The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent, from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christ ian Contemplatives

by John Anthony McGuckin

Overview

The early Christian monks of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine were the spiritual heroes of their age—fleeing the security of civilization for the desert, where they sought God in lives of prayer, contemplation, and radical simplicity. This book is a portable collection of their teachings, and those of their contemplative contemporaries, ranging from the fourth through the eleventh centuries. It is arranged to the traditional model of three ascending "books": Praktikos (practice), Theoretikos (theory), and Gnosis (knowledge). Each book consists of 100 "sentences"—aphorisms or thoughts. Each sentence is intended to be read and meditated upon for an entire day—just as the monks themselves might have done as they went about their work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834828612
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	07/08/2003
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	508 KB

About the Author

John Anthony McGuckin is a Professor of Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a priest of the Orthodox Church. Born in Newcastle, England, he is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the author of nine books, including Standing in God's Holy Fire: The Byzantine Tradition and At the Lighting of the Lamps: Hymns of the Ancient Church.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A rare and well-conceived foray into Christian mysticism." —Publishers Weekly

"McGuckin has lit on the brilliant idea of rescuing the Desert Fathers' and Mothers' sayings in simple free-verse form, which emphasizes the compression and power of their wisdom. This book will make a welcome addition to the renewed interest in early Christian ascetics." —Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

"A rare and well-conceived foray into Christian mysticism." —Publishers Weekly

"McGuckin has lit on the brilliant idea of rescuing the Desert Fathers' and Mothers' sayings in simple free-verse form, which emphasizes the compression and power of their wisdom. This book will make a welcome addition to the renewed interest in early Christian ascetics." —Library Journal

From the Publisher