The Orthodox Book Club

[MrJim]

This thread isn't used enough

I'm 2/3 through Mountain of Silence and Facing East just came in the mail today (The Illumined Heart is on the way too)~~I'm taking my time through Mountains of Silence. I bought that about 2-3 years ago but never cracked it open. It's a great read though the author's comments sometimes can be annoying.

I've read a some of Mathewes-Green's articles but not any books. I was once doing a service job in the Baltimore area (Linthicum actually) 3 or so years ago and drove past the little church where her hubby is priest. I happened to look over at the intersection, saw it was an Orthodox Church building, saw the priest's name, and thought, hey I know who they are

 

[MKJ]

This thread isn't used enough

I'm 2/3 through Mountain of Silence and Facing East just came in the mail today (The Illumined Heart is on the way too)~~I'm taking my time through Mountains of Silence. I bought that about 2-3 years ago but never cracked it open. It's a great read though the author's comments sometimes can be annoying.

I've read a some of Mathewes-Green's articles but not any books. I was once doing a service job in the Baltimore area (Linthicum actually) 3 or so years ago and drove past the little church where her hubby is priest. I happened to look over at the intersection, saw it was an Orthodox Church building, saw the priest's name, and thought, hey I know who they are

I read The Illumined Heart. I enjoyed it and even got my husband to read it. It is a nice little book that is suitable for a lot of different kinds of people. I am thinking of ordering it for my mom for Christmas.

 

[MrJim]

I read The Illumined Heart. I enjoyed it and even got my husband to read it. It is a nice little book that is suitable for a lot of different kinds of people. I am thinking of ordering it for my mom for Christmas.

I'm halfway through Facing East~~she writes well, usually I don't do well with women authors.

 

[Lukaris]

Here is a book of collected homilies by St. Gregory Palamas (14th c) called The Saving work of Christ which really conveys the Orthodox way of salvation in a most understandable & truly Orthodox fashion (since he is one of the great saints of the church). It contains 13 homilies in 135 pages on areas such as: redemption, Christmas (the incarnation), the cross etc. see MOUNT THABOR PUBLISHING - Books by St. Gregory Palamas (scroll down)

 

[MrJim]

Here is a book of collected homilies by St. Gregory Palamas (14th c) called The Saving work of Christ which really conveys the Orthodox way of salvation in a most understandable & truly Orthodox fashion (since he is one of the great saints of the church). It contains 13 homilies in 135 pages on areas such as: redemption, Christmas (the incarnation), the cross etc. see MOUNT THABOR PUBLISHING - Books by St. Gregory Palamas (scroll down)

It's now on my list

 

[MrJim]

Finished both Mathewes-Green books~~they were easy reads and had some unplanned "casual" time. Interesting insight into a modern congregation.

2/3 the way through Mountain of Silence. I'm in Chapter 11 (Escape from Hell). Interesting section: Author was speaking how on March 25 the Annunciation & a civil holiday happened on the same day and the Annunciation was overshadowed by patriotic activity.

From the book:

No other date in the Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical calendar, I wrote in my notebook that morning, symbolized more disturbingly the merging of religion and nationalism, a deadly mix and development officially condemned by enlightened religious leaders such as Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. In a recent encyclical he had denounced nationalism as a dangerous heresy, contrary to the ecumenical spirit of Christianity.

This fits with my less than "patriotic" spirit~though a former US Marine and bona fide flag-waver I was taught amongst the anabaptists, not to hate my country of origin, but to realize that the Kingdom of God is something much bigger and better. This a rather encouraging parallel.

I will come back to this sometime..

 

[MrJim]

Just picked up an OSB (OT & NT) for under $20 (at a local discount/salvage store) in perfect shape...I love Ollie's They've had lots of copies of the OSB NT&Psalms (hard & soft cover) for about a year, but I always check wondering and there it was...

 

[MrJim]

Finished up all the Green books and Mountain of Silence so I'm in pause with some relaxing sci-fi.

I'm going to lend Facing East to a mennonite lady friend ~ I think she'll appreciate it and maybe understand my interest in EO.

Catharsis, Fotisis, Theosis~~~~in many ways this is so foreign to what I've understood Christianity to involve, yet makes things make so much sense.

My next serious reading is through the New Testament, reading through a fresh set of eyes.

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Finished up all the Green books and Mountain of Silence so I'm in pause with some relaxing sci-fi.

I'm going to lend Facing East to a mennonite lady friend ~ I think she'll appreciate it and maybe understand my interest in EO.

Catharsis, Fotisis, Theosis~~~~in many ways this is so foreign to what I've understood Christianity to involve, yet makes things make so much sense.

My next serious reading is through the New Testament, reading through a fresh set of eyes.

Reading through the NT with that fresh set of eyes will really be an eye-opener!

Mary

 

[MrJim]

Reading through the NT with that fresh set of eyes will really be an eye-opener!

Mary

Yeah I'm almost scared of what I'll find:o

 

[MariaRegina]

Just picked up an OSB (OT & NT) for under $20 (at a local discount/salvage store) in perfect shape...I love Ollie's They've had lots of copies of the OSB NT&Psalms (hard & soft cover) for about a year, but I always check wondering and there it was...

That is a great deal. Enjoy.

Look at the Psalms. I love the changes and the footnotes.

 

[MrJim]

Finished a quick re-read of Gallatin's Thirsting for God...never did finish the Fr. Seraphim Rose - His Life and Works but that'll have to wait a bit...

 

[ProScribe]

I'm reading The Soul after Death by Fr. Seraphim Rose.

 

[laconicstudent]

Just checked out Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells, remembered someone said it was good

 

[MrJim]

Just checked out Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells, remembered someone said it was good

Yes it is

 

[laconicstudent]

Yes it is

Yep, it was. I finished that and now I'm on to Amazon.com: Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works (9781887904070): Hieromonk Damascene: Books

 

[laconicstudent]

Finished the above biography on Fr. Seraphim! It was amazing!

And I found this great quote by St. John of Kronstadt in a chapter heading:

"All the Saints are our older brothers in the one House of the Heavenly Father. Having departed from earth to heaven, they are always with us in God... They serve together with us, they sing, they speak, the instruct, they help us in various temptations and sorrows. Call upon them as living with you under a single roof; glorify them, thank them, converse with them as with living people; and you will begin to believe in the Church."

Father Seraphim, pray to God for us.

 

[Lukaris]

.

 

[ProScribe]

I have a book The Spirit of Eastern Orthodoxy by M.J. Le Guillou, O.P.

 

[MrJim]

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain came in the mail today