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The Enlargement of the Heart: Be Ye Also Enlarged (2 Corinthians 6:13) in the Theology of St Silouan the Athonite and Elder Sophrony of Essex
The Enlargement of the Heart consists of a remarkable series of presentations on the nature and purpose of human existence in St. 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.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2006
About the author
Zacharias Zacharou
41 books32 followersSee also: Ζαχαρίας Ζάχαρου and Zaharia Zaharou
Father 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.
Father 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 - 5 of 5 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.
March 16, 2026
Phenomenal. An absolute must read for anyone wanting to go deeper in their spiritual life.
May 6, 2026
Fantastic. Gives some history on St Silouan, St Sophrony, and the monastery in Essex, along with life-changing spiritual wisdom!
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 - 5 of 5 reviews