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Title: The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church by Vladimir Lossky ISBN: 0-913836-31-1 Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr Pub. Date: 01 March, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The best technical introduction in English
Comment: Far from dry theology, Lossky interacts with the Orthodox tradition with expertise knowledge and a genuine faith in the reality of the Father's activity in this world through His Son and Spirit, in the context of the Church. The book is worth buying just for the introduction, which outlines the meaning of theology in the Orthodox Church. Is Christian theology just neo-Platonism? Is God transcendent just because we are limited in our understanding? Is grace created or uncreated? Is deification (theosis) a Hellenic leftover or the meaning of union in Christ? Why was Christ incarnate and what does the Holy Spirit do? What do we say about how God is in Himself and how God is in relation to creation? Lossky tackles these and other pertinent subjects in this masterpiece. You will not read this book and remain unchanged, not because Lossky is such an original and innovative thinker (he is that), but because Lossky faithfully interprets the Tradition. The rest of this review is taken from the jacket of the book itself.
"Vladimir Lossky established himself as one of the most brilliant of Orthodox scholars in the years between his departure from Russia in 1923 and his death in 1958. His uncompromising faithfulness to Scriptural and patristic tradition, coupled with his constant concern for an articulate Orthodox witness in the West, make his works indispensable for an understanding of the theology of the Eastern Church today. In this classic study of Orthodox theology, Lossky states that 'in a certain sense all theology is mystical, in as much as it shows forth the divine mystery: the data of revelation...the eastern tradition has never made a sharp distinction between mysticism and theology, between personal experience of the divine mysteries and the dogma affirmed by the Church.' The term 'mystical theology' denotes in the realm of human experience, that which is accessible yet inaccessible; those things understood yet surpassing all knowledge."
While it is not an easy read at all, it is well worth the time spent in praying and thinking through the subject from an Eastern perspective.
Other books of interest include: "The Orthodox Way" and "The Orthodox Church" by Kallistos (Timothy) Ware; "Byzantine Theology" by John Meyendorff; any Georges Florovsky books; "The Roots of Christian Mysticism" by Olivier Clement; The Gospel of St. John; Jaroslav Pelikan's 5 volume series "The Christian Tradition"; "New Seeds of Contemplation" by Thomas Merton; "The Mountain of Silence" by Kyriacos Markides. Enjoy!
Rating: 5
Summary: This work gets at the heart of Christian mysticism
Comment: While this title appears on many recommended lists of books on Eastern Orthodoxy, it would not be easy reading for someone uninitiated to mystical Christian writings (from either the east or the west). It also helps to have at least a passing knowledge of Greek as many of the terms appear in Greek.
Lossky spends over half the book laying a foundation on the Eastern understanding of apophaticism (describing God by what He is not), asceticism, the Holy Trinity, uncreated energies of the Godhead, image and likeness, the "economy of the Son" and the "economy of the Holy Spirit," before discussing the goal of Christian mysticism which is theosis or union with God, the Divine Light. To me, the heart of the book is in the chapter on "The Way of Union," but it would be meaningless without the preceding chapters.
Lossky quotes profusely from the great mystical theologians of the Eastern Church, from various epochs and geographic locations to display the inherent unity of thought on mysticism in the Eastern tradition.
Readers who need an introductory work before tackling Lossky might want to try "The Illumined Heart" by Frederica Matthewes-
Green, "Beginning to Pray" by Anthony Bloom or "The Art of Prayer" by Igumen Chariton of Valamo.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Tough Read But Well Worth It
Comment: "The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church" is by no means an easy read, but it is well worth it. Lossky covers some of the most essential and profound concepts in Orthodoxy, some of which differ greatly from western Christianity. Without a firm understanding of these concepts one really doesn't have a firm understanding of the Church's teachings. This is a classic work which should be read by all.
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Title: The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware ISBN: 0913836583 Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware, Kallistos Ware ISBN: 0140146563 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy by Alexander Schmemann ISBN: 0913836087 Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr Pub. Date: March, 1997 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Experience of God (Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, Volume 1: Revelation and Knowledge of the triuNe God) by Dumitru Staniloae, Ioan Ionita, Robert Barringer ISBN: 0917651707 Publisher: Holy Cross Orthodox Press Pub. Date: June, 1999 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Inner Kingdom: The Collected Works (Ware, Kallistos, Works. Vol. 1.) by Kallistos, Bishop Ware ISBN: 0881412090 Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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