Standing in God's holy fire : the Byzantine spiritual tradition / John Anthony McGuckin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McGuckin, John Anthony.

Series:

Traditions of Christian spirituality

Traditions of Christian spirituality series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spirituality--Orthodox Eastern Church.

Spirituality.

Physical Description:

172 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Maryknoll, N.Y. : Orbis Books, 2001.

Summary:

The Orthodox Byzantine tradition is still often undervalued and misunderstood in the Western churches. Standing in God's Holy Fire is a vivid introduction to the leading figures, key themes and values of this living and ancient form of Christian spirituality, which has endured and survived a recent history of systematic persecution.

At the center of the Byzantine experience are ideas which western Christians share, and from which they still have much to learn: beauty, endurance, and hopefulness. "Perhaps," as John McGuckin writes, "the writings of the Byzantine saints are just now about to enjoy their greatest era of influence in a brave new world where the Church stands in deep need of consolidation, spiritual courage, and coherence."

Contents:

1. Prelude: Byzantium

A Short History 13

2. The Beauty of God: The Byzantine Theological Aesthetic 23

3. An Imageless Vision: Evagrios Pontike 37

4. The Prayer of the Heart in the Desert Tradition 55

5. God's Singers: The Byzantine Poetic Tradition 76

6. Saints and Their Hagiographies in Byzantium 94

7. The Luminous Silence of Hesychasm 109

8. 'Though There Stand Around You Tens of Thousands of Angels': The Symbolic World of Eastern Liturgical Prayer 131

9. An Epilogue: The Spiritual Culture of Byzantine Christianity 150.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [164]-168).

ISBN:

1570753822

OCLC:

51682490