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The Holy Fire: The Story of the Fathers of the Eastern Church
This powerful overview of the theological and spiritual development of the Eastern Christian Church renders the church fathers as flesh and blood servants of Jesus Christ, engaged with the all-consuming fire of grace. Robert Payne explores the lives and writings of ten monumental personages through whose hands passed the spiritual and temporal reins of their Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Dionysius the Areopagite, John Damascene, Gregory Palamas, and even Origen-a prolific, influential teacher, though denied a place among the "Fathers" by the Eastern Church. The author distinguishes these notables as "more incandescent" than the Western Fathers, marked by a fierce devotion to explore the image of God in man, to imitate the divine nature, to restore man to his lost Paradise, and to contemplate ceaselessly the absolute mercy, dominion, divinity, and majesty of the Christ. Their apostolic fire became crystallized into dogma and church order, rather than into individual confessions, despite their intense spiritual experiences. Their zeal to proclaim the gospel so prodigiously, in the face of extreme suffering, caused Life to flow from them, so that their words, their thoughts still live and breath among us in hymns, in prayers, and in the ancient art of holy spaces.
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
Robert Payne
339 books36 followersPierre Stephen Robert Payne was born December 4, 1911, in Saltash, County of Cornwall, England, the son of Stephen Payne, a naval architect, and Mireille Louise Antonia (Dorey) Payne, a native of France. Payne was the eldest of three brothers. His middle brother was Alan (Marcel Alan), and his youngest brother was Tony, who died at the age of seven.
Payne went to St. Paul's School, London. He attended the Diocesan College, Rondebosch, South Africa, 1929-30; the University of Capetown, 1928-1930; Liverpool University, 1933-35; the University of Munich, summer, 1937, and the Sorbonne, in Paris, 1938.
Payne first followed his father into shipbuilding, working as a shipwright's apprentice at Cammell, Laird's Shipbuilding Company, Birkendhead, 1931-33. He also worked for the Inland Revenue as an Assistant Inspector of Taxes in Guilford in 1936. In 1937-38 he traveled in Europe and, while in Munich, met Adolf Hitler through Rudolf Hess, an incident which Payne vividly describes in his book Eyewitness. In 1938 Payne covered the Civil War in Spain for the London News Chronicle, an experience that resulted in two books, A Young Man Looks at Europe and The Song of the Peasant.
From 1939 to 1941 Payne worked as a shipwright at the Singapore Naval Base and in 1941 he became an armament officer and chief camouflage officer for British Army Intelligence there. In December, 1941, he was sent to Chungking, China, to serve as Cultural Attaché at the British Embassy.
In January, 1942, he covered the battle of Changsha for the London Times, and from 1942 to 1943 he taught English literature at Fuhtan University, near Chungking. Then, persuaded by Joseph Needham, he went to Kunming and taught poetry and naval architecture at Lienta University from 1943 to 1946. The universities of Peking, Tsinghua, and Nankai had converged in Kunming to form the University at Lienta. It was there that Payne, together with Chinese scholars and poets, compiled and co-translated The White Pony.
In China Payne met General George C. Marshall, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Tse-tung, who was elusive and living in the caves of Yenan, all of whom later became subjects for his biographies. From his time in China also came the autobiographical volumes Forever China and China Awake, and the historical novels Love and Peace and The Lovers.
From China, Payne briefly visited India in the summer, 1946, which resulted in a love for Indian art. Throughout his life, Payne retained a love for all forms of oriental art.
He came to the United States in the winter of 1946 and lived in Los Angeles, California, until he became Professor of English and Author-in-Residence at Alabama College, Montevallo, 1949-54. He was the founding editor of Montevallo Review, whose contributors included poets Charles Olson and Muriel Rukeyser. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1953.
In Spring, 1949, Payne visited Persia with the Asia Institute Expedition. He received an M.A. degree from the Asia Institute in 1951.
In 1954 Payne moved to New York City, where he lived the rest of his life, interrupted once or twice a year by travel to the Middle East, the Far East, and Europe, mostly to gather material for his books, but also to visit his mother and father in England. His very close literary relationship with his father is documented in the hundreds of highly personal and informative letters which they exchanged.
In 1942, Payne married Rose Hsiung, daughter of Hsiung Hse-ling, a former prime minister of China. They divorced in 1952. In 1981, he married Sheila Lalwani, originally from India.
