Saint Paisios the Athonite
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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Translated by Reverend Father Peter Chamberas
Softcover: 574 pages
From the original Greek authors:
"We considered it our duty to utilize whatever materials we had and to make every effort to compose, to the best of our ability, the biography of the Holy Elder. The materials that constitute this biography mainly come from our interactions with the Saint, from notes taken during the gatherings of our Brotherhood and private discussions with him, from his letters to the entire Brotherhood and to each Sister individually, from numerous testimonies—both written and oral—that were entrusted to us by clergy, monks, and laypeople who had known the Elder, as well as from information gathered through on-site research at some of the places where the Saint lived and struggled.
"This material—reaching thousands of pages—could not all be included in the biography, which we did not want to be overly extensive. Thus, a strict selection and organization of the material were necessary, based on the chronological periods of the Saint’s life and the places where God led him to serve. Therefore, regarding the testimonies of people who knew the Elder and were blessed by him, it was inevitable that more testimonies were left out of the biography than included. This was not because some testimonies were considered insignificant, as every encounter with the Saint was important, but because there were many similar accounts.
"Of course, no matter how much information we gather about the Saint’s life, it would be minimal in reality, as his spiritual treasure is safely kept in God’s vault. The lives of the Saints “are hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Thus, the inner spiritual life of the truly Christ-bearing Saint Paisios remains hidden, known only to God. Since we are unaware of his subtle and deep inner work, we must be careful not to misinterpret any outward actions or behavior of his or to attempt to imitate them indiscriminately, as this could both unjustly represent the Saint and harm us doubly."
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What an incredible book and man St Paisios was. I have read both biographies of him and both are fantastic. This version does a very good job of conveying the spirit of asceticism that the good Saint embodied. I particularly enjoyed reading about what he would eat during different time in his life. For example, the time he lived like a bird eating mulberries and cherries all summer, or a rusks with tea in the Sinai desert. Incredible man and such an inspiration, and so near to the time we live in. After finishing this book I picked up the remaining books from the spiritual council series, because spending time reading his books is like spending time with a dear friend. I am not officially Orthodox but if I ever become so I will certainly choose St Paisios as my patron saint. Glory be to God!
All of the books that we purchased were received well in our bookstore, most of which were sold during our Greek Festival. As is happening all over the country, we are seeing great numbers of people who are very interested in Holy Orthodoxy coming to our parish. These materials help us convey the message of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the body of Christ.