Philokalia (Dobrotoljublje), Wikipedia

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Philokalia 1 Philokalia Part of a series on Eastern Christianity Eastern Christianity portal v t e [1] The Philokalia (Ancient Greek: φιλοκαλία, from φιλία philia "love" + κάλλος kallos "beauty": "love of the beautiful, the good") is "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters" of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". [2] The collection was compiled in the eighteenth-century by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth. Although these works were individually known in the monastic culture of Greek Orthodox Christianity before their inclusion in The Philokalia, their presence in this collection resulted in a much wider readership due to its translation into several languages. The earliest translations included a Church Slavonic translation of selected texts by Paisius Velichkovsky (Dobrotolublye) in 1793, a Russian translation by Ignatius Bryanchaninov in 1857, and a five-volume translation into Russian (Dobrotolyubie) by St. Theophan the Recluse in 1877. There were subsequent Romanian, Italian and French translations. [3] The book is a "principal spiritual text" for all the Eastern Orthodox Churches; the publishers of the current English translation state that "The Philokalia has exercised an influence far greater than that of any book other than the Bible in the recent history of the Orthodox Church." [4] Philokalia (sometimes Philocalia) is also the name given to an anthology of the writings of Origen compiled by Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzus. Other works on monastic spirituality have also used the same title over the years. [5]

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Transcript of Philokalia (Dobrotoljublje), Wikipedia

  • Philokalia 1

    Philokalia

    Part of a series on

    EasternChristianity

    Eastern Christianityportal

    v t e [1]

    The Philokalia (AncientGreek: , from philia "love" + kallos "beauty": "love of thebeautiful, the good") is "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters" of theEastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "thepractise of the contemplative life".[2] The collection was compiled in the eighteenth-century by St. Nikodemos of theHoly Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth.Although these works were individually known in the monastic culture of Greek Orthodox Christianity before theirinclusion in The Philokalia, their presence in this collection resulted in a much wider readership due to its translationinto several languages. The earliest translations included a Church Slavonic translation of selected texts by PaisiusVelichkovsky (Dobrotolublye) in 1793, a Russian translation by Ignatius Bryanchaninov in 1857, and a five-volumetranslation into Russian (Dobrotolyubie) by St. Theophan the Recluse in 1877. There were subsequent Romanian,Italian and French translations.[3]

    The book is a "principal spiritual text" for all the Eastern Orthodox Churches; the publishers of the current Englishtranslation state that "The Philokalia has exercised an influence far greater than that of any book other than the Biblein the recent history of the Orthodox Church."[4]

    Philokalia (sometimes Philocalia) is also the name given to an anthology of the writings of Origen compiled bySaint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzus. Other works on monastic spirituality have also used the sametitle over the years.[5]

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    HistoryNikodemos and Makarios were monks at Mt. Athos, a mountain in northern Greece historically considered thegeographical center of Orthodox spirituality and home to many monasteries. The first edition, in Greek, waspublished in Venice in 1782, with a second Greek edition published in Athens in 1893. All the original texts were inGreektwo of them were first written in Latin and translated into Greek in the Byzantine era.Paisius Velichkovsky's translation into Church Slavonic, Dobrotolublye (published in Moscow in 1793), includedselected portions of The Philokalia, and was the version that the pilgrim in The Way of a Pilgrim carried on hisjourney. That book about a Russian pilgrim who is seeking advice on interior prayer helped popularize ThePhilokalia and its teachings in Russia. Velichkovsky's translation was the first to become widely read by the public,away from the monasterieshelped by the popularity of The Way of a Pilgrim, and the public influence of thestartsy at Optina Monastery known as the Optina Elders. Two Russian language translations appeared in the 19thcentury, by Ignatius Brianchaninov (1857) and Theophan the Recluse's Dobrotolubiye (1877). The latter waspublished in five volumes, and included texts that were not in the original Greek edition.Velichkovsky was initially hesitant to share his translation outside of the Optina Monastery walls. He was concernedthat people living in the world would not have the adequate supervision and guidance of the startsy in the monastery,nor would they have the support of the liturgical life of the monks. He was finally persuaded by the Metropolitan ofSt. Petersburg to publish the book in 1793. Brianchanivov expressed the same concerns in his work, warning hisreaders that regular practice of the Jesus Prayer, without adequate guidance, could potentially cause spiritualdelusion and pride, even among monks. Their concerns were contrary to the original compiler of The Philokalia,Nicodemos, who wrote that the Jesus Prayer could be used to good effect by anyone, whether monastic or layperson.All agreed that the teachings on constant inner prayer should be practiced under the guidance of a spiritual teacher,or starets.[6]