Over a period of forty-seven years Payne had more than 110 books published. He wrote his first novella, Adventures of Sylvia, Queen of Denmark and China, when he was seven years old. Payne's first publication was a translation of Iiuri Olesha's Envy, published by Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Hogarth Press in 1936. A year later, T.S. Eliot published his novel The War in the Marshes under
Payne went to St. Paul's School, London. He attended the Diocesan College, Rondebosch, South Africa, 1929-30; the University of Capetown, 1928-1930; Liverpool University, 1933-35; the University of Munich, summer, 1937, and the Sorbonne, in Paris, 1938.
Payne first followed his father into shipbuilding, working as a shipwright's apprentice at Cammell, Laird's Shipbuilding Company, Birkendhead, 1931-33. He also worked for the Inland Revenue as an Assistant Inspector of Taxes in Guilford in 1936. In 1937-38 he traveled in Europe and, while in Munich, met Adolf Hitler through Rudolf Hess, an incident which Payne vividly describes in his book Eyewitness. In 1938 Payne covered the Civil War in Spain for the London News Chronicle, an experience that resulted in two books, A Young Man Looks at Europe and The Song of the Peasant.
From 1939 to 1941 Payne worked as a shipwright at the Singapore Naval Base and in 1941 he became an armament officer and chief camouflage officer for British Army Intelligence there. In December, 1941, he was sent to Chungking, China, to serve as Cultural Attaché at the British Embassy.
In January, 1942, he covered the battle of Changsha for the London Times, and from 1942 to 1943 he taught English literature at Fuhtan University, near Chungking. Then, persuaded by Joseph Needham, he went to Kunming and taught poetry and naval architecture at Lienta University from 1943 to 1946. The universities of Peking, Tsinghua, and Nankai had converged in Kunming to form the University at Lienta. It was there that Payne, together with Chinese scholars and poets, compiled and co-translated The White Pony.
In China Payne met General George C. Marshall, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Tse-tung, who was elusive and living in the caves of Yenan, all of whom later became subjects for his biographies. From his time in China also came the autobiographical volumes Forever China and China Awake, and the historical novels Love and Peace and The Lovers.
From China, Payne briefly visited India in the summer, 1946, which resulted in a love for Indian art. Throughout his life, Payne retained a love for all forms of oriental art.
He came to the United States in the winter of 1946 and lived in Los Angeles, California, until he became Professor of English and Author-in-Residence at Alabama College, Montevallo, 1949-54. He was the founding editor of Montevallo Review, whose contributors included poets Charles Olson and Muriel Rukeyser. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1953.
In Spring, 1949, Payne visited Persia with the Asia Institute Expedition. He received an M.A. degree from the Asia Institute in 1951.
In 1954 Payne moved to New York City, where he lived the rest of his life, interrupted once or twice a year by travel to the Middle East, the Far East, and Europe, mostly to gather material for his books, but also to visit his mother and father in England. His very close literary relationship with his father is documented in the hundreds of highly personal and informative letters which they exchanged.
In 1942, Payne married Rose Hsiung, daughter of Hsiung Hse-ling, a former prime minister of China. They divorced in 1952. In 1981, he married Sheila Lalwani, originally from India.
Over a period of forty-seven years Payne had more than 110 books published. He wrote his first novella, Adventures of Sylvia, Queen of Denmark and China, when he was seven years old. Payne's first publication was a translation of Iiuri Olesha's Envy, published by Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Hogarth Press in 1936. A year later, T.S. Eliot published his novel The War in the Marshes under
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 24, 2019
This has to be one of the most engaging history books I've ever read. The author has a knack for grabbing historical figures and making them leap off the page, letting the reader see and touch and hear them as they must have been when they were alive. He's exuberant, a great writer in his own right, and overflowing with enthusiasm for his subject, which is contagious to the reader. It doesn't read like a history book or even a theology book. It's an epic story that just so happens to be true.
Payne takes us from the very beginning of Christian history just after the Resurrection of Christ all the way to the death of the Byzantine Empire in the late 14th century. He walks us through the history of the early Church through the eyes of the Church Fathers by devoting a chapter to each (Clement, Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Dionysius the Areopagite, John Damascene, and Gregory Palamas). He charts their lives from birth to death while describing the political and spiritual culture surrounding each one. He summarizes (and often quotes) their writings, theological views, controversies, and mannerisms in breathtaking prose, and you finish each chapter thinking you've actually met these great historical saints. He doesn't gloss over their frailties, failures, or follies, but he also doesn't linger on them. These were men, like the rest of us, and prone to all the silly things men do, yet they were also deep thinkers, powerful speakers, and walked closely with God. They helped to form the Church into what she is today, and it was astounding to read of all the difficulties they had to face to do so.
