Diadochus of Photice : On Spiritual Perfection
. . . Anyone who loves God in the depths of his heart has already been loved by God. In fact, the measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this...
View ArticleDiadochus of Photice
From 100 Chapters on Spiritual Perfection Ch. 14 He who loves God consciously in his heart is known by God (cf. 1 Cor. 8:3), for to the degree that he receives the love of God consciously in his soul,...
View ArticleResource: The Psychological Basis of the Jesus Prayer
Description of Work The Psychological Basis of Mental Prayer in the Heart is a three-volume work dedicated to the the study of the foundations of the Jesus Prayer. It has been written by an Orthodox...
View ArticleProcopius of Gaza – God’s Wisdom is wine and feast
From the Commentary on Proverbs by Procopius of Gaza (c. 465-528 AD) The Wisdom of God has mixed wine for us and set up a feast Wisdom has built herself a house. God the Father’s Power, himself a...
View ArticleSaint Leo the Great – Purification of spirit
From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope Purification of spirit through fasting and almsgiving Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for...
View ArticleSt Athanasius on Psalm 1
From an Easter letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop The Paschal sacrament brings together in unity of faith those who are far away Brethren, how fine a thing it is to move from festival to festival, from...
View ArticleOrigen – Scripture is sealed; the analogy of rooms and keys
Origen – Scripture is sealed; the analogy of rooms and keys From Commentary on the 1st Psalm as cited in The Philocalia of Origen CHAP. II. — That the Divine Scripture is closed up and sealed. From the...
View ArticlePhilo on the Two Wives of the Soul
Philo on the Two Wives of the Soul This most remarkable treatise, an allegory on virtue and vice, is due to Philo of Alexandria. Owing to its omission in some critical editions (notably the Greek/Latin...
View ArticleMay you be filled to the complete fullness of Christ — Pseudo-Macarius
Many people may have read the beautiful passage below in the Roman Catholic Office of Readings and wondered about its author. It comes from the fourth-century work, Fifty Spiritual Homilies...
View ArticleThe ‘Our Father’ Explained by the Church Fathers
Patristic Commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer The following is a list of Patristic commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer, with links to original-language versions and English translations. The Lord’s Prayer...
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St. Augustine and Intellectual Vision
Gerard Seghers (attr). The Four Doctors of the Western Church, Saint Augustine of Hippo ST. AUGUSTINE, in several works, but most famously in Book 12 of On the Literal Meaning of Genesis (De Gen ad...
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The Archetypal Meaning of Hercules at the Crossroads
Annibale Carracci, The Choice of Hercules, 1596 THE ATHENIAN philosopher and rhetorician, Prodicus, a contemporary of Socrates, wrote an essay commonly known as Hercules at the Crossroads, which he...
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St. John Cassian on spiritual discernment: Be ye good money changers
Photo: Ancient counterfeiters and their fake coins BE YE GOOD MONEY-CHANGERS is one of a few dozen agrapha, or unwritten sayings attributed to Jesus in the patristic literature. This particular...
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Mental Ascent in St. Augustine’s De quantitate animae
THROUGHOUT his works St. Augustine presents descriptions of the ascent of the mind through fixed levels or stages (Van Fleteren, 2009). These are of interest not only because of their influence on...
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St. Augustine on the Esoteric Meaning of the Beatitudes
Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. (Mat 7:24) THE THEME of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels is the kingdom of...
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