The Book of the Elders

The Book of the Elders: Sayings of the Desert Fathers

translated by John Wortley—386 pp. cloth $49.95

If you were a monk in the deserts of Egypt in the fifth century, your practice would begin and develop under the guidance of an elder. While you would spend most of your time in solitary prayer, the elder would provide regular insight, which might come in a short saying or apophthegm. It would be your task to meditate on this saying, learning to put it into practice, until the time came to receive the next piece of spiritual insight. It is these direct sayings, given to monks one by one, that are collected in The Book of the Elders. Over the years, the Desert Fathers’ insights passed from one monastic generation to the next, made their way from the original Coptic into Greek, and accumulated in written collections that preserved the oral tradition. Wortley has translated the “systematic collection,” a compendium of sayings drawn from the two earlier collections, the “alphabetic” and “anonymous” apophthegms. His translation aims to preserve not only the precision of the elders’ meaning but also the simplicity of their tone, in the hope that today’s readers, too, can imagine sitting at their feet.   

from The Book of the Elders, 

"An Exhortation of Holy Fathers on Advancing toward Perfection":

1. Somebody asked Antony, “By observing which [precept] shall I be well pleasing to God?” The elder answered, “Observe what I am telling you: Always have God before your eyes wherever you go. Whatever you are doing, have the testimony from Holy Scripture to hand. Wherever you are living, do not be in a hurry to move away. Observe these three [precepts] and you will be saved.”

2. Abba Pambo asked Abba Antony, “What am I to do?” The elder said to him, “Have no confidence in your own righteousness; have no regrets about a past action; get your tongue and your belly under control.” 

 

The Letters of Barsanuphius and John

Barsanuphius and John:  Letters, Volumes 1 and 2

Barsanuphius and John; translated by John Chryssavgis

Volume 1: 344 pp. paper $44.95; Volume 2: 346 pp. paper $44.95

While an impressive corpus of ancient monastic writing has been translated or re-translated into English during the last thirty years, the Letters of Barsanuphius and John have been awaited longer than most. Two elderly monks, the “great old man” (Barsanuphius), and the “other old man” (John), lived near Gaza in the early sixth century. Rather than breaking their voluntary seclusion to give counsel to those who came to them with questions, they chose to carry on extensive written correspondence. As they became increasingly popular despite their inaccessibility, they were called on to dispense wisdom in both spiritual and practical matters. Eight hundred and fifty questions and answers, presented here in two volumes, shed light, not only on the spiritual tradition of the Desert Fathers and their complex historical and cultural milieu, but also on the timeless inner terrain of the human soul.

Barsanuphius:

"Those who sail at sea, even if they happen upon calm weather, yet while they are in the ocean, always expect storm, danger, and shipwreck. Therefore, they could never benefit from a short period of calm. Then, and only then, do they feel safe, when they actually enter the harbor. In the same way, a sinful person who is still in the world must always tremble at the thought of shipwreck."  

Books for Lent: The Second Part

[In a recent post, we mentioned some lists for Lenten reading. Read on for the second in the series.]

The inner significance of Lent is best summed up in the triad of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. To quote Bishop Kallistos Ware, "Divorced from prayer and from the reception of the holy sacraments, unaccompanied by acts of compassion, our fasting becomes pharisaical or even demonic. It leads, not to contrition and joyfulness, put to pride, inward tension and irritability."

That said, here are our picks (among the myriad available) on prayer...

Beginning to Pray
by Anthony Bloom
"The day when God is absent, when He is silent—that is the beginning of prayer."

Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way (email or call for availability) 
by Matthew the Poor
A contemporary Egyptian monastic points the way to those who desire, and are willing to sacrifice for, an existence formed by the practice of unceasing prayer.

Earthen Vessels: The Practice of Personal Prayer According to the Patristic Tradition
by Gabriel Bunge, O.S.B.
Written by a Benedictine monk and patristic scholar, this book belongs in the hands of anyone who seriously desires a life of prayer.

Prayer for Beginners (email or call for availability)
by Peter Kreeft
A clear and eminently reasonable approach to prayer for people not very good at praying.

Clinging: The Experience of Prayer
by Emilie Griffin
A simple, elegantly written, and warmly felt invitation to prayer.

First Fruits of Prayer (email or call for availability)  
by Frederica Mathewes-Green
A fine exposition of the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete.

Prayer: Living With God
by Simon Tugwell
Focuses on our relationship with God and ways we can learn to enjoy and appreciate that relationship through prayer.