The version I own (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press) includes a Preface that is extremely important in understanding this book. For one, this book is old and some references it makes are outdated (ie what's been found or published in English, etc.). And, as masterful as this book is, it is also a work of opinion. There are theological and historical issues with it (like his inclusion of Origen as a Church Father who many deem to be a heretic). Payne takes liberties in pushing his descriptions of these men as far as their intellect or capabilities when in reality such descriptions are subjective. I wasn't sure entirely where he got all his information, though there's no doubt that he must've read an enormous amount of ancient texts before penning this book. I would've liked to known what all he read (he does list many but not all). The book is not objective. He doesn't compare other commentators or opinions on the subject material, nor does he quote any other historians or theologians who may have also written on the subject. This book is simply Payne's version of early church history, and while it may not fully satisfy the scholar, for the casual reader it is a beautiful and engaging way to begin your dive into church history. It's rich, deep, powerful, and it will leave a lasting impression. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the ancient Christian Church or the early Church Fathers and who doesn't want bogged down by an overly technical or stuffy read. This book is anything but!
Payne takes us from the very beginning of Christian history just after the Resurrection of Christ all the way to the death of the Byzantine Empire in the late 14th century. He walks us through the history of the early Church through the eyes of the Church Fathers by devoting a chapter to each (Clement, Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Dionysius the Areopagite, John Damascene, and Gregory Palamas). He charts their lives from birth to death while describing the political and spiritual culture surrounding each one. He summarizes (and often quotes) their writings, theological views, controversies, and mannerisms in breathtaking prose, and you finish each chapter thinking you've actually met these great historical saints. He doesn't gloss over their frailties, failures, or follies, but he also doesn't linger on them. These were men, like the rest of us, and prone to all the silly things men do, yet they were also deep thinkers, powerful speakers, and walked closely with God. They helped to form the Church into what she is today, and it was astounding to read of all the difficulties they had to face to do so.
The version I own (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press) includes a Preface that is extremely important in understanding this book. For one, this book is old and some references it makes are outdated (ie what's been found or published in English, etc.). And, as masterful as this book is, it is also a work of opinion. There are theological and historical issues with it (like his inclusion of Origen as a Church Father who many deem to be a heretic). Payne takes liberties in pushing his descriptions of these men as far as their intellect or capabilities when in reality such descriptions are subjective. I wasn't sure entirely where he got all his information, though there's no doubt that he must've read an enormous amount of ancient texts before penning this book. I would've liked to known what all he read (he does list many but not all). The book is not objective. He doesn't compare other commentators or opinions on the subject material, nor does he quote any other historians or theologians who may have also written on the subject. This book is simply Payne's version of early church history, and while it may not fully satisfy the scholar, for the casual reader it is a beautiful and engaging way to begin your dive into church history. It's rich, deep, powerful, and it will leave a lasting impression. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the ancient Christian Church or the early Church Fathers and who doesn't want bogged down by an overly technical or stuffy read. This book is anything but!
November 2, 2015
This book was spectacular, covering some of the larger figures of Christianity from its entire sweep of history! You can go on about errors here and there, and gasp in horror that the author had an appreciation for Origen, etc, but there is life in these pages! The Fathers have never been so alive and real as they are in this wonderful book. I knew of them from their Lives read every year and from some of their writings, but now I know them.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
May 19, 2024
Great introduction into early church fathers and eastern Christian life. I got to know these incredible men on a more personal level throughout my reading. Highly recommend for anyone curious on the subject but don’t know where to start.
August 9, 2017
This is an awesome collection of the works of the Fathers of the Eastern Church. It provides brief explanations of their work and writings. At times it gives quite personal accounts into their lives which are certainly eye-opening and makes this book most informative. Sadly I can't help but have some criticisms. The most obvious being that Saint Maximus the Confessor is not present at all. If there was a chapter on him this book would certainly be complete.
While I do have some reservations about certain details which I find incorrect, overall this remains an excellent collection of the Eastern Fathers of the church including Clement, Origen, Athanasios, Basil Gregory the Theologian, Gregory Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Dionysios Areopagite, John Damascene and Gregory Pslamas.
While I do have some reservations about certain details which I find incorrect, overall this remains an excellent collection of the Eastern Fathers of the church including Clement, Origen, Athanasios, Basil Gregory the Theologian, Gregory Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Dionysios Areopagite, John Damascene and Gregory Pslamas.
March 15, 2016
I recommend this as an introduction to the lives of some astonishing saints and mystics. The author is not particularly rigorous in his approach and as such there are gaps in each biographical vignette. The book allows enough information for the reader to determine who would be of interest for further study. I expected more from this book.
May 5, 2009
Well written. The author's love & passion for church history shines through each page. But I was disappointed that he placed early gnostic writers and Origen on the same playing field as Chrysostom & Palamas without explanation.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews