How to start reading the Philokalia ...

MJ. Smith

Although one can readily find electronic copies of the Philokalia in translation online, there is no indication that Faber & Faber has authorized any of them. However, it is not difficult to find the content on the Philokalia in its Greek form (the "original"), the Church Slavonic/Russian form, or the Romanian form (noticeably expanded). It is in this context that I offer this one page "personal book" of advice of how to initially read the Philokalia. And, of course, feel free to continuing voting to get this resource in Logos.

Path-of-Entry-into-Philokalia-2014.docx

From an AI engine that could not be convinced that I didn't want summarized data:

GREEK PHILOKALIA (Venice 1782, standard English edition)

Volume I:

• St. Isaiah the SolitaryOn Guarding the Intellect: 27 Texts

• Evagrius the SolitaryOutline Teaching on Asceticism and StillnessTexts on Discrimination in respect of Passions and ThoughtsExtracts from the Texts on WatchfulnessOn Prayer: 153 Texts

• St. John CassianOn the Eight VicesOn the Holy Fathers of Sketis and on Discrimination

• St. Mark the AsceticOn the Spiritual Law: 200 TextsOn Those who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works: 226 TextsLetter to Nicolas the Solitary

• St. Hesychios the PriestOn Watchfulness and Holiness: Written for Theodoulos

• St. Neilos the AsceticAscetic Discourse

• St. Diadochos of PhotikiOn Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: 100 Texts

• St. John of KarpathosFor the Encouragement of the Monks in India: 100 TextsAscetic Discourse (Supplement to the above)

• St. Antony the GreatOn the Character of Men and on the Virtuous Life: 170 Texts

Volume II:

• St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic (Theodore of Edessa)A Century of Spiritual TextsTheoretikon

• St. Maximos the ConfessorFour Hundred Texts on LoveTwo Hundred Texts on Theology and the Incarnate Dispensation…Various Texts on Theology, the Divine Economy...On the Lord's Prayer

• Thalassios the LibyanOn Love, Self-Control, and Life in accordance with the Intellect

• St. John of DamascusOn the Virtues and the Vices

A Discourse on Abba Philemon

• St. TheognostosOn the Practice of the Virtues, Contemplation, and the Priesthood

Volume III:

• St. Philotheos of SinaiForty Texts on Watchfulness

• Ilias the PresbyterA Gnomic Anthology (Parts I–IV)

• The Ladder of Divine GracesBook I: Treasury of Divine KnowledgeBook II: Twenty-Four Discourses

• St. Symeon MetaphrastesParaphrases of the Homilies of St. Makarios of Egypt

Volume IV–V:

• St. Symeon the New TheologianPractical and Theological Precepts, Discourses, Hymns

Niketas Stethatos

Theoliptos of Philadelphia

• Gregory of SinaiVarious Texts and Instructions

• Kallistos and Ignatios XanthopoulosOne Hundred Texts and other writings

Gregory Palamas

Kallistos the Patriarch

etc.

RUSSIAN PHILOKALIA (Dobrotolublye, Velichkovsky 1793, Theophan 1877)

(Volume and contents are frequently grouped differently, and many more Russian ascetic writers are featured in expanded editions. Below is a representative sample.)

Part I:

St. Nicephorus the Solitary

St. Gregory of Sinai (several works)

St. Simeon the New Theologian (precepts, on faith, tales)

Callistus and Ignatius of Xanthopoulos (on prayer, other texts)

Part II:

Hesychius of Jerusalem

Philotheus of Sinai

Barsanuphius and John

Theoleptus of Philadelphia

Part III:

St. Philemon the Abba

Additions by Theophan the Recluse:

Full texts or excerpts from St. Anthony the Great, St. Macarius of Egypt, Isaiah the Solitary, Abba Evagrius, St. Mark the Ascetic, Nilus Sorsky, Tikhon of Zadonsk, and further Russian elders and ascetics.

ROMANIAN PHILOKALIA (Stăniloae, 1946–)

The Romanian edition greatly augments the Greek, adding previously untranslated writings and comprehensive commentary.

Volume I (and parts of II):

Anthony the Great, full texts

Isaiah the Hermit

Evagrius the Monk (three writings)

John Cassian (two works)

Mark the Ascetic (three writings)

Hesychios the Priest

Nilus the Ascetic (two writings)

Diadochus of Photiki

John the Carpathian (two works)

Theodor of Edessa (two works)

Maximos the Confessor (three writings)

Thalassius the Libyan

John Damascene

Philemon

Theognostus

Philotheos

Elijah the Ecdic

Theophanes the Monk

Volume IV (as example):

Thalassius the Libyan

Hesychios the Sinaite

Philotheos the Sinaite

John the Carpathian

Abba Philemon

John Damascene

Theodor of Edessa

Theognostus

Elijah the Ecdicus

Theophanous the Monk

MJ. Smith

@Rick Mansfield (Logos) We've asked for the Philokalia (Faber & Faber) for years without success -I've now seen a couple of volumes of the Romanian Philokalia which has a religious publisher. Would it be possible to get it?