Psalm 118: A Commentary

by Theophan the Recluse, Gleb Wleskov (translator), Gregory Williams (editor)

After nearly 30 years of engagement with this text, we are delighted at long last to make it available to the faithful in permanent library form. Each reading (and there have been many) has deepened our appreciation of the profundity of the commentary, which never succumbs to the temptation of mere academicism. It is a book which can be read from beginning to end -- or from any random point -- with equal benefit. Brief notes on the many Church fathers and authorities cited by St. Theophan, not part of the Russian text, are appended. Deluxe edition: silver binding, gold-stamped, gilded edges, marker ribbon. Meant to be treasured for a lifetime -- or the lifetime of a friend or loved one.

351 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

St. Theophan the Recluse, also known as Theophan Zatvornik or Theophanes the Recluse (Russian: Феофан Затворник), is a well-known saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. He was born George Vasilievich Govorov, in the village of Chernavsk. His father was a Russian Orthodox priest. He was educated in the seminaries at Livny, Orel and Kiev. In 1841 he was ordained, became a monk, and adopted the name Theophan. He later became the Bishop of Tambov.

He is especially well-known today through the many books he wrote concerning the spiritual life, especially on the subjects of the Christian life and the training of youth in the faith. He also played an important role in translating the Philokalia from Church Slavonic into Russian. The Philokalia is a classic of orthodox spirituality, composed of the collected works of a number of church fathers which were edited and placed in a four volume set in the 17th and 18th centuries. A persistent theme is developing an interior life of continuous prayer, learning to "pray without ceasing" as St. Paul teaches in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

Russian profile: Феофан Затворник

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the days when I taught myself Biblical Hebrew, psalm 118, with its fascinating structure and use of key words (alas not clearly visible in translation) has been my favorite of all psalms.

So Father John recently offered me a commentary by Saint Theophan the Recluse. I have another book by him, but I was not aware of this book.

It is so well done: Theophan writes in a very accessible and concrete, yet deep and nourishing way. He highlights the alphabetical structure of the psalm, but also its spiritual logic, how one verse goes into another, and sees unity in a strophe. So slowly but surely, I have been nourishing myself with this gem.
This is te most amazing commentary on Psalm 188. Youcans ee how much Theophan must have prayed with it, to be able to see the logical spiritual unity within each stropha and how one thing leasd to another.
Really impressive.
I have published extensive notes and quotes on each chapter.
Starting here, and then click on the Psalm 118 tag to access all over verses. A post focuses sometimes on 1 verse only or on several:
https://myrtleskete.com/2020/06/08/bo...

[Nanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly rich book, covering nuggets of truth in each and every verse in Psalm 119 (there is a different numbering system in Eastern theology, thus the title reference to Ps. 118). It was not easy reading, but it was worth the nuggets of gold to be found by taking it slowly and digesting it, literally, one verse at a time.