Description
Book SynopsisThe 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 o
Trade Review"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
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Names & Abbreviations; Prologue; Influences and Foundations; The Passions; Remedies for the Passions; Mental Well-Being; Psychotherapy; On Thoughts and Prayer; Epilogue; Appendix 1: Constituent Works of the Greek Philokalia; Appendix 2: Authors of the Works included in the Greek Philokalia; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
