Ascetic Discourses: Volume 150

by Abba Isaiah of Scetis, John Chryssavgis (Translator), Penkett (Translator)

Overview

Written in the fifth century, during one of the most formative periods of christian monasticism in Egypt and Palestine, The Ascetic Discourses show a strong influence of the Scripture, both Old and New, and of Early monastic writers. They are marked by a faithfulness to tradition, yet equally by a note of originality distinctive to the Gaza region. Abba Isaiah has set forth a practical guide for monks, ever aware of the challenges that interpersonal relationships present within monastic communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879077501
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	09/01/2001
Series:	Cistercian Studies , #150
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.82(w) x 8.67(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

John Chryssavgis is a Professor of Theology at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston. He completed his undergraduate studies in Athens and earned his doctoral degree at Oxford. Recent publications include The Way of the Fathers: Exploring the Minds of the Church Fathers (1988), Beyond the Shattered Image: Insights into an Orthodox Ecological Worldview (1999), and Soul Mending: The Art of Spiritual Direction (2000).

Editorial Reviews

The illuminating introduction to the translation of these twenty-nine monastic discourses written in the mid-fifth century explores scholarly issues . . . this volume is a model for showing how to make a book user-friendly . . . Until this translation appeared, we had only a bit of Abba Isaiah in English (in the translation of the Philokalia), so this work is a welcome addition, made all the more welcome because of the readable translation and useful apparatus.
Cistercian Studies Quarterly


. . . a hugely important contribution to the canon of desert wisdom. It deserves a wide readership amongst scholars and laypeople. I enjoyed it very much indeed.
Mystics Quarterly


This first complete English translation of the writings of Abba Isaiah is a major contribution to the extant library of desert wisdom from the fifth century of the Christian Era . . .The book itself is a delight to handle and work with, having a pleasingly thorough, through unobtrusive, number of indices (patristic references, scriptural citation, names and subjects). The plethora of references here, and in the body of the text, testify to the importance of Isaiah in the Egyptian and Palestinian Christian world . . . a hugely important contribution to the canon of desert wisdom. It deserves a wide readership amongst scholars and laypeople.
Magistra

From the Publisher