Hesychasm
The Bedewing Furnace of the Heart
$29.00
The work of holy stillness is dynamic and so enthralling that when the mind is enthroned in the heart, it is captivated and longs for nothing to tear it away. It descends into the deep recesses of the heart and rises to the infinite heights of the divine Will. Purified in its furnace, the mind becomes fit for the contemplation of the judgments of God. Like the apostles after Pentecost, man now lives as if he were ‘full of sweet new wine’, given over to the sober drunkenness of divine love.
Cover—
United States dollar ($) - USD
Weight
0.725 kg
Dimensions
21.4 × 15.7 × 3.1 cm
Author
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou
Language
English
Book cover
Hardback Clothbound with Dust Jacket, Paperback
Pages
478
Publisher
Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist
Edition
2nd edition
Publication year
2023
ISBN
978-1-909649-92-7
Through the hesychastic method, the ascetic keeps watch over his senses which are the entrances of his soul, so that the enemy cannot enter and tempt him as he tempted the first-created, pillaging Paradise in his heart. Instead of the Cherubim, it is now the mind of man that guards the place of the heart, having as an invincible ‘flaming sword’ the Name of the Almighty Jesus. And if God is well-pleased to make man’s body ‘a place for the manifestation of His glory’, what greater honour can mortal man render to the Great King than to fix his mind in his heart, the place that is the footstool of His feet?
Being free from the agitation and vanity of this world, hesychastic life anticipates the supra-cosmic victory of Christ Who has come and is coming again. More specifically, by his struggle to rid himself of earthly cares and to surrender to the memory of God, invoking His Name with ardent love, the hesychast becomes a sharer in the victory of Him Who encouraged His people with the words: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’
CONTENTS
Be Ye Still and Know
Born Again through Unceasing Invocation of the Name Jesus
Continuing in the Invocation of the Name of the Lord Jesus
Hesychasm, the spiritual work in the heart of man
Two kinds of wisdom. The distinction between Essence and Energy
The creation of man and his calling
Fall and division
The circular movement of the mind
The descent of the mind into the heart
The energy of the divine Name
Spiritual poverty and mourning
Purpose and fruits of hesychia
The true work of the true man
Cosmogony
Prayer to the personal God
Clairvoyance and the spiritual guide
The peace of Christ
Different kinds of light
Humility
On Delusion
ACCOUNTS FROM THE LIVES OF THE HESYCHASTS
Hesychasm, the spiritual work in the heart of man
Two kinds of wisdom. The distinction between Essence and Energy
The creation of man and his calling
Fall and division
The circular movement of the mind
The descent of the mind into the heart
The energy of the divine Name
Spiritual poverty and mourning
Purpose and fruits of hesychia
The true work of the true man
Seeking for the word of salvation
Ascetic instructions
Despondency and Hesychia
Vigilance, the antidote of despondency
Christ, the measure of all things
The unerring life of repentance
Temptations and afflictions
Struggle with the passions and the tiredness of the body
The twofold perspective of the Gospel
The struggle against thoughts
Fighting the enemy
The chain of virtues
God-loving thoughts
The changeability of man
The groanings which cannot be uttered
Striving for purity of mind and heart
Renouncing one’s own will
Spiritual mourning
Non-acquisition
‘Righteous judgment’
Man – the house of the living God
Practical philosophy – natural contemplation – mystical theology
Discipleship
PURE PRAYER AND MENTAL STILLNESS IN SAINTS SILOUAN AND SOPHRONY
Anthropological foundation of hesychia
The four kinds of vigilance according to Saint Hesychios
Mental stillness
Practice (praxis) and contemplation (theoria) in the lives of the saints
From sacred stillness to the love of God
The essence of hesychastic prayer and the relative value of its methods
Compunction, the power of the heart in combat against the enemy
The Great Science (‘The Noble Lore’)
Index of Scriptural References
| Weight | 0.725 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 21.4 × 15.7 × 3.1 cm |
| Author | Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou |
| Language | English |
| Book cover | Hardback Clothbound with Dust Jacket, Paperback |
| Pages | 478 |
| Publisher | Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist |
| Edition | 2nd edition |
| Publication year | 2023 |
| ISBN | 978-1-909649-92-7 |
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About the Author
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou
Father Zacharias studied theology at the Orthodox Theological Institute of Saint Sergius in Paris and at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has lived all his monastic life in the monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex where he serves as a spiritual Father and minister of the word of God to his brethren and the people that come to him. Read more…
Danny (verified owner) –
First off, this book is absolutely beautifully made and bound. It’s printed on very nice paper with nice wide margins — One of the most beautiful books I own. This is sort of a “Mini Philokalia” as it dives deeply into the practice of Hesychasm and The Jesus Prayer, touching on all the main points, but in incredible depth.
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou’s writing is great, as always, and easy to follow. This is a book that I’ll be revisiting regularly for many, many years to come.
Jo (verified owner) –
Every book I read from the monastery brings new treasures and this one is no exception…I highly recommend them
Thank you for such a service to us all.
Goulais Jean-Loup (verified owner) –
A truly exceptional book. In my opinion, it is the most complete and most up-to-date book on hesychasm. And essentially practical. And reading it fills me with joy. We are here, at the heart of the heart of Orthodoxy. I have all the books in French by Father Zacharias, and so I am revising my practice of the English language to read the others… May God bless Fathers Zacharies and Peter for their writings and their Sunday conferences, with Mother Aimiliani who wonderfully translates these talks… As well as all those who work for this incredible work.
I am listening to you from France and do not miss a single conference.
Iain Foulds (verified owner) –
… I was not expecting too much from this book. Through my love for Joseph the Hesychast I am very settled on the writings of his favourite writer- Isaac the Syrian. His writings, read slowly, are a lifetime of inspiration. Then found this book on-line, and thought there might be a point or two of interest. However, this is a wonderful book. A true treasure of insights into the hesychast life- which is the life of every true Christian.
Costa Neocleous (verified owner) –
Hesychasm is close to my Orthodox Bible-it has taken me to another level/ depth-one of the best spiritual books I have ever read! Thank you Bless me the sinner!
David Freeman (verified owner) –
Beautifully made book. More importantly, transformational. I can only read it in small chunks. So nutritious and so much to digest.