Phronema of our Fathers

Roots of Christian Mysticism: Texts from the Patristic Era with Commentary - Olivier Clement

By linking together a series of brilliantly chosen texts from the early centuries of the Church, the author lays bare the roots of the deeply mystical spirituality that has flourished among Christians throughout the ages.

Orthodox Alaska: A Theology of Mission by Michael J. Oleksa

Includes index and appendices. In 1794, the first Orthodox missionary monks arrived at Kodiak to fond what they believed would be an indigenous Orthodox Church in the New World. They recognized as integral to their mission the defense of Native people who were being abused, exploited and enslaved by an unjust regime. The mission understood its function in cosmic terms: to sanctify, here and now, this land, these people, and bring them to the unity-in-love which is the goal of authentic Christian mission. The history of the Alaskan Church confirms the eternal and indestructible character of the Church's vision, integrating into her worship the cosmic, scriptural and eschatological dimension of faith. Among the Native Americans in Alaska, Orthodoxy has become an integral part of an authentically American culture. Consequently it is appropriate that an Orthodox theology of mission should originate from the Alaskan context. If an American Orthodox missiology is to emerge, its formulation should serve not only the Church in America but contribute to the clarification of Orthodox theology for the universal Church as well. Archpriest Michael J. Oleska, Alaskan Orthodox missionary for nearly three decades, completed his doctoral work in Church History and Patristics at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Presov, Slovakia, in 1988. Upon completing a year of research and teaching at Moscow's St Patriarch Tikhon Theological Institute, he was elected Dean of St Herman's Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1996. He is also the editor of Alaskan Missionary Spirituality. Read less [javascript:void(0)]

On Prayer - Sophrony Sakharov

A collection of articles on prayer and the spiritual life, together with some of the author's own prayers. A moving testimony to the relevance of Christ, who, for Archimandrite Sophrony, is "all, and in all, the beginning and the ending" of all things.

Saint Nikolai Kasatkin and the Orthodox Mission in Japan

A saint and Equal of the Apostles of our own modern times, St. Nikolai personifies the ethos of Orthodox Christian evangelism.  Many are familiar with his Grace-filled and  tremendously fruitful mission in Japan, but little has been available in English until now. This publication of Divine Ascent Press presents for the first time a collection of writings in English introducing the reader to St. Nikolai and the culture he encountered in Japan just as it was opening its doors to the world around it. Articles written by several scholars and believers in Japan give new insight into his life and the struggles he faced as he tirelessly sought to fulfill the  call of the  Gospel.  We see St. Nikolai mirrored in his diaries, as well as in the  lives of his disciples, who were forever changed by their discovery of Orthodox Christianity through his  unique mission.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy, Its History, Theology, and Texts - John A. McGuckin

The Christological Controversy describes the turmoil of fifth-century Christianity seeking to articulate its beliefs on the person of Christ. The policies of the Theodosian dynasty and the conflicting interests of the patriarchal sees are the context of the controversy between Nestorius of Constantinople and Cyril of Alexandria, a bitter dispute that racked the entire oecumene. The historical analysis expounds on the arguments of both sides, particularly the Christology of Cyril, which was adopted as a standard.