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The Archbishop
The Archbishop by Hieromonk Tihon is a famous book in Russia. Written before the Bolshevik revolution, it came under the steamroller of Communist censorship along with other extraordinary books of Orthodoxy.
The Archbishop is a book that provokes: a literary work or novella, not a treatise of ecclesiology, continuing to be a cry against ecclesiastical conformity. At the beginning of the 20th century, the author, Hieromonk Tihon, is unsatisfied with the lukewarm general atmosphere that rules inside the Church. He devises an ideal shepherd in the person of the main character of the book – the Archbishop – who tries to bring the apostolic spirit among priests and believers.
Although the book is somehow meant to be a spiritual development program, it can be read as an interesting, realistic, maybe too honest sometimes, chronicle of the ecclesiastical life. The characters are vivid, honest, uninvented. Nothing stops us from believing that this ‘Archbishop’ existed for real and that, maybe, he himself wrote this book.
The book is read with pleasure and once read, cannot be forgotten.
The Archbishop is a book that provokes: a literary work or novella, not a treatise of ecclesiology, continuing to be a cry against ecclesiastical conformity. At the beginning of the 20th century, the author, Hieromonk Tihon, is unsatisfied with the lukewarm general atmosphere that rules inside the Church. He devises an ideal shepherd in the person of the main character of the book – the Archbishop – who tries to bring the apostolic spirit among priests and believers.
Although the book is somehow meant to be a spiritual development program, it can be read as an interesting, realistic, maybe too honest sometimes, chronicle of the ecclesiastical life. The characters are vivid, honest, uninvented. Nothing stops us from believing that this ‘Archbishop’ existed for real and that, maybe, he himself wrote this book.
The book is read with pleasure and once read, cannot be forgotten.
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 16, 2017
The Archbishop by Monk Tohin is a great read. I highly recommend it to all. Inside, reader will find a journey full of emotions that we all go through in our lives. The characters play an important part that show readers what is really happening and what we can do. A priest finds himself with nothing but trouble when he takes pity on a young couple. His burdens keep adding to the point that he loses his way...until he meets another priest. One that by looks would seem to act much above the poorer priest. Yet, Monk Tihon surprises me when the exact opposite happened. I was just as surprised as the poorer priest. Sympathy was instantly felt for the priest with all the troubles. His heart laced with fear, anger, and sadness. The Archbishop is engaging, compelling, and brilliantly written. A spiritual guidance that was raw, honest, interesting. I found it captivating. Readers can easily relate to the charcaters and their troubles. Overall, I highly recommend this literary title to all.
July 9, 2017
The Archbishop is beautifully written and I appreciate the eloquence of the author, Hieromonk Tihon, in talking about the Christian faith and religion, in general. In today's world, where it seems Christ is once again being crucified and His people have turned their backs on Him, it is still a testament of faith to continue to follow in His footsteps. Faith has been "funny" lately and have been twisted in multiple ways to mold in today's modern and evolving society.
We see more of the faithful leaving their "posts" daily and then, as the faithful, we start to believe that perhaps this Son was just a mere man whom the Apostles projected miracles to and told 'fairy tales' to the weak and disillusioned passersby some 2,000 years ago!
We are still weak and growing more disillusioned just like the peasants and townspeople in this story but there among them (and us) is a Shepherd. This book was full of wisdom and strength in faith but I will warn the reader that it moves a little slow. Also as a Roman Catholic, I understood how some words and contents may be taken as blasphemy, but it is a work of fiction that offers a rare inside view of priesthood; their thoughts and way of life.
NOTE: I am giving this a 3 star rating. As much as I appreciate the theology and the message, I found the pacing to be slow. The stories within the story was interesting and captured the different clergy's thoughts and way of life for those living in the asylum....but I was confused on what the plot was. I get that the Archbishop is introduced to this new land but there were too many people introduced and I lost count on where and what the main priest told in the beginning was supposed to be.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.***
We see more of the faithful leaving their "posts" daily and then, as the faithful, we start to believe that perhaps this Son was just a mere man whom the Apostles projected miracles to and told 'fairy tales' to the weak and disillusioned passersby some 2,000 years ago!
We are still weak and growing more disillusioned just like the peasants and townspeople in this story but there among them (and us) is a Shepherd. This book was full of wisdom and strength in faith but I will warn the reader that it moves a little slow. Also as a Roman Catholic, I understood how some words and contents may be taken as blasphemy, but it is a work of fiction that offers a rare inside view of priesthood; their thoughts and way of life.
NOTE: I am giving this a 3 star rating. As much as I appreciate the theology and the message, I found the pacing to be slow. The stories within the story was interesting and captured the different clergy's thoughts and way of life for those living in the asylum....but I was confused on what the plot was. I get that the Archbishop is introduced to this new land but there were too many people introduced and I lost count on where and what the main priest told in the beginning was supposed to be.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.***
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews