The Philokalia and the Inner Life
On Passions and Prayer
by Christopher C.H. Cook
Paperback (No longer our product)
(January 2011)
ISBN: 9780227173428
6.1 x 9.17 inches
Price: $53.00
In stock
The first book to explore the Philokalia of the Eastern Church from the perspective of contemporary psychology, offering new insight into the practice of prayer and the nature of spiritual well-being.
The Philokalia was published in Venice in 1782. It is an anthology of patristic writings from the Eastern Church, spanning the 4th to the 15th Centuries, which has been the subsequent focus of a significant revival in Orthodox spirituality. It presents an understanding of psychopathology and mental life which is significantly different to that usually encountered in western Christianity. It also presents accounts of both mental wellbeing and the pathologies of the mind or soul which are radically different to contemporary secular accounts and yet which also find remarkable points of similarity with contemporary psychotherapeutic approaches, such as cognitive therapy. The book provides an introduction to the history of the Philokalia and the philosophical, anthropological and theological influences that contributed to its information. It presents a critical account of the pathologies of the soul, the remedies for these pathologies, and the therapeutic goals as portrayed by the authors of the Philokalia. It then offers a critical engagement of this material with a contemporary understanding of psychotherapy. Finally, it raises important questions about the relationship between thoughts and prayer.
- By (author) Christopher CH Cook
"This imaginative study succeeds in drawing out the riches of the Philokalia...a taster for a rich spiritual resource as well as a reminder of the essential yoking together of psychological and spiritual well-being."John Twisleton, New Direction, June 2011"This is a profound work of scholarship and spiritual understanding that can be strongly recommended to believers of any religion or none."Professor Andrew Sims, Royal College of Psychiatrists- Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group Newsletter, No. 31, June 2011
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