The life received by St. Anthony is one that is precisely in accordance with the Bible, one which was aided by tremendous power from the Holy Spirit. His going out into the wilderness as an eighteen year old, to live in the mountains and parched deserts, was an expression of the measure of intense faith that filled the heart of St Anthony, The young teen who was accustomed to living a lavish lifestyle, was not hindered by the circumstances of his one and only orphan sister, or the allure of three hundred acres of land that promised a comfortable earthly life in response to the gospel call This book explores the biblical basis of the monastic life through the lens of the life and writings of its founder

The four volumes of the Christian Living Series are the fruit of a catechism class that the late Bishop Youanis used to teach to university students who came to Cairo from other states to study. The Chapters of these volumes have been a hand book for many Christians who are pursuing their spiritual path and a source of direction to many over the last fifty years, now we present it to you in the English language. This volume, Spiritual Nourishment, Prescribes the necessary spiritual nourishments that are needed along the spiritual path. Chapters include: Bible Reading, Spiritual Reading, Retreats, and Service.

According to Fr. Alexander Men (1935-1990), the Russian Orthodox priest and popular spiritual teacher who was publicly martyred in 1990 in the former USSR, prayer is "the flight of the heart toward God." This work, available for the first time in English, is a collection of his writings, lectures, and sermons on prayer. You will discover both ancient and modern wisdom, and you will see how one Eastern Orthodox priest taught his parishioners to pray.
"His simple but profound teaching on the absolute necessity of a prayer life could change the world. " Scott Cairns, Poet

Even though the Eastern Orthodox Church is widely recognized as having a deep and profound theological understanding of the world as God's creation, practice of this theology has been elusive. To address this dilemma this text provides guidance on the spiritual and physical steps that are necessary for Orthodox Christians to apply their theology to ecological issues. This book includes a special foreword by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who introduces the challenge of greening the Church. In his commentary, he sees that the application of this book's themes can lead to the creation of "green parishes" and even "green priests" throughout the world. Throughout the book the principles and practices underlying the transformation and transfiguration of creation are emphasized. The result is a simple yet comprehensive "hands-on" approach to a Christian caring for the earth. This is accomplished by providing an organic sequence of themes that engage the development of ecological consciousness within the Church. The book unfolds in the following manner. First, Greening the Orthodox Parish provides theological foundations for ecological action. This includes the writings of the Orthodox patriarchs as they translate theology into a call for Christian action on ecology; the Scriptural passages which lead to care for the earth; and the writings of the saints which provide historical perspective on ecology as a perennial imperative for the Church. Second, upon these foundations - the Scriptures, the saints, and the voice of the Church, a series of issues are examined through Orthodox theology and modern science. This leads to spiritual direction on how to extend the teachings of the Church into issues such as global warming, toxic chemicals, forests, consumerism, etc., so that healing direction results for parishioners, the surrounding culture, and through these, the environment. Third, a process for developing parish groups is identified so that any parish may address environmental issues. The task is not only the greening of parish action, but a greening of attitudes. For this task principles are provided including a check list for pastors to ensure that the parish is using suitable methods for energy and conservation. Guidelines are also available for parishioner attitudes so that they may develop ecological consciousness that is at once obedience to God, fidelity to the Church, and an engagement with the issues that assault the life of the parish. Fourth, a further orientation to Orthodox ecological awareness is cultivated through the inclusion of a study course that uses key writings by Orthodox hierarchs and theologians. The task of greening the parish requires study and application. This course launches a journey of learning and growing in ecological awareness that becomes an extension of the life of the parish into the life of the world. Throughout the book a special emphasis exists on the ecological witness of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Not only is this book dedicated to His All-Holiness, but it relies on his writings for a stream of quotations. These citations indicate that this greening theme is not some modern innovation creeping into Orthodox thought. Rather, it is an extension of timeless theological principles to the serious issues facing our world. Creation care is akin to new wine drawn from old wineskins; it is a continuation of the gospel message that allows an addressing of the problems facing the modern world. Jesus Christ taught us the need to do the will of God "on earth as it is in heaven." This Handbook is only a contemporary pathway for the application of the timeless Orthodox faith to the issues of the modern world.

