This volume provides an ecumenical collection of scholarly essays on the Philokalia that introduces readers to its background, motifs, authors, and relevance for contemporary life and thought.

The Philokalia (literally "love of the beautiful") is, after the Bible, the most influential source of spiritual tradition within the Orthodox Church. First published in Greek in 1782 by St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Macarios of Corinth, the Philokalia includes works by thirty-six influential Orthodox authors such as Maximus the Confessor, Peter of Madascus, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory Palamas. Surprisingly, this important collection of theological and spiritual writings has received little scholarly attention. With the growing interest in Orthodox theology, the need for a substantive resource for Philokalic studies has become increasingly evident. The purpose of the present volume is to remedy that lack by providing an ecumenical collection of scholarly essays on the Philokalia that will introduce readers to its background, motifs, authors, and relevance for contemporary life and thought.

this is an erudite and essential introduction to the history, theology and spirituality contained winin the Philokalia ... and interesting and helpful introduction to a text that has shaped the Orthodox world immensely. From this volume we get a better understanding of a strand of spirituality that is firmly grounded in Scripture, tradition, and the Church, and it sparks interest in the original text and the world that it inhabits.