Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession

by Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain

This classic Eastern Orthodox Christian text on repentance and confession is appearing for the first time in English. The call to repentance and confession of sins has been at the heart of the Christian Gospel since the preaching of Saint John the Forerunner and Christ Himself (Mat. 3:2, 4:17). It is the foundation of apostolic preaching (Mark 6:12) and the hallmark of Orthodox Christianity. And yet, in our day, when sin is regularly glorified as glamorous and repentance ridiculed as a sign of weakness, the Mystery of Confession is often misunderstood and neglected. When, however, one encounters the illumined instructions found in Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite’s Manual of Confession, he feels himself both freed from the delusions of this age and his own blindness to sin. Saint Nikodemos, an inheritor of the Apostolic Tradition and exponent of the Patristic mind, a Church Father who straddled the divide between antiquity and modernity, and an ascetic theologian who possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of Holy Scripture and the writings of the Holy Fathers, is an exceptionally qualified guide for all who would repent and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat. 3:2). In edition to St. Nikodemos’ edifying instruction to the Spiritual Father, the Manual of Confession also offers a meticulous interpretation of the Canons of St. John the Faster, an enlightening counsel for the penitent on how to confess, and a soul-profiting homily on repentance, making it essential reading for all who desire to be cured of the passions and find consolation from their afflictions. 480 pages, richly illustrated.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2006

About the author

St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite or St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (Greek: Ὃσιος Νικόδημος ὁ Ἁγιορείτης) born Nicholas Kallivroutsis (Νικόλαος Καλλιβρούτσης)is a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was an ascetic monk, mystic, theologian, and philosopher. His life's work was a revival of traditional Christian practices and patristic literature. He wrote ascetic prayer literature and influenced the rediscovery of Hesychasm, a method of contemplative prayer from the Byzantine period. He is most famous for his work with St. Macarius of Corinth on the anthology of monastic spiritual writings known as The Philokalia. He was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1955.

Reviews

[Joss Southgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and extremely helpful book. I only wish all Parish Priests had a copy and made use of the canons of St John the Faster (with perhaps further leniency due to 21st century societal sickness.) It really helped me take repentance more seriously and confess more often. Should be on the bookshelf of every Orthodox Christian

[William Tu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on repentance and confession. Most of it is meant for priests, but there is an unforgettable long section called "Precaution 5, Knowledge of sin", where sin is presented to you in all its evils: how it offends God, what types of loss it incurs for the sinner, and what punishment it incurs.