Elisabeth Behr-Sigel (1907-2005), a convert to Orthodoxy in her early twenties and a central figure of Orthodox theology among Russian emigres in Paris, first began to reflect on the question of women in the priesthood in 1976. Initially supporting the general consensus that priesthood would be impossible for the Orthodox, she came to retract this view, finding a basis for female ordination in women's distinct spiritual charisms. Behr-Sigel later shifted the foundation of her case to personhood, inspired by the work of fellow Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky, and arrived at the conclusion that all the Orthodox arguments against the ordination of women were, in fact, heretical at root. In this volume, Wilson analyzes all of Behr-Sigel's writings about women and the priesthood across the whole sweep of her career, demonstrating the development of her thought on women over the last thirty years of her life. She evaluates her relationship to feminism, Protestantism and movements within Orthodoxy, finally drawing conclusions about this much-contested matter for the ongoing debate in both the East and the West.

St Martin the Bishop of Tours is a saint from France from the 5th century A.D. He was a solider in the Roman army till he was attracted to the monastic life. He was later ordained a priest then a bishop of the city of Tours. The Coptic Church celebrates his feast on the 14th of Hatour. All Time Heroes from all Times, is a series that we plan to publish for a long time. This series presents the lives of some of the church saints and heroes of faith from the time of Jesus till today. Some of these books will be printed others will only be available in Kindle format.

"For anyone wanting to understand an extraordinary and important episode in the modern history of Christianity, Tom Dykstra's excellent account, which is both meticulous and highly readable, should be an indispensable starting-point. It brings alive a passionate argument over the holiness of the Name of God which shook the Tsarist and Balkan world on the eve of the first world war. Better than any other chronicler of the tragedy that came to a head in the main monastic stronghold of the Christian East, he combines a clear view of the theological stakes with a keen sense of the politics, both secular and ecclesiastical, which determined the outcome. Dykstra also manages to situate the Imperial Russian quarrel over sacred names in the broader sweep of the history of monotheism." - Bruce Clark, Writer on religion and public policy, The Economist, www.economist.com

With an estimated 250 million adherents, the Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian body in the world. This absorbing account of the essential elements of Eastern Orthodox thought deals with the Trinity, Christ, sin, humanity and creation as well as praying, icons, the sacraments and liturgy.

Presented here is a collection of talks and sermons by Russian Orthodox Archpriest Georgy Neifakh (1953-2005). Father Georgy - a former academic biologist, and later the builder and senior priest of the Church of the Falling-Asleep of the Mother of God in the city of Kurchatov, Russia - has spoken in these sermons and talks about family life, the upbringing of children, prayerful concern for our neighbors and kin, sincerity in faith and the harm to the soul that comes from merely external piety, the possibility of resisting the temptations peculiar to our time, and much else that is important for everyone. Originally given during Lent, these reflections on the eight categories of temptation and sin "the passions," as the Church names them reveal both Fr. Georgy's insight into our human condition and his refreshingly practical advice for recognizing and dealing with these temptations. While Fr. Georgy does not permit us excuses for our sin, he offers his pastoral wisdom in a spirit of humility, as one who faces the same struggles we do, offering companionship and encouragement, as well as instruction, along the way.

T. H. Robinson's Paradigms and exercises in Syriac Grammar was first published in 1915 to meet the need for 'something of an elementary nature which should be of value to the student who takes up Syriac for the first time'. Since then, the book has met this need for generations of students. The fifth edition of 2002 remains the grammar of choice for many teachers of Syriac classes as well as for students learning by themselves. The present revision, drawing on ten more years of university teaching experience and students' comments, clarifies some of the grammatical explanations and exercises. Improvements to the fonts and a larger format make for easier reading. As before, the West Syriac script and grammatical tradition are followed in the body of the lessons, and appendices introduce reading in the other (estrangela and Eastern) scripts. The book remains a plain and friendly introduction to this important language.

