Μικρά είσοδος στην ορθόδοξη πνευματικότητα

by Hierotheos Vlachos

The spiritual person is he who partakes of an participates in the energies of the Most Holy Spirit; he, who has himself become a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. This does not constitute an abstract, emotional or intellectual spirituality. The bearer of Orthodox spirituality par excellence is the Saint who is revealed through his teaching and his relics. The non-spiritual individual, who is deprived of the Holy Spirit, is the psychological and carnal person.

It is precisely the above distinction which points out the differences between Orthodox spirituality and other "spiritualities". Orthodox spirituality differs markedly from the "spiritualities" of the East and West. The difference in the dogma generates the difference in ethos as well. The essence of Orthodox spirituality lies in its therapeutic effects. It cures a person's infirmities and renders him an integrated person.

Genres: Christianity, Religion, Spirituality

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

His Eminence Hierotheos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlassios in Greece, is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the Orthodox spiritual life. A prolific writer, he has authored more than fifteen books, many of which have been translated into English. His Eminence’s theological vision may be summed up in the following quotation, taken from his The Science of Spiritual Medicine: “The whole therapeutic method of the Orthodox Church is not aimed simply at making human beings morally and socially balanced, but at re-establishing their relationship with God and one another. This comes about through the healing of the soul's wounds and the cure of the passions through the Sacraments and the Church's ascetic practice.”

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first intro to Orthodoxy, recommended reading by the priest in our catechumen class. I especially like the explication of the primary aim of Orthodoxy as the healing of the whole person. The book ends with a "Conclusion" section and eleven tenets of the faith as alluded to in the book. I recommend it for any nascent student or inquirer of Orthodoxy. I plan to read it a second time and purchase for friends and family curious about Orthodoxy.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid intro, but I do have some small reservations about some formulations.

[Giovanni Del Piero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I found some of the critiques of western theology to be unfair, I think it does a good job of explaining the basics of eastern theology. The book does an especially good job of defining specific terms and concepts such as the nous, noetic prayer, praxis and theoria, etc. These are important to understand before reading eastern church fathers such as the Cappadocians, St. Markarios, St. Anthony, etc.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 100 page book(my type of book) can easily be read in one sitting. I recommend it for anyone interested in Orthodoxy. It's well-written, somewhat edifying, and it makes Orthodoxy coherent.

Summery:

Orthodoxy is true because it heals the whole man. Man is sick and he needs three things: purification, illumination, and deification. Man's eye of the soul is his "nous"; it must be separated from his reason and restored to his heart.

Orthodoxy is both the ascetic and the sacramental life. Man can't be saved without the sacraments nor without living the ascetic life. Without putting faith into practice a man partakes of the sacraments to his damnation.

Orthodoxy is both "neptic" and social. By healing a man's soul Orthodoxy contributes to the social well-being of the world.

[Dominik szasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive read it in Hungarian, so it might be a little different in English. It was a great book, but something was missing from it, but I don’t know what. But altogether it was a great book if you at interested in orthodoxy, and would reccomended to everyone.

[T&Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for those who are preparing for baptism and I was very satisfied with its content. Perfect intro to Orthodox spiritual life. Brief explanation, based on Church Tradition, and easy reading.

[Stephen Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb and jam-packed introduction to Orthodoxy's unique witness and therapeutic approach to the human condition.

[Ryan Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this short book twice in about a week. It was very informative and seems to have achieved what it set out to do. It is rich in content, yet concise and accessible.

[Joshua Finch]

I would recommend this for catechumens, but not as a work of apologetics. Some things are made quite clear that are important to make clear these days.

[B Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A theologian reviews and describes the ancient Orthodox Christian perspective on the human person. Text is content dense requiring attentive analytical reading. The knowledge in this volume is reviewed and applied in D Penock's PATH TO SANITY.