The Philokalia A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

by Bingaman, Brock; Nassif, Bradley

• ISBN13: 9780195390278
• ISBN10: 019539027X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

ThePhilokalia(literally "love of the beautiful") is, after the Bible, the most influential source of spiritual tradition within the Orthodox Church. First published in Greek in 1782 by St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Macarios of Corinth, thePhilokaliaincludes works by thirty-six influential Orthodox authors such as Maximus the Confessor, Peter of Damascus, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory Palamas. Surprisingly, this important collection of theological and spiritual writings has received little scholarly attention. With the growing interest in Orthodox theology, the need for a substantive resource for Philokalic studies has become increasingly evident. The purpose of the present volume is to remedy that lack by providing an ecumenical collection of scholarly essays on thePhilokaliathat will introduce readers to its background, motifs, authors, and relevance for contemporary life and thought.

Author Biography

Brock Bingaman is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Religious Studies Program Director at Wesleyan College. Bradley Nassif is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park University.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Abbreviations Used	p. xiii
Contributors	p. xv
Introduction	p. 3
History
St. Nikodimos and the Philokalia	p. 9
The Making of the Philokalia: A Tale of Monks and Manuscripts	p. 36
The Influence of the Philokalia in the Orthodox World	p. 50
Conversing with the World by Commenting on the Fathers: Fr. Dumitru Staniloae and the Romanian Edition of the Philokalia	p. 61
Theological Foundations
The Luminous Word: Scripture in the Philokalia	p. 73
Concerning Those Who Imagine That They Are Justified by Works: The Gospel According to St. Mark-the Monk	p. 87
The Theological World of the Philokalia	p. 102
Tradition and Creativity in the Construction and Reading of the Philokalia	p. 122
Becoming a Spiritual World of God: The Theological Anthropology of Maximus the Confessor	p. 137
The Ecclesiology of the Philokalia	p. 163
Evagrius in the Philokalia of Sts. Macarius and Nicodemus	p. 175
Spiritual Practices
The Place of the Jesus Prayer in the Philokalia	p. 195
Uses and Abuses of Spiritual Authority in the Writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian	p. 203
Hope for the Passible Self: The Use and Transformation of the Human Passions in the Fathers of the Philokalia	p. 216
Healing, Psychotherapy, and the Philokalia	p. 230
The Philokalia and Regulative Virtue Epistemology: A Look at Maximus the Confessor	p. 240
Women in the Philokalia?	p. 252
Solitude, Silence, and Stillness: Light from the Palestinian Desert	p. 262
Notes	p. 277
Name Index	p. 339
Subject Index	p. 343
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