Escritos de San Silouan el Athonita

by Sophrony Sakharov

Visto humanamente, nada propiciaba que, de entre los más de mil monjes que habitaban en el Monasterio de San Panteleimon en el Monte Athos, fuera Silouan (1866-1938), monje ruso con la mínima instrucción, adscrito al economato y al molino del monasterio, quien emergiese para la posteridad. Fue necesario que un día Sophrony, monje treinta años más joven, recibiera de Silouan una respuesta perfectamente adecuada a su inquietud espiritual.

A su vuelta al círculo de la emigración rusa de París en 1947, Sophrony se dedicó a recomponer los textos de Silouan. Se encontró con un conjunto de textos redactados las más de las veces en hojas sueltas, sin numerar, sin fecha, sin orden preconcebido alguno, pero con una notable unidad espiritual.

Estos escritos constituyen verdaderamente un cuerpo de doctrina ascética y de teología mística, expresada en un lenguaje sencillo y directo, sin términos complicados, sin conceptualización ni coherencia sistemática. Y esto es precisamente lo admirable: la trasparencia del sentido más elevado y profundo, en la realidad de una escritura que devuelve su eficacia creadora al espíritu de la palabra.

ENGLISH: Writings of Saint Silouan the Athonite.

From a human perspective, it was highly improbable that, among the more than a thousand monks living at the Athonite Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, Silouan (1866-1938), a Russian monk with hardly any instruction who worked at the monastery cellar and mill, were the one to go down in history.

Sophrony took upon himself the task of piecing together Silouan’s texts, often written in scrap paper. However, these pages constitute a veritable corpus of ascetic doctrine and mystical theology, written in a simple and direct language, far from wordiness, abstruse concepts, or systematic coherence. How the highest and deepest sense becomes clear to us is what makes these pages a truly remarkable book.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Theology

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), also Elder Sophrony, was best known as the disciple and biographer of St Silouan the Athonite and compiler of St Silouan's works, and as the founder of the Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Tolleshunt Knights, Maldon, Essex, England.

Reviews

[Klemmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my friends I have learned to kiss not only precious people but precious objects, and holy ones. This is a book to read, to love and to kiss. It contains some sayings of St. Silouan the Athonite, a twentieth-century Russian Orthodox Christian monk living on Mt. Athos, compiled by his disciple Archimandrite Sophrony.

St. Silouan never tires of praising the Holy Spirit, who enlightens us and gives us the grace to love God and our brothers and sisters. He exhorts us to live in humility and love, and teaches what is meant by God's command to "Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not."

St. Silouan is one of the great Orthodox saints of the 20th century--in which the Eastern Church suffered so much--because of his insistence on Christ's command to love one's enemies. This short, rich, inexpensive book contains much of his best teaching. It is worth the money and the time.[....]

[Kristofer Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I'll likely be returning to over the years, and I expect to find something helpful each time. But I do not think this is a book for those who who are catechumens, or have little experience with Orthodoxy. To understand Staretz Silouan, one has to have a basic background in the Scriptures, in Holy Tradition, and in Orthodoxy. This background is assumed by this work; a great many basics are unexplained, without which the higher mysteries which Staretz Silouan discusses might appear to be lacking in substance. But to one having a basic understanding of these things, the Wisdom of Mount Athos is a candle dispelling the darkness, and searchlight illumining the heavens. As for me, I know just enough to recognize how little I know, and how much I must struggle to reach a state where I can understand the depths contained in this book.

[Twitchmatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humility and the Holy Spirit. Not sure what I was expecting and these two themes weave their way throughout the book. Love his insight, his approach and sense of groundedness and being. Will be a book I reread often.

[Vytautas Baipsys · Rating 3 out of 5]

vienuoliško gyvenimo kasdienybė, pirma kar tą knyga radau krišnaitų centre, kol esi bendruomenėje gyveni šiltnamio sąlygomis, tai ir atspindi šio vienuolio gyvenimas, jo pasaulėjota

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book maybe 40 years ago, and I remember liking it. Reading it for the 2nd time, and now with 40 more years of life experience, I liked it again, though from the highlights I made then and now, I see my interests have changed. I don't have St Sophrony's spiritual experiences, so there are some things in the book I don't relate to, some that I don't really understand. But I found his appeal to a God who is Love and who actively seeks the salvation of all to be very appealing and inspiring. Love the world and all its people and pray for them. That seems to be a pretty good way to live the Christian life. It helped me feel more hopeful for the Church and the world.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be read by all Orthodox Christians