Russian Mystics (Cistercian Studies Series)

Cistercian Publications, January 1981. Paper Back. As New. In the realm of spiritual theology, as in every other dimension of life, we stand on the shoulders of giants. For Orthodox Christians, and for growing numbers of non-Orthodox Christians, the saints and mystics in this book are those giants. In tracing the outlines of their lives and indicating the content of their teaching through extensive quotations from the sources, Sergius Bolshakoff also gives us a history of Russian Orthodoxy and a familiarity with the main currents of Orthodox spirituality generally. Included in this collection are chapters on St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Nilus of Sora, St. Stephen of Perm, St. Demetrius of Rostov, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, St. Paisius Velichkovsky and his disciples, St. Seraphim of Sarov, Ignatius Brianchaninov, St. Theophan the Recluse, the Optino elders, St. Silouan the Athonite and St. John of Kronstadt. The introduction by Merton is an interesting example of a Western impression and appreciation of this spiritual world, largely unknown to the West. Externally near fine, but found a very few very lightly penciled underlinings in the text (could be easily erased).