What do you think?
Rate this book
Μάθε να προσεύχεσαι
Η προσευχή συνειδητά ή υποσυνείδητα, έμμεσα ή άμεσα, πλήρως ή ατελώς, έχει την κεντρικώτερη θέσι στα θρησκευτικά βιώματα του άνθρωπου και αποτελεί "την λυδίαν λίθον" της γνησιότητος και πληρότητος αυτών.
Στον εξωχριστιανικό, αλλά και στο χριστιανικό θρησκευτικό κόσμο, πολλοί αντιμετωπίζουν την προσευχή ως αναζήτησι, ως ανάγκη, ως πρόβλημα, ως ασκητική επιδίωξη, ως μαγική πράξι, ως ηθική μεταρσίωσι, ως γνήσιο προσωπικό διάλογο με το θεό ή το θείο, ως λατρευτική πληθωρικότητα ή ως εκστατική μυστικότητα.
Η προσευχή, όχι μόνον ως πανανθρώπινος ιστορικός θρίαμβος κατά του δεϊσμού και του υλιστικού θετικισμού, αλλά και ως απαύγασμα του πνευματικού είναι του ανθρώπου, ιδιαίτερα για το χριστιανό, αποτελεί την ευγενεστέρα έκφρασι των επιδόσεών του και είναι συνάμα το σωσίβιον των αμαρτανόντων, το πύρινον άρμα των αγίων, το Προδρομικό δώμα της Πεντηκοστής, η δόξα των Αγγέλων, η μυστική προσπέλασι των άρρητων μυστηρίων της Θείας Οικονομίας, ο μυστικός θάλαμος όπου συναντάται ο πεσμένος άνθρωπος με τον Λυτρωτή του. Η σύγχρονη αντίληψι της επιστήμης της ψυχολογίας για την προσευχή και η συνεχώς αυξανομένη κυκλοφορία της νηπτικής πατερικής γραμματείας έχει δημιουργήσει στο θρησκευόμενο αναγνωστικό κοινό της χώρας μας έντονο ενδιαφέρον για την ουσία, τη μέθοδο και το νόημα της προσευχής.
Οι εκδόσεις "Έλαφος", ως ευαίσθητη κεραία στη σύγχρονη εκδοτική προσπάθεια του τόπου μας, παραδίδουν στους πιστούς τη μετάφρασι του βιβλίου School of Prayer (Σχολείο για Προσευχή) που έχει γραφεί από τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο των Ρώσων της διασποράς στην Ευρώπη, Σεβασμιώτατον Αντώνιον Bloom. Η έκδοσις έγινε με την ελπίδα ότι πολλά -κυρίως πρακτικά- θέματα που αναφέρονται στην προσευχή θα εύρουν σωστή τοποθέτησι ή απάντησι και πολλοί θα ενισχυθούν στην προσευχή, ώστε βαθμιαία αλλά σταθερά η ζωή τους να γίνη προσευχή και η προσευχή να είναι η ζωή τους.
(Από τον πρόλογο του Αρχιμ. Αντώνιου Ρωμαίου)
Στον εξωχριστιανικό, αλλά και στο χριστιανικό θρησκευτικό κόσμο, πολλοί αντιμετωπίζουν την προσευχή ως αναζήτησι, ως ανάγκη, ως πρόβλημα, ως ασκητική επιδίωξη, ως μαγική πράξι, ως ηθική μεταρσίωσι, ως γνήσιο προσωπικό διάλογο με το θεό ή το θείο, ως λατρευτική πληθωρικότητα ή ως εκστατική μυστικότητα.
Η προσευχή, όχι μόνον ως πανανθρώπινος ιστορικός θρίαμβος κατά του δεϊσμού και του υλιστικού θετικισμού, αλλά και ως απαύγασμα του πνευματικού είναι του ανθρώπου, ιδιαίτερα για το χριστιανό, αποτελεί την ευγενεστέρα έκφρασι των επιδόσεών του και είναι συνάμα το σωσίβιον των αμαρτανόντων, το πύρινον άρμα των αγίων, το Προδρομικό δώμα της Πεντηκοστής, η δόξα των Αγγέλων, η μυστική προσπέλασι των άρρητων μυστηρίων της Θείας Οικονομίας, ο μυστικός θάλαμος όπου συναντάται ο πεσμένος άνθρωπος με τον Λυτρωτή του. Η σύγχρονη αντίληψι της επιστήμης της ψυχολογίας για την προσευχή και η συνεχώς αυξανομένη κυκλοφορία της νηπτικής πατερικής γραμματείας έχει δημιουργήσει στο θρησκευόμενο αναγνωστικό κοινό της χώρας μας έντονο ενδιαφέρον για την ουσία, τη μέθοδο και το νόημα της προσευχής.
Οι εκδόσεις "Έλαφος", ως ευαίσθητη κεραία στη σύγχρονη εκδοτική προσπάθεια του τόπου μας, παραδίδουν στους πιστούς τη μετάφρασι του βιβλίου School of Prayer (Σχολείο για Προσευχή) που έχει γραφεί από τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο των Ρώσων της διασποράς στην Ευρώπη, Σεβασμιώτατον Αντώνιον Bloom. Η έκδοσις έγινε με την ελπίδα ότι πολλά -κυρίως πρακτικά- θέματα που αναφέρονται στην προσευχή θα εύρουν σωστή τοποθέτησι ή απάντησι και πολλοί θα ενισχυθούν στην προσευχή, ώστε βαθμιαία αλλά σταθερά η ζωή τους να γίνη προσευχή και η προσευχή να είναι η ζωή τους.
(Από τον πρόλογο του Αρχιμ. Αντώνιου Ρωμαίου)
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
5 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Bloom
90 books80 followersMetropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh was a prominent writer and broadcaster on prayer and the Christian life, as well as the founder and leader of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh.
See also: Antonie de Suroj, Anthony of Sourozh, Antonijus Surožietis, Антоний Сурожский, Anthony van Sourozh, Антоний Сурожки
See also: Antonie de Suroj, Anthony of Sourozh, Antonijus Surožietis, Антоний Сурожский, Anthony van Sourozh, Антоний Сурожки
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 2, 2019
This little volume is probably the best book I've ever read about prayer. It contains profound truths about how we might begin to enter into relationship with God, but also contains very practical tips and relatable anecdotes to illustrate what he means. Here are a couple of memorable examples (stop reading here if you do not want to see any excerpts from the book until you read it):
.
.
.
In the chapter "The Absence of God," Bloom makes eye-opening points about those situations where we feel God is absent and is not listening to our prayers. After making the point that it may sometimes be a good thing that God is absent, so that his judgment is not right in our faces when we can't handle it, he then speaks of how we often come to God with a shopping list of what we want him to do, rather than looking for Him, for relationship. He says,
Do we ever say 'I am unworthy that He should come near me?' Not to speak of all the occasions when we should be aware that He cannot come to us because we are not there to receive Him. We want something from Him, not Him at all. Is that a relationship? Do we behave in that way with our friends? Do we aim at what friendship can give us or is it the friend whom we love? Is this true with regard to the Lord? (p. 5)
Then there is the problem where we sometimes pretend to be what we are not, so in this way, we are not present - we've substituted a illusion in our place, and God can't be in relationship with an illusion. Bloom writes,
As long as we ourselves are real, as long as we are truly ourselves, God can be present and can do something with us. But the moment we try to be what we are not, there is nothing left to say or have; we become a fictitious personality, an unreal presence, and this unreal presence cannot be approached by God. (pp. 5-6)
In the chapter "Addressing God," Bloom focuses on finding a name for God such that it is a personal name (e.g., O Thou my Joy!) rather than a functional name (The Almighty) that describes characteristics or facts. He concludes,
Do try to experiment along the lines I have suggested and you will see that it is not a waste of time. Search for a name [for God], and if you have no name, do not be surprised that no one hears you: you are not calling. (p. 70)
There are many other gems and beautiful anecdotes in this book that are also worth reading but would take too much space to mention here, so I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain some perspective on what prayer is and how to begin in earnest in their own lives.
.
.
.
In the chapter "The Absence of God," Bloom makes eye-opening points about those situations where we feel God is absent and is not listening to our prayers. After making the point that it may sometimes be a good thing that God is absent, so that his judgment is not right in our faces when we can't handle it, he then speaks of how we often come to God with a shopping list of what we want him to do, rather than looking for Him, for relationship. He says,
Do we ever say 'I am unworthy that He should come near me?' Not to speak of all the occasions when we should be aware that He cannot come to us because we are not there to receive Him. We want something from Him, not Him at all. Is that a relationship? Do we behave in that way with our friends? Do we aim at what friendship can give us or is it the friend whom we love? Is this true with regard to the Lord? (p. 5)
Then there is the problem where we sometimes pretend to be what we are not, so in this way, we are not present - we've substituted a illusion in our place, and God can't be in relationship with an illusion. Bloom writes,
As long as we ourselves are real, as long as we are truly ourselves, God can be present and can do something with us. But the moment we try to be what we are not, there is nothing left to say or have; we become a fictitious personality, an unreal presence, and this unreal presence cannot be approached by God. (pp. 5-6)
In the chapter "Addressing God," Bloom focuses on finding a name for God such that it is a personal name (e.g., O Thou my Joy!) rather than a functional name (The Almighty) that describes characteristics or facts. He concludes,
Do try to experiment along the lines I have suggested and you will see that it is not a waste of time. Search for a name [for God], and if you have no name, do not be surprised that no one hears you: you are not calling. (p. 70)
There are many other gems and beautiful anecdotes in this book that are also worth reading but would take too much space to mention here, so I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain some perspective on what prayer is and how to begin in earnest in their own lives.
November 29, 2021
This is hands down one of the best books I've read on prayer. I love his down to earth style of writing. I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about prayer.
May 27, 2025
O carte plină de înțelepciune care te pune pe gânduri și care îți poate schimba înspre bine rugăciunea, indiferent de confesiunea creștină. Merită citită.
“De aceea, primul lucru pe care trebuie să-l faci este, după cum am spus, să găseşti o rugăciune pe care să o poţi spune cu toată mintea ta, cu toată inima şi cu toată voinţa ta - o rugăciune care nu trebuie să fie neapărat un mare exemplu de subtilitate liturgică, ci una care să fie adevărată, una care să nu eşueze în ceea ce dorește să exprime. Trebuie să înțelegi această rugăciune, cu toată bogăţia şi precizia pe care le cuprinde.“
Îi pot oferi doar patru stele din pricina uneia dintre cele două meditații de la final, care nu pare a fi neapărat la locul ei, având concepte teologice mult prea specifice viziunii ortodoxe, care nu sunt comune cu alte confesiuni și care rupe ritmul cărții. Altfel ar fi fost o carte de 5 stele.
“De aceea, primul lucru pe care trebuie să-l faci este, după cum am spus, să găseşti o rugăciune pe care să o poţi spune cu toată mintea ta, cu toată inima şi cu toată voinţa ta - o rugăciune care nu trebuie să fie neapărat un mare exemplu de subtilitate liturgică, ci una care să fie adevărată, una care să nu eşueze în ceea ce dorește să exprime. Trebuie să înțelegi această rugăciune, cu toată bogăţia şi precizia pe care le cuprinde.“
Îi pot oferi doar patru stele din pricina uneia dintre cele două meditații de la final, care nu pare a fi neapărat la locul ei, având concepte teologice mult prea specifice viziunii ortodoxe, care nu sunt comune cu alte confesiuni și care rupe ritmul cărții. Altfel ar fi fost o carte de 5 stele.
August 27, 2020
Little to say, lots for me to think about. The best book on prayer I’ve ever read, I think. Contemplative, inviting, easy to read but challenging to put into practice. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about prayer.
November 5, 2021
I've read through this book three times. Though I have only read four or five books about prayer, this is easily the best book on this topic that I have ever read. Loads of profound and helpful insights.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews