www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall What are you reading now?

I am currently reading two books:

The life of Elder Anthony of Optina

and

Sermons on The Lord's Prayer and The Beatitudes by St Gregory of Nyssa

I am reading the commentary on Saint John's Gospel, in the "Ancient Christian Writers Commentary" series published by InterVarsity Press. Although I haven't studied them all, it is the best yet, and I am enjoying it very much.

the unworthy,
Elias

The commentary of St. John is out? They've been late at publishing that one...I was looking forward to that commentary the most.

You have both volumes?

Both Volumes, and Acts, are the latest in the series. The New Testament is completed, and I believe there are 5 or 6 projected to finish the Old Testament (including the psalms 2 vols.) Of course, since it is a protestant based project, the so called 'apocrypha' (the remaining books of the Old Testament) are only 'projected'.

I wasn't aware that they had completed the Book of Revelation, did they complete this? I have Acts as well as 13 or so other volumes. (I have been on their quarterly mailing, sort of a book club but for their whole series eventually.)

I really like their volume of Luke.

Not sure if this for any genre of book or not, but I've started "Garlic and Sapphires" by Ruth Reichl, former NYT food critic. It's interesting and funny, AND there are recipes! Let's face it, one of our favorite and least contentious topics on the Forum is food!

I am currently reading Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina's biography by Hieromonk Damascene, "Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works" and also the biography "Elder Ambrose of Optina" by Chetverikov.

Timothy

I just got done reading Why Angels Fall by Victoria Clark. The author is an Englishwoman and a non-practicing Catholic who lived and travelled Eastern Europe in the late 1990s, after the fall of Communism. She wrote a book about the Orthodox world, as she saw it.

Sadly, she saw Orthodoxy only in secular terms. In other words, she saw it as a historical and cultural context and as an obsolete holdover from the Byzantine Empire. Hence, she focussed on hesychia (as religious escapism) and phyletism (as religious nationalism); and she juxtaposed them as the good and bad of Orthodoxy. She totally missed that Orthodoxy is a religion --a spiritual system for living in union with God and the neighbor. She totally missed that miliions of people not only believe in the spiritual realm but that it has real existence and it is to be lived in. She completely could not comprehend the response of Patriarch Batholomew of Constantinople to her questions, when he said that Orthodoxy is theancentric (not anthrocentric) and that phyletism is a heresy -- bad, but just another heresy. For her, the patriarch's reply was just more wishful thinking and Byzantine escapism. For anyone who is an Eastern Christian, the patriarch's statement was the truth; and she was sad for being unable to realize it.

If I were grading this book, I would give it a D. It did provide a lot of raw data and first person impressions from a special time of transition in Eastern Europe's history. But, it otherwise failed because the author evaluated a living religion as a broken down holdover from the past.

-- John

Recently finished Miracle Of The Mountain and it was a very enjoyable read. Two of my favorite stories about Blessed Brother Andre were the one about the wealthy woman stricken with some form of ailement that prevented her from walking without assistance. She went to visit Br Andre, but she only got to speak with him a minute when he abruptly left and didn't return. The woman stormed out and began loudly yelling that Brother Andre wouldn't help her. Moments later her attendents informed her that she was walking perfectly without any help.

The other incident was about a Catholic hospital in Montreal where Br Andre was informed that even he would have to abide by the hospital's rules regarding visiting hours. At the same time, the director of a Protestant hospital told Br Andre he was welcome to visit patients at any hour of the day or night.

Now I'm reading Consul Of God:The Life And Times Of Gregory The Great by Jeffrey Richards. Very interesting so far. Pope Gregory's fasting habits sound a bit extreme at first, but when you consider that he lived during a time of regular floods, famines, plagues and invasions, it probably wasen't as difficult as it sounded.

Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy by Schmemann.quite pleased.
Much Love,
Jonn

The Republic, of Plato.
The Spirit of Liturgy, of Ratzinger.
History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages, �tienne Gilson.

Wow ! That is supposed to be a very good book ! Tell us what you think of it, please.

-- John

Right now, I'm reading the Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware and Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict.

Othodox Way is a wonderfull book! Read it just a couple of months ago. The book you just have to read slowly with a prayerfull and maditating mind..

good book! years ago, Father Tom of the local GO parish presented me with a copy of that book.
Much Love,
Jonn