Many Asians are drowning in shame and addictions with no way out. Is this any different from a traditional Westerner? I would say very much so. Shame is embedded in the Asian way of thinking, behaving, and interacting. If you do not understand the cultural history of shame and its underpinnings, then you will have a hard time understanding the mindset of typical Asians, let alone the stranglehold of shame in their midst. This book is geared towards any Christian pastor, leader, or parishioner who has a heart for reaching the Asian community. God's unconditional love is hard for many Asians to understand because of the shame that binds them. This book is to help you get to the heart of Asian Shame and some of the associated behaviors and addictions that result from a culture that inhibits healthy emotional expression. If you want healthy Christianity among Asians, you need to understand how to recognize and break this cultural cycle of shame that has shackled millions of Asians to fall prey to the vices of gambling, infidelity, sex, out-of-control spending, over-eating, and other addictive behaviors.

Orthodoxy is a book by G. K. Chesterton that has become a classic of Christian apologetics. Chesterton considered this book a companion to his other work, Heretics. In the book's preface Chesterton states the purpose is to "attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it." In it, Chesterton presents an original view of Christian religion. He sees it as the answer to natural human needs, the "answer to a riddle" in his own words, and not simply as an arbitrary truth received from somewhere outside the boundaries of human experience (wikipedia.org).

Gives a brief account of the history and traditions of the modern Assyrian people, and the fateful history of the Church of the East. The first seven Chapters are dedicated to the modern period, while the final six chapters discuss Christian-Moslem relations and the fate of the Church of the East and the Assyrian people during and after World War I.

2013 Reprint of 1950 edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The present volume contains the most important document of early monasticism, "The Life of St. Antony," whose author is no less a man than the great St. Athanasius himself. Antony, generally considered the father of Christian monasticism, was born circa 250 a.d. to well-to-do parents in Middle Egypt. Athanasius is counted as one of the four Great Doctors of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church as well as one of the Great Doctors of the Church in Eastern Orthodoxy, where he is also labeled the "Father of Orthodoxy." He is also celebrated by many Protestants, who label him "Father of The Canon." Athanasius is venerated as a Christian saint, whose feast day is 2 May in Western Christianity, 15 May in the Coptic Orthodox Church, and 18 January in the other Eastern Orthodox Churches. He is venerated by the Roman Catholic Church, Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches, the Lutherans, and the Anglican Communion.

The services of Holy Week of the Orthodox Church in Greek and English in full color. This edition contains: Holy Sunday evening (Nymphios), Holy Monday evening, Holy Tuesday evening, Holy Wednesday morning (Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts), Holy Wednesday afternoon (Holy Oil), Holy Wednesday evening (Orthros of Holy Thursday), Holy Thursday morning (Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great) and evening (The Passion), Holy Friday morning (Great Hours), Holy Friday afternoon (Unnailing), Holy Friday evening (Lamentations w/ Greek phonetics), Holy Saturday morning (Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great), Holy Saturday evening (The Vigil of Pascha) and Holy Saturday afternoon (Vespers of Love). The texts of the services are uncut, and include the priestly prayers missing from other texts currently available. Translation by Arch. Ephrem Lash. English text metered and set to traditional Byzantine melodies by David Melling. Paschal Canon adapted to traditional melodies by EIKONA. Third softcover printing, Decemeber 2012. Replaces ISBN 978-0981731759.

On the first anniversary of the departure of H.H. Pope Shenouda III, we would like to present to you a collection of books written by His Holiness which contains His contemplations on Holy Week. This book is made up of five different booklets that His Holiness published in different years. This book takes you through the events of this great and holy week and helps the reader to participate in every step of Christ's passions. This book first appeared in the late sixties in the Arabic language and has since been reprinted many times. It consists of five booklets that have been combined into one book. Perhaps contemplations on the Holy Week of Pascha needs many more books as it is the holiest week in the year, filled with great spiritual memories which are impossible to gather in one book. Contemplations on the Holy Week of Pascha are suitable at any time of the year, as the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christian faith. We remember the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ every day in the sixth hour prayer of the Agpya. Therefore, we present these contemplations in your hands and also pray deep in your hearts.

