, and "womanish." Monks accepted these labels but read them as signs of hidden strength. This book attempts to read through monastic lenses.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Author:
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 0879076941
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
`Give me a word, Father', visitors to early desert monks asked. The responses of these pioneer ascetics were remembered and in the fourth century written down in Coptic, Syriac, Greek, and later Latin. TheirSayings were collected, in this case in the alphabetical order of the monks and nuns who uttered them, and read by generations of Christians as life-giving words that would help readers along the path to salvation.
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 0879076941
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
`Give me a word, Father', visitors to early desert monks asked. The responses of these pioneer ascetics were remembered and in the fourth century written down in Coptic, Syriac, Greek, and later Latin. TheirSayings were collected, in this case in the alphabetical order of the monks and nuns who uttered them, and read by generations of Christians as life-giving words that would help readers along the path to salvation.
Real Austin
Author: Annie Vocature Bullock
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621891968
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 94
Book Description
Christianity is simple. Love God. Love your neighbor. The rest is commentary. Simple in theory becomes much more difficult when your neighbor is a man in a dress who stinks like urine and a decaying, unwashed body. And yet, that's exactly who you find on a downtown bus: the homeless, the unsavory, the just plain weird. Drawing on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this book explores one woman's complex and ambivalent interactions with the homeless. Stories about a persistent failure to acknowledge and honor the humanity of the homeless are evidence of the pervasive reality of human sin. But at the same time, there are moments of genuine kindness and humanity that stand as reminders that God brings new life from the brokenness of sin. These stories of days spent on a downtown bus move from unflinching self-reflection to a new awareness of God's presence. This is where the abstract becomes local, and where theology finally gets real.
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621891968
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 94
Book Description
Christianity is simple. Love God. Love your neighbor. The rest is commentary. Simple in theory becomes much more difficult when your neighbor is a man in a dress who stinks like urine and a decaying, unwashed body. And yet, that's exactly who you find on a downtown bus: the homeless, the unsavory, the just plain weird. Drawing on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this book explores one woman's complex and ambivalent interactions with the homeless. Stories about a persistent failure to acknowledge and honor the humanity of the homeless are evidence of the pervasive reality of human sin. But at the same time, there are moments of genuine kindness and humanity that stand as reminders that God brings new life from the brokenness of sin. These stories of days spent on a downtown bus move from unflinching self-reflection to a new awareness of God's presence. This is where the abstract becomes local, and where theology finally gets real.
Be Still and Listen
Author: Amos Smith
Publisher: Paraclete Press
ISBN: 1640601511
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 131
Book Description
The various crises we experience in society and culture today, at their root, reveal a spiritual problem: a profound lack of meaning. The mystical truths revealed in scripture can surely help. With Be Still and Listen it is possible to explore the contemplative dimensions of the Bible, either on your own or in a group setting, as you perhaps never have before. Part One, “Entering the Desert,” introduces the reader to principles of awareness, deep listening, and contemplation as essential for “hearing” what Scripture has to say. Part Two details the importance of mystery and struggle in the process of healing from any past or present wounds. And Part Three explores the “undivided heart” that is possible when we come to know God in silence and stillness. “Amos Smith’s unique voice is rooted in his long-term centering prayer practice and his international background. Be Still and Listen is a trumpet call to the inner treasures of contemporary Christian mysticism.” —RICHARD ROHR, author of Falling Upward “In a lively, accessible, and masterful style Amos Smith unveils the mystical foundations of Christianity and the spiritual wealth found in Scripture.” — KYRIACOS MARKIDES, author of The Mountain of Silence “Be Still and Listen promises to be a refreshing companion to your spiritual journey, helping you to deepen your capacity for presence of being, assisting you to live in the here and now, and guiding you along the mystical path with Christ.” —PHILEENA HEUERTZ, author of Pilgrimage of a Soul “Amos Smith’s mystical writing builds bridges between Eastern and Western Christianity.” —ABBA YOHANNES, Ethiopian Orthodox monk
Publisher: Paraclete Press
ISBN: 1640601511
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 131
Book Description
The various crises we experience in society and culture today, at their root, reveal a spiritual problem: a profound lack of meaning. The mystical truths revealed in scripture can surely help. With Be Still and Listen it is possible to explore the contemplative dimensions of the Bible, either on your own or in a group setting, as you perhaps never have before. Part One, “Entering the Desert,” introduces the reader to principles of awareness, deep listening, and contemplation as essential for “hearing” what Scripture has to say. Part Two details the importance of mystery and struggle in the process of healing from any past or present wounds. And Part Three explores the “undivided heart” that is possible when we come to know God in silence and stillness. “Amos Smith’s unique voice is rooted in his long-term centering prayer practice and his international background. Be Still and Listen is a trumpet call to the inner treasures of contemporary Christian mysticism.” —RICHARD ROHR, author of Falling Upward “In a lively, accessible, and masterful style Amos Smith unveils the mystical foundations of Christianity and the spiritual wealth found in Scripture.” — KYRIACOS MARKIDES, author of The Mountain of Silence “Be Still and Listen promises to be a refreshing companion to your spiritual journey, helping you to deepen your capacity for presence of being, assisting you to live in the here and now, and guiding you along the mystical path with Christ.” —PHILEENA HEUERTZ, author of Pilgrimage of a Soul “Amos Smith’s mystical writing builds bridges between Eastern and Western Christianity.” —ABBA YOHANNES, Ethiopian Orthodox monk