Christ is the sign of God for men of every age. In every generation, the Saints, as perfect imitators of Christ, became a sign of God for their generation and tangible examples of His spotless love. Saint Sophrony was such a sign. The Elder lived through the tragedy, anguish, apprehensions and quests of the turbulent twentieth century and, through his life, prayer, and word, offered answers to the burning questions of his contemporaries. He was adorned with many and great gifts of the Spirit. Above all, the word of God, which he grasped through his prayer and actively bore in his pure heart, left the greatest impression. Every contact with him was an opening to life and spiritual vision. For every paragraph of his writings, one could write an entire book. This present work presents the principal themes of the theology of the divinely wise Elder. We present it with the conviction that the Saint, through his word and intercessions, continues to serve the most magnificent miracle in the entire created world—the miracle that his soul loved: the rebirth of the faithful and their ‘rich entrance’ (2 Pet. 1:11) into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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A Presentation of the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony

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Book details

AuthorArchimandrite Zacharias Zacharou

LanguageEnglish

FormatEPUB reflowable

Print length368 pages

PublisherThe Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist

Edition2nd edition

Publication year2012

ISBN978-1-918281-33-0

Foreword
Introduction

1. THE HYPOSTATIC PRINCIPLE AND ITS REALIZATION IN HUMAN LIFE

a. The meaning of ‘hypostasis’
b. The primordial glory of man
c. The delusion of an impersonal absolute

2. THE KENOSIS OF THE LORD AND THE SALVATION OF MAN

a. The kenosis of the Word of God
b. The way of thy commandments
c. Love – to the point of self-hatred

3. SEPARATION AND RESTORATION

a. The greatness and the nullity of man
b. Death
c. The grace of mindfulness of death
d. Spiritual mourning and tears
e. The despair which is pleasing to God

4. THE MYSTERY OF THE WAYS OF SALVATION

a. The grace of our call
b. When grace is withdrawn
c. Grace is regained
d. Knowing the way

5. MONASTICISM AND SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

a. Monasticism as a gift of the Holy Spirit
b. Fidelity to the monastic vows heals the estrangement brought about by original sin
c. Spiritual fatherhood as a ministry of between man and God

6. THE PATH OF HESYCHASM

a. The Jesus Prayer
b. The practice of the Jesus Prayer
c. Inner prayer
d. The struggle against the imagination

7. FROM THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TO THE ONTOLOGICAL LEVEL

a. Repentance
b. Ontological regeneration
c. The vision of uncreated Light
d. ‘Ontological’ repentance inspires a twofold vision
e. Ascetic humility and divine humility
f. The ontological content of the person: freedom for self-determination

8. PRAYER AS THE FULFILMENT OF CREATION

a. Prayer as personal communion
b. Pure prayer
c. Prayer for the whole world as the manifestation of the hypostatic principle
d. Love for one’s enemies as a criterion of truth

Epilogue
Index of Scriptural References
Index of Names and Subjects

He [Saint Sophrony] used to say, ‘To be a Christian, one must be like an artist.’ Just as artists are captivated by the subjects they paint and by the desire to portray them as perfectly as possible, so too the Christian is captivated by Christ and by a desire to attain to His endless perfection. ‘I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own’ [Phil. 3:12].

— Excerpt from: Christ, Our Way And Our Life • Introduction (p. 17)

A few years after his ordination to the diaconate, Fr Sophrony was visited by a hermit, Fr Vladimir, and they spoke together on various spiritual matters. Fr Vladimir was moved to compunction by their conversation as well as by the spiritual atmosphere of their whole meeting, and he spontaneously addressed Fr Sophrony with the question: ‘Father Sophrony, how can someone be saved?’ At that moment Fr Sophony was preparing tea for Fr Vladimir, and he replied, ‘Stay on the verge of despair, but when you see that you are going to fall over, draw back and have a cup of tea.’ And he handed him some tea.

— Excerpt from: Christ, Our Way And Our Life (A Presentation of the Theology of Archumandrite Sophrony) • Introduction (p. 12-13)

This book is based on my doctoral thesis, entitled The Actualisation of the Hypostatic Principle in the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony, which was submitted at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Thessalonica in 1998. I have wanted since then to proceed to a more complete presentation of Fr Sophrony’s teaching. Perhaps even now I have not succeeded fully in this aim, but I have tried at least to set out the basic themes of his theology.

I alone am responsible for any imperfections or omissions apparent in this book. For whatever good it may contain, the praise belongs to my ever-memorable Staretz, who is my life’s greatest benefactor. Above all, it is to our Lord Jesus Christ, who manifested to us in its perfection the Pattern, the Model, the Length, and Depth, and Height, of the Person of the Father, that glory is due unto all ages.

— Excerpt from: Christ, Our Way and Our Life • Foreword

The English translation of my book has provided an opportunity, for which I am grateful, to amplify my text by the addition of phrases and notes which further explain the meaning and thus render it accessible even for those without a theological background. The same purpose lies behind the re-ordering of a few paragraphs.

— Excerpt from: Christ, Our Way and Our Life • Note on the English edition