This is a book for those struggling to establish an effective life of prayer. Written neither for seasoned monastic nor lofty scholar, "A Beginner's Guide to Prayer" speaks to the average man or woman on the street who desires a deeper relationship with God but is unsure how or where to begin. Drawing from nearly 2000 years of Orthodox spiritual wisdom, the author offers warm, practical, pastoral advice whose genius is to be found in its homespun simplicity and straightforwardness of style. If you've been desiring to make prayer a meaningful and regular part of your life, this book will help set you on your way. But be careful Prayer can be habit forming In fact, the advice offered in this book may just change the course of the rest of your life. So, in the words of the author, "What are you waiting for? Start to pray "

The Copts of Egypt, who consist of 10-15 per cent of the population, have traditionally been viewed as a 'beleaguered and persecuted minority'. Using newly discovered Coptic archival sources Vivian Ibrahim presents a fresh and vivid alternative reading of the community during the twentieth century. Avoiding the established portrayal of a monolithic entity headed by the Coptic Pope, Ibrahim examines the multifaceted dimensions of the Coptic community, assessing Coptic-State relations on one hand and Coptic intra-communal dimensions on the other. Examining the impact of the British Occupation of Egypt on the making of new national identities, she explores the emergence of a new politically active Coptic class; highlighting popular Coptic grassroots mobilisation during the 1919 revolution through the case-study of the Coptic priest Qommus Sergius. She discusses the centrality of the Copt and Wafdist, Makram Ebeid, on constitutional politics, and his role as a whistleblower during the 'Black Book Affair'. Breaking with the portrayal of a defenceless community, Ibrahim also reveals a strong Coptic response to the emergence and threats of Political Islam through the press. She presents and analyses for the first time, the unique satirical 'Ode to the Fezzed Shaykh', aimed at Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan al-Banna. In 'The Copts of Egypt', Ibrahim also reveals fierce factionalism within the Coptic community in its struggle for modernisation. Examining mass corruption in monasteries and in the run-up to papal election campaigns, she analyses the ways in which the Church used the Egyptian State to bolster its claim to political as well as religious representation over the community. Through the establishment of benevolent and philanthropic societies, Ibrahim argues that Coptic youths were amongst the first to negotiate a role for themselves in post-revolutionary Egypt. Adopting President Nasser's revolutionary rhetoric of tathir, or cleansing, Ibrahim examines how a group of Coptic youths abducted their Pope and forced through their own agenda of religious and political reform. This book will be essential reading for scholars of the Coptic community and Middle East Studies.

Twenty years have passed since the fall of the Iron Curtain, yet emerging democracies continue to struggle with a secular state which does not give preference to churches as major political players. This book explores the nationalist inclinations of an Eastern Orthodox Church as it interacts with a politically immature yet decisively democratic Eastern European state. Discussing the birth pangs of extreme nationalist movements of the twentieth century, it offers a creative retelling of the ideological idiosyncrasies which have characterized Marxist Communism and Nazism. Cristian Romocea provides a constant juxtaposition of the ideological movements as they interacted and affected organized religion, at times seeking to remove it, assimilate it or even imitate it. Of interest to historians, theologians and politicians, this book introduces the reader, through a case study of Romania, to relevant and contemporary challenges churches worldwide are facing in a context characterized by increased secularization of the state and radicalization of religion.

The four volumes of the Christian Living Series are the fruit of a catechism class that the late bishop Youanis used to teach to university students who came to Cairo from other states to study. The Chapters of these volumes have been a hand book for many Christians who are pursuing their spiritual path and a source of direction to many over the last fifty years, now we present it to you in the English language. This volume explains some of the Christian concepts that are often misunderstood. Chapters include: Humility, Pride, Dignity, the Narrow gate, and the Life of submission.