'Penthos is precisely the kind of book most of us need today-something utterly unfashionable that can cut through the trendiness of contemporary spiritual consumerism. It is a book for serious people, about a serious subject. Besides being a very nice piece of historical theology, it qualifies as a fine book for devotional reading'-Worship. 'This book (as difficult as it is) will be of interest to students of the spirituality of the Christian East, to those who have made the Jesus Prayer an integral part of their spiritual discipline, and to others who wish to deepen their understanding of how our Christian identity is formed'-The Living Church.
Spiritual practitioners and experts across religious traditions are convinced that contemplation cultivates an awareness of the deeper desires of the human heart. But many will ask: does contemplation still exist? If one has been led to believe that there indeed exists the art of contemplation, one will still perhaps wonder what it is and whether or not it is still relevant and applicable today. For many, the term “contemplation” itself perhaps connotes a sense of an exotic practice from a distant past unrelated and impractical to the contemporary life. In this book the author explores the nature and functions of Christian contemplation and offers the reader a wide variety of contemplative prayer methods that can help cultivate an awareness of the spiritual dimension of the human life. The author argues that Christian contemplation is the work of the Holy Spirit. While drawing upon a variety of Christian traditions, the author bases his discussion on the Jesuit tradition of prayer, discernment, and spiritual growth as revealed in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
This book is a study of the life, monastic writings, and spiritual theology of John Cassian (c., 360-435). His Institutes and Conferences are a remarkable synthesis of earlier monastic traditions, especially those of fourth-century Egypt, informed throughout by Cassian's awareness of the particular needs of the Latin monastic movement he was helping to shape. Sometimes portrayed as simply an advocate of the sophisticated spiritual theology of Evagrius of Ponticus (360-435), Cassian was actually a theologian of keen insight, realism, and creativity. His teaching on sexuality is unique in early monastic literature in both its breadth and its depth, and his integration of biblical interpretation with the ways of prayer and teaching on ecstatic prayer are of fundamental importance for the western monastic tradition. The only Latin writer included in the classic Greek collections of monastic sayings, Cassian was the major spiritual influence on both the Rule of the Master and the Rule of Benedict, as well as the source for Gregory the Great's teaching on capital sins and compunction. Columba Stewart's book is the first major study of Cassian to be published in twenty years. It begins by establishing Cassian's credibility as a teacher on the basis of his own experience as a monk and his familiarity with the fundamental literary sources. Stewart then turns to Cassian's spiritual theology, paying particular attention to Cassian's view of the monastic journey in eschatological perspective, his teaching on continence and chastity, the Christological basis of biblical interpretation and prayer, his method of unceasing prayer, and his integration of ecstatic experience with an Evagrian theology of prayer.
Spiritual practitioners and experts across religious traditions are convinced that contemplation cultivates an awareness of the deeper desires of the human heart. But many will ask: does contemplation still exist? If one has been led to believe that there indeed exists the art of contemplation, one will still perhaps wonder what it is and whether or not it is still relevant and applicable today. For many, the term "contemplation" itself perhaps connotes a sense of an exotic practice from a distant past unrelated and impractical to the contemporary life. In this book the author explores the nature and functions of Christian contemplation and offers the reader a wide variety of contemplative prayer methods that can help cultivate an awareness of the spiritual dimension of the human life. The author argues that Christian contemplation is the work of the Holy Spirit. While drawing upon a variety of Christian traditions, the author bases his discussion on the Jesuit tradition of prayer, discernment, and spiritual growth as revealed in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
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.
This book explores the liturgical experience of emotions in Byzantium through the hymns of Romanos the Melodist, Andrew of Crete and Kassia. It reimagines the performance of their hymns during Great Lent and Holy Week in Constantinople. In doing so, it understands compunction as a liturgical emotion, intertwined with paradisal nostalgia, a desire for repentance and a wellspring of tears. For the faithful, liturgical emotions were embodied experiences that were enacted through sacred song and mystagogy. The three hymnographers chosen for this study span a period of nearly four centuries and had an important connection to Constantinople, which forms the topographical and liturgical nexus of the study. Their work also covers three distinct genres of hymnography: kontakion, kanon and sticheron idiomelon. Through these lenses of period, place and genre this study examines the affective performativity hymns and the Byzantine experience of compunction.
In this resourceful and illuminating exploration of the biblical virtues, Benjamin W. Farley examines both the Old and the New Testament and applies their teachings on moral character to the Christian life today. In the process, Farley critically reviews the current philosophical and theological interest in virtue, engages the Aristotelian, Thomist, and modern views of virtue, incorporates and responds to feminist concerns, and discusses the importance of the biblical virtues for our pluralistic age.
The Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen. Their journey will be long, hard and fraught with danger. Allies will become enemies; enemies will become allies. And the Dark Lord will be waiting, always waiting... Spiderlight is an exhilarating fantasy quest from Adrian Tchaikovsky, the author of Guns at Dawn and the Shadows of the Apt series. Reviews and quotes "Spiderlight is a creepy-crawly treat from the master of non-human heroes, a joy from beginning to end." — Paul Cornell, author of Witches of Lychford and The Severed Streets "[Spiderlight] is a master class in subverting our expectations to surprise, engage, and deliver a fantastic story that works even when it isn’t pulling the rug out from under us." — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog "Tchaikovsky clearly has a great deal of talent, and a real handle on the fantasy genre, with the ability to splice in different influences almost seamlessly." —SciFi Now Magazine "Occasionally a fantasy author comes up with a way to break the mould of traditional genre tropes: M. John Harrison’sViriconium and China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station are two examples that immediately spring to mind. Tchaikovsky looks like a new addition to that select hall of fame." —Death Ray Magazine “Working in a small space, Tchaikovsky gives us sympathetic characters, real moral dilemmas, and emotional depth, all shot through with a sly humor that kept me grinning throughout. If, like me, you’re a D&D fan who always wondered about the ethics of Detect Evil or what the orcs eat in Mordor, you will love this one.” — Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaigns series “Subversive and classic, Spiderlight is a timeless adventure cranked up for the modern era of readers. A warship-rocker of an adventure, Adrian Tchaikovsky has struck another literary goldmine that’s perfect for readers to dive into. Gripping and highly recommended." — Jeremy Szal, Starship Sofa "Spiderlight is a rip-roaring, old-fashioned heroic fantasy romp that also messes playfully with some of the genre’s more outdated conventions... a breathless rush that never outstays its welcome." — Dirge Mag "Spiderlight will take you on a ride directly through straight fantasy and into the realms of the really fantastic... a brilliantly original novel." — Geek Syndicate "A must-read for all fans of fantasy. Very highly recommended." — Civilian Reader "In a world of large epic fantasy series with mushy pacing and a lack of focus, Spiderlight is as sharp as a spider’s fang, as tight as its webbing, and as multifaceted as its gaze." — Skiffy & Fanty "A very fun, creepy quest tale with some quirky and engaging adventurers." — Bull Spec At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The essays in this volume explore the role of emotions and affections in the Christian tradition, focusing also on the importance of pneumatology in Christianity.
