A Beginner's Introduction to the Philokalia

By Anthony M. Coniaris

This beginner's guide to the great 5-volume classic of Eastern Orthodox spirituality studies the many concepts addressed in the Philokalia. Each chapter focuses on a single spiritual concept explaining it as simply as possible. Chapters include - Watchfulness (Nepsis), Logismoi (Thoughts), Ascesis, Theosis, The Passion, Stillness (Hesychia), the Jesus Prayer, etc. A superb introduction to the Philokalia. Easy to read. Useful individually or studied as a group.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781933654492

Book preview

Introduction

One of the many great treasures bequeathed to us by sacred tradition is the Philokalia—an anthology of spiritual writings by some thirty Church Fathers from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries. It was compiled by Sts. Macarios and Nicodemos on Mt. Athos in 1777 and printed in five volumes.

St. Nicodemos, one of its compilers, describes the Philokalia as a mystical school of inward prayer. The pilgrim in the spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim describes what the Philokalia meant to him in terms of tasting the sweetness of prayer that created in him a burning desire for union with God:

Ah, how much new knowledge, how much wisdom that I never yet possessed was revealed to me in this book. As I began to put it into practice I tasted a sweetness I could not even have imagined until now. Often I spent an entire day sitting in the forest carefully reading the Philokalia and learning many wondrous things from it. My heart burned with a desire for union with God through interior prayer.

The English translators describe the Philokalia in these terms:

The Philokalia is an itinerary through the labyrinth of time, a silent way of love and gnosis through the deserts and emptinesses of life, especially of modern life, a vivifying and fadeless presence. It is an active force revealing a spiritual path and inducing man to follow it. It is a summons to him to overcome his ignorance, to uncover the knowledge that lies within, to rid himself of illusion, and to be receptive to the grace of the Holy Spirit who teaches all things and brings all things to remembrance.*

The following dialogue from The Way of a Pilgrim explains how the purpose of the Philokalia is not to replace but to explain the deeper meaning of God’s Word:

Read this book, [the elder] said. "It is called The Philokalia, and it contains the full and detailed science of constant interior prayer, set forth by 25 holy Fathers. The book is marked by a lofty wisdom and is so profitable to use that it is considered the foremost and best manual of the contemplative spiritual life. As the revered Nicephoros said, ‘It leads one to salvation without labor and sweat.’"

Is it then more sublime and holy than the Bible? I asked.

"No, it is not that. But it contains clear explanations of what the Bible holds in secret and which cannot be easily grasped by our shortsighted understanding. I will give you an illustration. The sun is the greatest, the most resplendent and the most wonderful of heavenly luminaries, but you cannot contemplate and examine it simply with unprotected eyes. You have to use a piece of artificial glass which is many millions of times smaller and darker than the sun. But through this little piece of glass you can examine the magnificent monarch of stars, delight in it, and endure its fiery rays. Holy Scripture also is a dazzling sun, and this book, the Philokalia, is the piece of glass which we use to enable us to contemplate the sun in its imperial splendour. Listen now, I am going to read you the sort of instruction it gives on unceasing interior prayer."*

Bishop Kallistos Ware counsels that the Philokalia is not an easy book to read. He advises the reader to prepare for it by beginning with two other books which consist of simpler texts from the Philokalia: Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer and The Art of Prayer by Igumen Chariton of Valamo.

To help the reader better understand the spirituality of the Philokalia, we shall now take a look at some of the principle terms one encounters in reading this classic, offering an explanation for each concept. These key words will serve to introduce the reader to the deeper meaning of the Philokalia.

Chapter One

WATCHFULNESS,

WAKEFULNESS, INNER

ATTENTION (NEPSIS)

One of the major emphases of the Philokalia is inner watchfulness. The authors whose works are included in the Philokalia are often called the Wakeful or Neptic Fathers because of the great emphasis they place on inner wakefulness and alertness. The Greek word nepsis means vigilance, alertness.

Nepsis means to