The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology

by Kallistos Ware (Editor), Igumen Chariton (Compiled by), E. Kadloubovsky (Translator)

A spiritual anthology drawn from the Greek and Russian traditions, concerned in particular with the most frequently used and best loved of all Orthodox prayers--the Jesus Prayer. Texts are taken chiefly from the letters of Bishop Theopan the Recluse, along with many other writers.

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

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1966

About the author

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (also known by his lay name, Timothy Ware) is a titular metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Great Britain. From 1966-2001, he was Spalding Lecturer of Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and has authored numerous books and articles pertaining to the Orthodox Christian faith.

Reviews

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and helpful read. Repetitive at times, which at first bothered me but I grew fond of the repetition about halfway through the book when I actually started to try to practice the things written here.

This isn't necessarily the best intro to prayer. The part of the book dedicated to the Jesus prayer has a lot of good things for introduction, but as a whole, the writers speak of very high level concepts, sometimes written specifically to monks, and could be confusing or even disturbing to someone not well-versed in the sayings of the fathers.

[Rose]

that book really took much time 2 b finished. I can't evaluate it properly. It was good I can't deny that,but how much good don't know. The topics r fantastic. I don't know what type of ppl I can recommend that book to, all I know it's not for beginners, u need to have background about the art of prayer before starting it 2 b able 2 understand the standards the book has.
It has one big goal focused on , that was so good & useful to me.
An advice, if get bored at the start, fight & keep going, there is a treasure need 2 b found n that book.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a guide to the Orthodox art of prayer this book is ideal. There is much repetition, but I find sometimes we need that repetition. A slight twist in how a sentence is phrased, or a slightly different context, can mean the difference between understanding and not. Highly recommended for anyone interested in true prayer rather than a superficial litany of material wants and desires.

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear concise quotes from Greek and Russian church spiritual guides on the power of the Jesus prayer.

[Saint Katherine BookstoreVA]

"The soul of each one who truly prays becomes a temple of God and a sacred place of sacrifice. All prayers are good—audible prayers, book prayers, public prayers, silent prayers of the heart—when practiced carefully and attentively ." (Monk Moses, Athonite Flowers).

How do we orient ourselves to God, grounding our prayer in the richness of the Eastern Christian tradition? What do we pray for? How might we imitate Saint Paul: “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing” (1 Th 5:16-17). The selections complied in The Art of Prayer seek to direct us in these areas through thoughtful reflection.

Igumen Chariton was the abbot of the Russian Orthodox monastery of Valermo in the period between the World Wars. Over the course of his monastic life, he complied hundreds of short passages by churchmen from the fourth century onward. He clearly found Saint Theophan the Recluse (+1894) most helpful, with the bulk of the book’s passages by him. What Chariton left us is a book of pointed and meaningful quotes on multiple aspects of prayer, designed to help those of us who don’t have time to “mine the gems” from the writings across time.

But this was not intended as a “self-help” book. As Chariton was himself a monastic under obedience and the spiritual direction of another, his choice of selections makes it clear that he expected his readers to be actively participating in the life of the Church. Regular attendance
at Church services, frequent reception of the Eucharist, personal prayer (with one’s own words as well as the Church’s established prayers), spiritual direction (if only regular confession)—Chariton is clear that these form the basis of one’s ultimate ability to internalize the lessons of Theophan, Ignatius, Dmitri, Issac, and the others quoted.

[Angelica Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every page, the kind of book you should carry with you everywhere or have by your bedside table and re-read over and over again. A true feast for the mind and heart. May God bless St. Theophan The Recluse and all the monks all over the world. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy upon me, a sinner”.

[Maureen E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Orthodox Christian anthology, largely taken from the Philokalia, on prayer. It includes sections from St. Theophan the Recluse, St. Ignaty Brianchininnov, and others. Highly recommended, although more for Orthodox than non-Orthodox.

[maitreya]

Henri Nouwen: "It is not a book to read but to meditate with. One or two sentences may be enough to nurture you for a long time."

[Joanna Eleftheriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll always be rereading this book, till I memorize it.

[Connor Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not one to write reviews, but this book is worthy of a review. This is the single greatest book on Prayer I’ve ever read. Others who have reviewed this book mention how repetitive it is. This book is as it says, an anthology. It does not claim to be a narrative with fresh insight on every page. It is a collection of notes that a holy man put together about prayer that he learned from other holy men and in his collection of notes he gathered a lot of similar wisdom. I found the repetitive nature compelling and comforting, and much needed as I sought to practice the ways of prayer mentioned in this book. I needed the constant repetition in order to allow the wisdom in its pages to be ingrained in my mind. I also found the repetitiveness poetic that the repetitive nature of the wisdom surrounding the Prayer of the Heart mimics the prayer itself as we seek to forever and always call out in our heart “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me.”

[Brad Dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this is a marination. Repetitive and spiraling, the message was drilled into me over weeks of slow savoring. I now repeat the Jesus Prayer near constantly and it has changed much, much, much. This book freed me from legalisms, encouraged me in drought, and dripped fire into my soul. I don’t think I would have been ready for this read a couple of years ago, but I’m grateful I am now — I wouldn’t recommend this to those new to prayer, but for those seeking to deepen their discipleship, this is it.

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how sometimes a book speaks directly to whatever you're struggling with--when daily you open to a page and receive exactly the advice you've needed--when your heart is so stirred, you're sure this long-dead Russian recluse had you in mind when he scrawled these lines? I feel like a true Christian geek telling you that this has been one of the most instructive books I've read about prayer. Can you believe I even indexed my favorite passages so I can continue to lean on them? Oy vei.

[Georgie Zhiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect.

[Yuri Zbitnoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the role and proper practice of Orthodox prayer.

[Garth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of prayers from a myriad of Orthodox source. An invaluable tool for deepening spiritual growth and the Jesus Prayer.
(May, 2025)

[Julio Alvarado · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book based off of the recommendation to primarily focus on it's perspective on prayer but from how the ancient patriarchs heard the voice of God for their lives. This book had a few good insights into this process that I was looking for but the majority of the content of this book focus more on the traditional perspective of prayer in terms of what to say in prayer and quoting scripted prayers from different resources.

[wing · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only needed one book on Orthodox prayer, what it is and consists of, here it is.

[Shiva Seven · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic!!!!