180 books
—
89 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father: Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father” as Want to Read:
Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father: Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father
(Father Arseny #1)
by
Gives stirring glimpses of Fr Arseny's life in a Soviet prison camp and tells the stories of whose lives were transfigured through their connection with him.
...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 279 pages
Published
March 1st 1998
by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Father Arseny, 1893-1973,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Father Arseny, 1893-1973
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father: Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father
Fr. Arseny survived the upheaval and cruelty of Soviet Russia and the unbearably inhumane prison life only to shine with the beauty of God's grace, touching the lives of so many; healing, loving, helping, and instructing everyone he met. He is a shining light and servant of God. He prayed without ceasing. This book inspires us to love all people and never give up on them or stop praying for them. Pray for us blessed Father Arseny.
...more
This book is wonderful,fascinating, lovely, powerful, beautiful.
One of the best books I have ever read. If you want to be touched deeply in your soul. Read it!!!
Father Arseny, pray for us sinners!!!
One of the best books I have ever read. If you want to be touched deeply in your soul. Read it!!!
Father Arseny, pray for us sinners!!!
Feb 01, 2008
Nicole.platte
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Christians, Communists, Atheists, angry mobs
Recommended to Nicole.platte by:
Can't remember, but thank you, whoever you are!
A truly miraculous book. Read it again and again. Read it to the kids.
Fr. Arseny was an Orthodox Priest in the early to mid-20th century who spent several years in a Communist Death Camp. He prayed unceasingly in the camp, and the results of his faithfulness were very beautiful.
Fr. Arseny was an Orthodox Priest in the early to mid-20th century who spent several years in a Communist Death Camp. He prayed unceasingly in the camp, and the results of his faithfulness were very beautiful.
A must read for everyone, no matter how religious/pious they are. This is a book that leaves a deep trail in one's heart and mind. I cannot convey in any way the emotions I went through while reading the book. You should read it for yourself and immerse in the vivid atmosphere depicted throughout.
...more
This is a beautiful complement to the grimmer work of Solzhenitsyn and others, coming as it does from a well of deep faith. Father Arseny's saintly self-sacrifice--not in a heroic single moment, but in a daily pouring out of himself for others in a murderous gulag work camp--made me think about all the ways I deny others even small acts of service. A compilation of accounts from witnesses and spiritual children of Arseny, it amounts to a book of miracles great and small.
...more
This is one of the best books I have ever read. What an inspiration, what a push toward God it has been for me. Beautiful.
Pray for us, Father Arseny!
Pray for us, Father Arseny!
It feels wrong to rate this book. It is simply a must read and an encounter with Father Arseny himself. It’s made me feel like I could now be one of his spiritual children.
This is not a perfect book but I don't know how I couldn't rate it five stars. I read this book slowly but I am so glad I did. I learned so much from Father Arseny, many times I would put the book down and pray in awe of this Holy Saint and the works God can do through His children. This book shows the greatest fall and depravity of man and also the great strength and humility of Christ. I learned so much about humanity, real humanity, God, and especially what true love really looks like. So man
...more
Can I give it more than five stars?
I'm not even sure how to review this. It was compelling, convicting, and just... I really want to say that everyone needs to read it, but then, I honestly don't know how much it'd mean to someone who's not Orthodox. Would it be the same beautiful book it is to me?
I learned so much through it and it helped me see areas of my life where I was struggling and didn't even know I was struggling.
If you get the chance, read this book. ...more
I'm not even sure how to review this. It was compelling, convicting, and just... I really want to say that everyone needs to read it, but then, I honestly don't know how much it'd mean to someone who's not Orthodox. Would it be the same beautiful book it is to me?
I learned so much through it and it helped me see areas of my life where I was struggling and didn't even know I was struggling.
If you get the chance, read this book. ...more
This book is a bit rambling and I made my way through the first half in fits and starts, but to say it's a slow read is to miss the point - it's just a book you take at its pace rather than your own. Reading it really is a spiritual exercise. The book is more a compilation of written memories, either by Father Arseny, his spiritual children, or those who knew or encountered him while he was imprisoned in a Soviet spacial camp. What seems to have stood out to all his spiritual children was his wi
...more
Very uplifting and encouraging tale of Fr. Arseny, who was imprisoned during the Stalin regime, and of his troubles and survival in one of the worst Gulag camps. He faced opposition from the leadership (who imprisoned him) and from the political prisoners (who were atheists). Somehow he managed to not only survive, but to bring a lot of them to God. The second half of the book talks about other spiritual directors who helped the faithful to maintain the Faith during the years after Stalin died,
...more
This is the first book that I ever read from the EO fathers and it had a snowball effect on my reading because I cannot stop reading books about/from the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church. Although, the Coptic Fathers still play a huge role in my readings.
Amazing! Fr. Arseny is a true inspiration to all people.
This is a powerful book about the life and spiritual children of the priest known only as Father Arseny. It takes place in Soviet Russia and seems to be a collection of stories about Father Arseny that was circulated underground to encourage the faithful living under the oppressive Soviet Regime. It includes Father Arseny's time in a Soviet concentration camp as well as stories from after his release.
You can't read this book and not be uplifted. It is an amazing testimony to the might of God and ...more
You can't read this book and not be uplifted. It is an amazing testimony to the might of God and ...more
A beautiful, inspiring, spiritually enriching story; a powerful witness to the presence and grace of God, even in situations of great suffering and cruelty. Father Arseny was a Russian Orthodox priest, caught up in the religious persecutions of Stalinist Russia. He spent nearly twenty years in the Gulag, where, in the midst of unimaginable suffering, he managed to mediate the love of God to his fellow prisoners, guards, and administrators. It presents a vivid picture of what a true life of disci
...more
This book might change how you view Christianity. There is a great amount of stories involving followers of Fr. Arseny. All the stories are awesome but I like theirs the most.
