Orthodox Spirituality: A Practical Guide for the Faithful and a Definitive Manual for the Scholar

by Dumitru Stăniloae, Archimandrite Jerome (Newville) (Translator), Kloos. , Otilia (Translator)

Orthodox spirituality has as its goal the deification of man and his union with God, without being merged with Him. It has as a basic conviction the existence of a personal God, who is the supreme source of radiating love. He prizes man and doesn't want to confuse him with Himself, but maintains and raises him to an eternal dialogue of love. Such a spirituality has no place where an evolutionary progress of man, connected to a divinity conceived as an impersonal essence, is affirmed. This progress can have no result other than man's disappearance in the impersonal divinity. But the personal God, and thus the supreme source of love, can't be conceived of as a single person, but as a community of persons in a perfect unity. You see then why the Christian teaching of a Trinity of Persons in a unity of essence is the only one which can constitute the basis of a perfect spirituality for man, understood as a full communion with God in love, without his being lost in it. Dumitru Staniloae, Orthodox Spirituality It should be remembered, especially in the Western context, that the roots of Christian theology are not only Western, but reach deeply into the theological mind and the living Christian experience of the Orthodox East. Before the medieval political and cultural schism between the Latin and Greek worlds and the subsequent Protestant Reformation, the Christian West was itself, in fact, Orthodox, part and parcel of one united, albeit admittedly bi-polar, Byzantine Commonwealth. In our own time, as Western culture once again gradually comes to recognition of the "Eastern" Orthodox Church as being existentially part of its own root tradition, the imperative of discovering common ground and defining a common frame of reference relative to essentials of Christian spiritual life arises as a matter of some urgency. -Alexander Golubov, Foreword,Orthodox Spirituality

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 18, 2013

About the author

Dumitru Stăniloae (Romanian pronunciation: [duˈmitru stəniˈlo̯aje] was a Romanian Eastern Orthodox priest, theologian, academic, and professor. Father Stăniloae worked for over 45 years on a comprehensive Romanian translation of the Philokalia, a collection of writings by the Church Fathers, together with the hieromonk, Arsenie Boca, who brought manuscripts from Mount Athos. His masterpiece, The Dogmatic Orthodox Theology (1978), makes him one of the most reputed Christian Theologians of the second half of the 20th century. He produced valuable comments on the works of the Fathers of the Church, such as Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus the Confessor, or Athanasius the Great.

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toothbrush book for a couple of months – with time off to read another book in between. Lots of information, much to ponder, implement, and reread. This is not an easy read but an important one.

[Patrick Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUTSTANDING! This is a VERY good book but not an easy read and will require thought to digest the material and will probably require more than one reading. Bascially (and I mean BASICALLY, this is being hugely reductionistic on my part! :-), the book covers the Orthodox Churches (and Catholic too, I believe) sprituality or how to become like Christ (Theosis is the technical word). In a nutshell, he covers the three steps to maturity in the Christian life which are: Purgation, Illumination & Perfection (other books may call the last step "Comtemplation"). In Purgation, he discusses the first part of the Chrisitan walk were we are trying to deal with and eradicate our vices. In Illumination, he explains how, after gaining some ground in growing in the virtues, we can begin to contemplate God through His creation which leads us, utlimately, to Perfection (Theosis)which is Christ likeness (and us restored to the image and likeness of God as we were originally created). The only criticism I would level is that I would have liked a chapter on practical advice on how this looks or can be done while being married, working, etc... with all the regular demands that life puts on most of us (i.e. take it from the theoretical to the practical, everday - how do I do this if I am not a monk?). Since reading this, I have found that Gregory of Nyssa's, "On Perfection" (can be googled to find on internet) is a good handbook for putting into practice (he says, to start with learning to obey the Lord's commands). Overall, very good book to read but it will take diligence, time and thought to get through - it is not a relaxing read but a very helpful read.

[Jonathan Dunne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on Orthodox spirituality I have read. In it, the Romanian theologian and priest Dumitru Staniloae basically gives a description of deification (theosis), the purpose of each human life. Should be taken in small amounts, not in large dollops. It’s not a novel! Wonderful food for the soul.

[Henry]

Some parts of this were amazingly insightful and warranted much closer reading and study. The book is what it says - a guide to the spiritual life from an Orthodox perspective.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't really recommend this book enough. It says in the title that it is a practical guide, and it most certainly is that. The depth of insight and detail for such a huge subject is amazing. Staniloae does an excellent job of making the process of Theosis understandable, laying it out in the tradition of the Ladder as detailed steps on the Way.

The book is not for beginners for sure. If you are looking for a casual guide or some emotional or spiritual encouragement this book may not be for you. The treatment is in depth and detailed, and in some places can be a bit challenging if you haven't already been introduced to some of the basics. And this is not a book to read lightly and never come back to it - rather it is one to read again and again over the course of the years. I think it will have valuable new insights for us every time!

My only problem with the book was with the description of the Uncreated Light and Theosis itself. I suppose there was no really great way to put that onto paper, but I would rush to point out that these are not things that lend themselves immediately to logical analysis. It is rational, and certainly real, but not what we would traditionally call logical. Describing the indescribable is probably the best way to put it. There will very obviously be some problems with that when putting it down on paper but Staniloae does as good a job with it as any could, and his descriptions and analysis will most definitely help anyone on the path to Theosis determine if he/she is on the path of truth or delusion.

A few other thoughts for anyone that might take this guide as something that it's not, or put too much emphasis in the wrong places.. We can't think our way to the Uncreated Light in a logical fashion. There is much toil, struggle, and work to be done before we should even attempt such a thing. Some struggle their entire lives and never are graced with a vision of the Uncreated Light. Such comes by God's Grace to some, and to others it does not. But as in all things this is to the greater glory of God and is not a reason for discouragement. A vision of the Uncreated Light should not be our sole aim in life, nor should we measure ourselves as Christians solely by whether or not we are graced with that vision.

We should struggle simply to do all things according to the will of God, and to love Him with all of our hearts, despising our own desires in favor of His and our neighbor's (which is difficult enough as it is!). Follow our Master's example in all things - be little Christs (the original meaning of Christian) - and anything needful will follow. If we can conquer the passions, with God's help, participate fully in the life of the Church which is His body, and if we can do these things that we are commanded, then we can truly say that we are Christians. It may be that the struggle itself is as important as reaching the finish. As with the Apostle Paul, may we all be able to approach the end of this life in good conscience and say (2 Timothy 4:6-8):

6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Love God, love your neighbor, participate in the life of His Church, and struggle to the end. Be a little Christ, and all else will follow.

[Matthew Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content is wonderful, if you can get through the obtuse translation. Great book, but I'd have a hard time recommending it because it's just so terrible to read.