    The first partial English and French translations in the 1950s were an indirect result of the Bolshevik revolution,which brought many Russian intellectuals into Western Europe. T. S. Eliot persuaded his fellow directors of thepublishing house Faber and Faber to publish a partial translation into English from the Theophan Russian version,which met with surprising success in 1951. A more complete English translation, from the original Greek, began in1979 with a collaboration between G. E. H. Palmer, Kallistos Ware, and Philip Sherrard. They released four of thefive volumes of The Philokalia between 1979 and 1995. In 1946, the first installment of a ten volume Romaniantranslation by Father Dumitru Stniloae appeared. In addition to the original Greek text, Stniloae added "lengthyoriginal footnotes of his own" as well as substantially expanding the coverage of texts by Maximus the Confessor,Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory Palamas. This work is 4,650 pages in length.[7] Writings by the Trappistmonk Thomas Merton on hesychasm also helped spread the popularity of The Philokalia, along with the indirectinfluence of J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, which featured The Way of a Pilgrim as a main plot element.[8]

    TeachingsThe collection's title is The Philokalia of the Niptic Fathers,[9] or more fully The Philokalia of the Neptic Saintsgathered from our Holy Theophoric Father, through which, by means of the philosophy of ascetic practice andcontemplation, the intellect is purified, illumined, and made perfect. Niptic is an adjective derived from the GreekNipsis (or Nepsis) referring to contemplative prayer and meaning "watchfulness". Watchfulness in this contextincludes close attention to one's thoughts, intentions, and emotions, with the aim of resisting temptations and vainand egoistic thoughts, and trying to maintain a constant state of remembrance of God. There are similarities betweenthis ancient practice and the concept of mindfulness as practiced in Buddhism and other spiritual traditions. ThePhilokalia teachings have also influenced the revival of interior prayer in modern times through the centering prayerpractices taught by Thomas Keating and Thomas Merton.

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    Philokalia is defined as the "love of the beautiful, the exalted, the excellent, understood as the transcendent source oflife and the revelation of Truth."[10] In contemplative prayer the mind becomes absorbed in the awareness of God asa living presence as the source of being of all creatures and sensible forms. According to the authors of the Englishtranslation, Kallistos Ware, G. E. H. Palmer, and Philip Sherrard, the writings of The Philokalia have been chosenabove others because they:

    ...show the way to awaken and develop attention and consciousness, to attain that state of watchfulnesswhich is the hallmark of sanctity. They describe the conditions most effective for learning what theirauthors call the art of arts and the science of sciences, a learning which is not a matter of information oragility of mind but of a radical change of will and heart leading man towards the highest possibilitiesopen to him, shaping and nourishing the unseen part of his being, and helping him to spiritual fulfilmentand union with God."

    The Philokalia is the foundational text on hesychasm ("quietness"), an inner spiritual tradition with a long historydating back to the Desert Fathers. The practices include contemplative prayer, quiet sitting, and recitation of theJesus Prayer. While traditionally taught and practiced in monasteries, hesychasm teachings have spread over theyears to include laymen. Nikodemos, in his introduction, described the collected texts as "a mystical school ofinward prayer" which could be used to cultivate the inner life and to "attain the measure of the stature of the fullnessof Christ." While the monastic life makes this easier, Nikodemos himself stressed that "unceasing prayer" should bepracticed by all.The hesychasm teachings in the Philokalia are viewed by Orthodox Christians as inseparable from the sacramentsand liturgy of the Orthodox Church, and are given by and for those who are already living within the framework ofthe Church. A common theme is the need for a spiritual father or guide.[11]

    Timeline of editions and translations 4th-15th centuries The original texts are written by various spiritual masters. Most are written in Greek, two are

    written in Latin and translated into Greek during Byzantine times. 1782 First edition, Greek, published in Venice, compiled by Nikodemos and Makarios. 1793 Church Slavonic translation of selected texts, Dobrotolublye, by Paisius Velichkovsky, published in

    Moscow. This translation was carried by the pilgrim in The Way of a Pilgrim. First to be read outside ofmonasteries, with a strong influence on the two following Russian translations.

    1857 Russian language translation, by Ignatius Brianchaninov. 1877 Russian language translation, by Theophan the Recluse, included several texts not in the Greek original, and

    omitted or paraphrased some passages. 1893 Second Greek edition, published in Athens, included additional texts by Patriarch Kallistos. 1946-1976 In 1946, the first installment of a ten volume Romanian translation by Father Dumitru Stniloae

    appeared.[12]

    1951, 1954 First partial English translations by E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer in two volumes: Writingsfrom the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart and Early Fathers from the Philokalia. These were translated fromTheophane's Russian version, and published by Faber and Faber.