In one a Soviet Army WWII Recon Trooper is convicted of Espionage and sent to a prison camp. He is away from his home, wife and kids for years when he returns his wife has remarried and he is now in between her and her new husband Boris. The man sees he's been intrusive and through Fr. Arseny's help he becomes a priest. He ...more
In one a Soviet Army WWII Recon Trooper is convicted of Espionage and sent to a prison camp. He is away from his home, wife and kids for years when he returns his wife has remarried and he is now in between her and her new husband Boris. The man sees he's been intrusive and through Fr. Arseny's help he becomes a priest. He ...more
Who could dispute the worthiness of such a person and the life lessons his Christian life displays? Certainly not I. However, I can say that the writing (perhaps the translation?) is stilted and trying and I simply could not finish this.
Wow! What an amazing story of faith and resilience in the midst of unfathomable darkness and depravity. It is a must read. I will leave an everlasting positive effect on your soul and give you many lessons to live by.
Such an amazing book. It will fill your heart and soul with exactly what you need. You will be touched deeply and want to read it again. To date, I have gifted over 22 copies of this book to friends. I must read. What a Saint he must be.
I was told this would be the most life changing book I would ever read. Do not sell a book to someone like that, they will only become disappointed.
This book was incredibly moving and inspirational. I feel that just reading it helped me become a kinder, more compassionate person.
Do yourself a HUGE favor and READ. THIS. BOOK. Father Arseny is a beautiful example of faith, hope and, most of all, love. You cannot walk away unchanged after reading this book.
A wonderful collection of stories that shows the power of human faith in christ in the midst of a cruel and punishing world.
In learning about the Holy and Spiritual life of Father Arseny, I realize how far away I am from complete union with Christ. Father Arseny was a very Saintly priest who spent 31 years in exile and special camps during the years of Statlin's communist control over Russia. His biography is endearing, heartwarming, and life-changing. He impacted so many people's lives and through this book, he impacted mine too.
I absolutely adore this book and everything about it. One of its remarkable features is ...more
I absolutely adore this book and everything about it. One of its remarkable features is ...more
There is much in this translation which is uplifting, inspiring and commendable. I was nearly halfway through the book, when I decided to check out Fr. Arseny on Wikipedia, only to discover that much recent research has conjectured that he possibly wasn't a real person. It seems that most of what the book talks about is quite true -- the conditions of Russia under Stalin, the details of camp life, etc. -- that perhaps "Fr. Arseny" is more of a conflation of perhaps a number of saintly priests/mo
...more
This great, great book. Is it the best written piece of literature ever, no, but if you go into this to get inspired by all mean read this book.
The strength that a human can find is remarkable and when compare with what I'm going through, my problem seem insignificant.
I am a man of faith, I will say that, so the fact the the book does jump around a bit and that maybe the translate to English is not spot on does not bother me at all compare to those that do. But I do believe that someone who is n ...more
The strength that a human can find is remarkable and when compare with what I'm going through, my problem seem insignificant.
I am a man of faith, I will say that, so the fact the the book does jump around a bit and that maybe the translate to English is not spot on does not bother me at all compare to those that do. But I do believe that someone who is n ...more
I just finished reading Fr. Arseny for the second time. The last time I read this was about 14 years ago. I loved it then; I loved it even more this time. Fr. Arseny is an art scholar turned Russian Orthodox priest, who is sent to special prison camps during Stalin's reign of terror. Then he is one of the last prisoners to be released, but he is kept under surveillance while he serves as a spiritual father to a growing flock while living with friends. This book collects memories by people who kn
...more
A rare find about a spiritual father and true modern saint. Fr. Arseny was imprisoned during Stalin's most ruthless suppression of religion and transported to a gulag in Siberia where he was to spend 20 years of his life. This book gives us that narrative showing us how a man can suffer so badly for his faith yet still keep strong with it. Later he was released and the second half of the book gives memoir accounts of Fr. Arseny's life in a village, where he died in 1975. The vast humility and co
...more
I first picked up this book about 20 years ago and was so encouraged and inspired by the faith and love of Fr. Arseny in the midst of Stalinist prison camps. Interestingly, I finished reading it this time shortly after reading A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and I was impressed by how incredible Fr. Arseny's faith really was - not only to survive such an experience but in fact to be strengthened thereby and to spark and rekindle the faith of others as well.
...more
This book is life changing for me. Father Arseny teaches me to look for the spark of God in every human being because it is in each one of us. He shows me, too, that one reveals one's faith not by words, but by acts of kindness and compassion and selflessness. And, that "it is one of the great mysteries of life that in atmospheres of the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive, but emerge as beacons of light and life."
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Other books in the series
Father Arseny
(2 books)
News & Interviews
If you’re planning to get some good reading in this fall, better start carving out the time now. This autumn’s lineup of new books is...
125 likes · 36 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Since the fall of the Soviet regime, it has been revealed that six hundred bishops, forty thousand priests, and one hundred twenty thousand monks and nuns were killed during this period. Many of these died in the harsh conditions of prison or labor camp; others were shot or buried alive. By the end of Stalin's dictatorship, only some two hundred priests remained active in the Soviet Union. The scale of this martyrdom is unprecedented in the history of the Christian Church.”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