Prayer in Practice
by Simon Tugwell
An unblinkingly honest and even humorous treatise on different forms of prayer.

Three Prayers
by Olivier Clement
A meditation on three of the most essential prayers of the Christian tradition.

The Art of Prayer
compiled by Igumen Chariton
A privileged glimpse into a sort of working journal of a monk intent on achieving unceasing prayer.

On the Prayer of Jesus (email or call for availability)  
by Ignatius Brianchaninov
Blunt and trustworthy advice about the right and wrong ways to approach the practice of the Jesus Prayer.

Books for Lent: The First Part

[In our previous post, we mentioned some lists for Lenten reading. Read on for the first in the series.]

These books stir up the Lenten spirit, entreating us to consider "the grace of the Fast" and the firm resolve necessary on our part to make, and continue making, a good beginning. Click on the titles or authors to link through to the Eighth Day website.

Great Lent by Alexander Schmemann
An exploration and explanation of the liturgical services, fasts, symbols, and prayers of the Lenten season.

The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
translated by Benedicta Ward
Always relevant, the desert fathers speak directly to the human condition and also the human desire to seek after God.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent
by John Climacus
A seventh century ascetical handbook read every year during Lent in Orthodox monasteries.

The Holy Way: Practices for a Simple Life
by Paula Huston
Practical guidance on the pursuit of spiritual simplicity, drawn from the powerful histories of the saints and personal experience. 

By Way of Grace: Moving from Faithfulness to Holiness
by Paula Huston
Traces the ancient process of Christian transformation through the eight virtues, pairing each with a contemplative saint.

The Year of Grace of the Lord 
Monk of the Eastern Church
A devotional look at the seasons of the church.

The Seven Perennial Sins and Their Offspring
by Ken Bazyn
A reader’s meditation on the seven deadly sins.

Confession: Doorway to Forgiveness (email or call for availability)
by Jim Forest
An Orthodox Christain examines the communal nature of sin and forgiveness.

Ladder of the Beatitudes 
by Jim Forest
An anecdotal exploration of the extraordinary dimensions of the Kingdom.

The Beatitudes: Soundings in Christian Tradition
by Simon Tugwell
A Biblical and devotional stirring of the moral imagination.

The Return of the Prodigal Son
by Henri Nouwen
A luminous meditation on the parable in regard to Rembrandt’s painting.

Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life 
(email or call for availability)
by Henri Nouwen
Summarizes the Christian way as transforming loneliness into solitude, hostility to hospitality, and illusion to prayer.

The Arena
by Ignatius Brianchaninov
A manual on the inner life and outward conduct of the monk.

Humility Matters: Toward Purity of Heart
Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life
Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life
by Mary Margaret Funk
Notable manuals for keeping us awake to that ‘’still, small voice.’’

Back to Virtue (email or call for availability)
by Peter Kreeft
Ethics without virtue is illusion.

Unseen Warfare (email or call for availability)  
by St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain / St. Theophan the Recluse
One of the most useful and trusted manuals in the literature of Orthodox teaching on the spiritual life.

The Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It
by St. Theophan the Recluse
Letters of direction written to a young woman serious about seeking God.

Cyril of Jerusalem: Works, Volume 1 (Fathers of the Church Series) 
(email or call for availability) 
Cyril of Jerusalem: Works, Volume 2 (Fathers of the Church Series)
by St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Includes the Catechetical Lectures, one of the earliest known catechisms of the Christian Church. 

Despondency

Despondency: The Spiritual Teachings of Evagrius of Ponticus on Acedia

by Gabriel Bunge; translated by Anthony P. Gythiel---154 pp. paper $18.00

Acedia, listlessness, despair—whatever the name, this most painful affliction of modern times was well known among the Desert Fathers. In the first half of Despondency, Fr. Gabriel Bunge explores how the fifth-century monk Evagrius diagnoses this complex condition, emphasizing the “working mechanisms of the passions and of their accomplices, the demons.” Evagrius never underestimates his foe (he labels despondency a “conglomerate of all imaginable vices”), yet he is ultimately optimistic about its cure. “Indeed, the medication he prescribes is surprisingly simple…Since despondency is an illness of both the irrational powers of the soul—desire and anger—it is essential to heal both at the root.” Here is cogent, practical advice from a skilled therapist of troubled souls; Bunge provides expert guidance through a welter of patristic terminology, polishing the psychological gems along the way.