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The Enlargement of the Heart: "Be ye also enlarged" (2 Corinthians 6:13) in the Theology of Saint Silouan the Athonite and Elder Sophrony of Essex
This is the Second American Edition of The Enlargement of the Heart. Already regarded as a classic, The Enlargement of the Heart consists of a series of remarkable presentations on the nature and purpose of human existence in Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938) and Elder Sophrony of Essex (1896-1993), and an Appendix comprised of two lectures on Monasticism. Delivered in Wichita, Kansas, at the 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, each lecture is published here in full together with its Asides and corresponding Questions & Answers.
Archimandrite Zacharias
The Very Reverend Dr. Zacharias Zacharou is a disciple of Elder Sophrony and a member of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Essex, England. Of Greek Cypriot heritage, Fr Zacharias is the official translator of Elder Sophrony’s writings from Russian into Greek, and holds degrees in Theology from the Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, France, and the University of Thessalonica, Greece, also receiving the degree of Doctor of Theology from the latter institution for his work on the theology of Elder Sophrony, which was published in English as Christ, Our Way and Our Life: A Presentation of the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony (2003). Also published in English are The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (2008), and Remember Thy First Love (Revelation 2:4-5): The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life in the Theology of Elder Sophrony (2010). Archimandrite is fluent in Greek, English, French and Russian, and is intimately familiar with the traditions of the Greek and Russian liturgical practice. In May of 2011 he was awarded the honorary doctorate from Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, in recognition of his remarkable contribution to the spiritual life of the Church in America.
The Editor
Christopher Veniamin is a disciple of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov). Born and raised in London, of Greek Cypriot parents, Dr. Veniamin holds the four-year Degree in Theology from the University of Thessalonica in Greece, his doctoral degree in theology from the University of Oxford in England, and is Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania. Dr. Veniamin joined the STS faculty in the fall of 1994, and on September 31, 2005, received the distinct honor of being elected its first ever full professor. He is also the editor, translator, annotator and publisher of Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies, published by Mount Thabor Publishing in 2009.
Archimandrite Zacharias
The Very Reverend Dr. Zacharias Zacharou is a disciple of Elder Sophrony and a member of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Essex, England. Of Greek Cypriot heritage, Fr Zacharias is the official translator of Elder Sophrony’s writings from Russian into Greek, and holds degrees in Theology from the Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, France, and the University of Thessalonica, Greece, also receiving the degree of Doctor of Theology from the latter institution for his work on the theology of Elder Sophrony, which was published in English as Christ, Our Way and Our Life: A Presentation of the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony (2003). Also published in English are The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (2008), and Remember Thy First Love (Revelation 2:4-5): The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life in the Theology of Elder Sophrony (2010). Archimandrite is fluent in Greek, English, French and Russian, and is intimately familiar with the traditions of the Greek and Russian liturgical practice. In May of 2011 he was awarded the honorary doctorate from Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, in recognition of his remarkable contribution to the spiritual life of the Church in America.
The Editor
Christopher Veniamin is a disciple of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov). Born and raised in London, of Greek Cypriot parents, Dr. Veniamin holds the four-year Degree in Theology from the University of Thessalonica in Greece, his doctoral degree in theology from the University of Oxford in England, and is Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania. Dr. Veniamin joined the STS faculty in the fall of 1994, and on September 31, 2005, received the distinct honor of being elected its first ever full professor. He is also the editor, translator, annotator and publisher of Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies, published by Mount Thabor Publishing in 2009.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2006
67 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Zacharias Zacharou
36 books30 followersFather Zacharias is a disciple of Saint Sophrony the Athonite - the Father founder of the Community of Saint John the Baptist, Essex, UK. He studied theology at the Orthodox Theological Institute of Saint Sergius in Paris and at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has lived all his monastic life in the monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex where he serves as a spiritual Father and minister of the word of God to his brethren and the people that come to him.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 4, 2023
Wide-ranging & deep
A thorough look at the spirituality of Saints Silouan and Sophrony. The author was a disciple of Saint Sophrony. Highly recommended!
A thorough look at the spirituality of Saints Silouan and Sophrony. The author was a disciple of Saint Sophrony. Highly recommended!
February 5, 2024
Jah, kõnetab mind see õigeusu teema hetkel. Ega see ülekantuna ei ole muud kui mõistlike põhimõtete järgi elamine.
May 30, 2013
The Enlargement of the Heart is a series of lectures, which Archimandrite Zacharias gave at a 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat. Archimandrite Zacharias is a disciple of Elder Sophrony of Essex who was in turn a disciple of Saint Silouan the Athonite. That's some pretty impressive lineage for those of you unversed in Orthodoxy. Drawing upon their teachings, these lectures discuss man's ultimate existence and purpose.
Each lecture is brilliant but accessible. So many times, depending upon the speaker, theology can go over the heads of the majority of us, myself included. Archimandrite Zacharias, however, does a brilliant job keeping his lectures simple yet deep. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Jesus Prayer. In this chapter he tells us that two factors are indispensable when praying the Jesus Prayer. "The first is the faithful effort made by man to focus his attention in his heart, and humbly predispose his spirit. The second, and incomparably more important, is the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which nothing can succeed, no word and no act is accomplished." If I understand it correctly, it is saying that we need to humbly put forth the effort, while realizing that we can't accomplish it without the Holy Spirit.
This was a great book to read. It not only made the teachings of Elder Sophrony and Saint Silouan available, but also made them accessible to the average reader. I appreciate the Scripture cross references included in the book, as well as the original questions and answers at the end of the lecture. Sometimes, no matter how clear a lecture is, there are questions that need to be answered, and a lot of the questions asked were some of the same ones I had as well. Pick up this 5 star book if you want to read from some of the great minds of recent Orthodox history.
Each lecture is brilliant but accessible. So many times, depending upon the speaker, theology can go over the heads of the majority of us, myself included. Archimandrite Zacharias, however, does a brilliant job keeping his lectures simple yet deep. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Jesus Prayer. In this chapter he tells us that two factors are indispensable when praying the Jesus Prayer. "The first is the faithful effort made by man to focus his attention in his heart, and humbly predispose his spirit. The second, and incomparably more important, is the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which nothing can succeed, no word and no act is accomplished." If I understand it correctly, it is saying that we need to humbly put forth the effort, while realizing that we can't accomplish it without the Holy Spirit.
This was a great book to read. It not only made the teachings of Elder Sophrony and Saint Silouan available, but also made them accessible to the average reader. I appreciate the Scripture cross references included in the book, as well as the original questions and answers at the end of the lecture. Sometimes, no matter how clear a lecture is, there are questions that need to be answered, and a lot of the questions asked were some of the same ones I had as well. Pick up this 5 star book if you want to read from some of the great minds of recent Orthodox history.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews