The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter: 3:4): The cultivation of the heart in Orthodox Christian anthropology

by Zacharias Zacharou

The Hidden Man of the Heart consists of a series of presentations on the place of the heart in the spiritual life of the Christian. Reference is made to the Hesychast tradition of the Orthodox Church, including two of the most influential figures in contemporary Christianity: Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866- 1938) and Saint Sophrony the Athonite (1896-1993).

Delivered in Wichita, Kansas at the 2007 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, each lecture is published in full, together with its corresponding Questions & Answers.

The author is a disciple of Saint Sophrony and a member of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, England. ‘Man’s true purpose foreordained before all worlds is attained by the keeping of the Creator’s commandments; their fulfilment presupposes the return of the mind to the heart and the restoration of its original integrity. For only then can a person love God with his whole being and his neighbour as himself, according to the twofold commandment of love. Such was the state of man in Paradise; he knew neither division nor struggle within his soul. The natural God-given power of his mind was continually turned towards the Face of God, and his delight in the glory of God knew no bound. But now he is fallen and his mind is dispersed; he must return to his heart and rediscover his unity…The mind is now in the heart. God watches over it.

It is immersed in the warmth of the heart and is cleansed by the baptism of fire which the Lord brought to earth (cf. Luke 3:16; 12:49). And when the cleansing is complete, the mind becomes as lightning, and is ready to enter the deep heart.’

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

280 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2007

About the author

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.

Reviews

[William Tu · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read. Very spiritually deep, but in everyday understandable language. I recommend all three books by Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou. The other two are "The Enlargement of the Heart" and "Remember Thy First Love". These three books are available as e-books on Amazon. He is a disciple of Elder Sophrony, who is a disciple of Silouan the Athonite. Surely the spiritual riches of Silouan the Athonite has been inherited by these two people (Elder Sophrony, and then Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou).

[Andrew Youssef · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book deals with different elements of the spiritual life through question and answers from desert wisdom. The book can be a difficult and dry read sometimes but the pros outweighs the cons as it is an incredibly edifying book. Don’t feel the need to finish it at once. It’s best to read chapter by chapter or even read one chapter over a few times.

[S. D. Kilmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Katie Newberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a comfortable read, but a healthy and deeply stirring one.