    1957-1963 Third Greek edition, published in Athens by Astir Publishing Company in five volumes. ModernEnglish translation based on this edition.

    1979-1995 English translation by Kallistos Ware, G. E. H. Palmer, and Philip Sherrard, of the first four of the fiveGreek volumes, from the Third Greek edition. This was published by Faber and Faber.

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    ContentsThis listing of texts is based on the English translation of four volumes by Bishop Kallistos Ware, G. E. H. Palmer,and Philip Sherrard. The fifth volume has yet to be published in English. Some works in the Philokalia are alsofound in the Patrologia Graecae and Patrologia Latina of J. P. Migne.[citation needed]

    Volume 1 St. Isaiah the Solitary1.1. On Guarding the Intellect: 27 Texts Evagrius the Solitary1.1. Outline Teaching on Asceticism and Stillness in the Solitary2.2. Texts on Discrimination in respect of Passions and Thoughts3.3. Extracts from the Texts on Watchfulness4.4. On Prayer: 153 Texts St. John Cassian1.1. On the Eight Vices2.2. On the Holy Fathers of Sketis and on Discrimination St. Mark the Ascetic1.1. On the Spiritual Law: 200 Texts2.2. On Those who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works: 226 Texts3.3. Letter to Nicolas the Solitary St. Hesychios the Priest1.1. On Watchfulness and Holiness St. Neilos the Ascetic1.1. Ascetic Discourse St. Diadochos of Photiki1.1. On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: 100 Texts St. John of Karpathos1.1. For the Encouragement of the Monks in India who had Written to Him: 100 Texts2.2. Ascetic Discourse Sent at the Request of the Same Monks in India St. Antony the Great1.1. On the Character of Men and on the Virtuous Life: 170 TextsThis piece by Anthony was changed to an appendix in the English translation by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware (1979,p.327), because of their view that the language and the general idea is not explicitly Christian and may not havebeen written by Antony

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    Volume 2 St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic (Theodore of Edessa)1.1. A Century of Spiritual Texts2.2. Theoretikon St. Maximos the Confessor1.1. Four Hundred Texts on Love, with a foreword to Elpidios the Presbyter2.2. Two Hundred Texts on Theology and the Incarnate Dispensation of the Son of God (written for Thalassios)3.3. Various Texts on Theology, the Divine Economy, and Virtue and Vice4. On the Lord's Prayer Thalassios the Libyan1.1. On Love, Self Control, and Life in accordance with the Intellect (written for Paul the Presbyter) St. John of Damascus1.1. On the Virtues and the Vices A Discourse on Abba Philemon St. Theognostos1.1. On the Practice of the Virtues, Contemplation and the Priesthood

    Volume 3 St. Philotheos of Sinai Forty Texts on Watchfulness Ilias the Presbyter1.1. A Gnomic Anthology: Part I2.2. A Gnomic Anthology: Part II3.3. A Gnomic Anthology: Part III4.4. A Gnomic Anthology: Part IV Theophanis the Monk1.1. The Ladder of Divine Graces St. Peter of Damascus1.1. Book I: A Treasury of Divine Knowledge2.2. Book II: Twenty-Four Discourses St. Symeon the Metaphrast: Paraphrases of the Homilies of St. Macarius of Egypt1.1. Spiritual Perfection2.2. Prayer3.3. Patient Endurance and Discrimination4.4. The Raising of the Intellect5.5. Love6.6. The Freedom of the Intellect

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    Volume 4 St. Symeon the New Theologian1.1. On Faith2.2. 153 Practical and Theological Texts3.3. The Three Methods of Prayer [attributed to him] Nikitas Stithatos1.1. On the Practice of the Virtues: One Hundred Texts2.2. On the Inner Nature of Things and on the Purification of the Intellect: One Hundred Texts3.3. On Spiritual Knowledge, Love and the Perfection of Living: One Hundred Texts Theoliptos, Metropolitan of Philadelphia1.1. On Inner Work in Christ and the Monastic Profession2.2. Texts Nikiphoros the Monk1.1. On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart St. Gregory of Sinai1.1. On Commandments and Doctrines, Warnings and Promises; on Thoughts, Passions and Virtues, and also on

    Stillness and Prayer: 137 Texts2.2. Further Texts3.3. On the Signs of Grace and Delusion, Written for the Confessor Longinos: Ten Texts4.4. On Stillness: Fifteen Texts5.5. On Prayer: Seven Texts St. Gregory Palamas1.1. To the Most Reverend Nun Xenia2.2. A New Testament Decalogue3.3. In Defence of Those who Devoutly Practise a Life of Stillness4.4. Three Texts on Prayer and Purity of Heart5.5. Topics of Natural and Theological Science and on the Moral and Ascetic Life: 150 Texts6.6. The Declaration of the Holy Mountain in Defence of Those who Devoutly Practice a Life of Stillness

    Volume 5This volume has not yet been published in English translation. These are the contents of the modern Greektranslation. Kallistos and Ignatios the Xanthopouloses1.1. Method and precise canon for those who choose the hesichastic and monastic life: 100 chapters Kalistos Angelikoudis1.1. Kefalaia (Chapters): 81 chapters Kalistos Tilikoudis (presumed the same as Kalistos Angelikoudis)1.1. On Hesichastic Practice Kalistos Katafygiotis (presumed the same as Kalistos Angelikoudis)1.1. On union with God, and Life of Theoria Saint Simeon Archbishop of Thessaloniki1.1. Chapters on the Sacred and Deifying prayer

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    Saint Mark the Gentle1.1. On the Words that are Contained in the Sacred Prayer Anonymous1.1. Interpretation of "Kyrie Eleison" (Lord Have Mercy) Saint Simeon the New Theologian1.1. Discourse on Faith and teaching for those who say that it is not possible for those who find themselves in the

    worries of the world to reach the perfection of the virtues, and narration that is beneficial at the beginning.2.2. On the Three Ways of Prayer St. Gregory of Sinai Excerpts from the life of St. Maximos Kapsokalivis All Christians Must Pray Uninterruptedly Indices

    Notes[1] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Template:Eastern_Christianity& action=edit[2] Ware (1979), pp. 14-15. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8ViqQ6qYSjIC& pg=PA14)[3] Ware (1979), pp. 11-12. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8ViqQ6qYSjIC& pg=PA11)[4][4] Ware (1979), Publisher's blurb from back cover.[5] English translation online here (http:/ / www. tertullian. org/ fathers/ origen_philocalia_02_text. htm)[6] Johnson (2010), p. 38. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=uN2vBZdGXwAC& pg=PA39)[7] Binns, John. An Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Churches (2002). Cambridge University Press, pp. 92-93. ISBN 0521661404[8] Johnson (2010), pp. 41-42. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=uN2vBZdGXwAC& pg=PA41)[9] Ware (1979) pp. 367-368 (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8ViqQ6qYSjIC& pg=PA367)[10] Ware (1979), p. 13. (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8ViqQ6qYSjIC& pg=PA13)[11] Ware (1979), p. 16 (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8ViqQ6qYSjIC& pg=PA16).[12] Binns, John. An Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Churches (2002). Cambridge University Press, pp. 92-93. ISBN 0-521-661404

    Translations Palmer, G. E. H.; Ware, Kallistos; Sherrard, Philip (1979). The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume 1.

    London: Faber and Faber. ISBN0-571-11377-X. Palmer, G. E. H.; Ware, Kallistos; Sherrard, Philip (1982). The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume 2.

    London: Faber and Faber. ISBN0-571-15466-2. Palmer, G. E. H.; Ware, Kallistos; Sherrard, Philip (1986). The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume 3. Faber

    and Faber. ISBN0-571-17525-2. Palmer, G. E. H.; Ware, Kallistos; Sherrard, Philip (1999). The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume 4. Faber

    and Faber. ISBN0-571-19382-X. Cavarnos, Constantine (2007). The Philokalia: Love of the Beautiful. Institute for Byzantine & Modern Greek

    Studies. ISBN1-884729-79-7. Cavarnos, Constantine (2009). The Philokalia: A Second Volume of Selected Readings (Selected Readings from

    the Philokalia, Volume 2). Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. ISBN1-884729-91-6. , 1782 (http:/ / www. scribd. com/ doc/ 123611767/

    ---1782-)

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    Studies Paschalis M. Kitromilides, "Philokalia's first journey?" in Idem, An Orthodox Commonwealth: Symbolic Legacies

    and Cultural Encounters in Southeastern Europe (Aldershot, 2007) (Variorum Collected Studies Series: CS891),

    PhilokaliaHistoryTeachingsTimeline of editions and translationsContentsVolume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5

    NotesTranslationsStudies

    License