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The Philokalia, Writings of Holy Mystic Fathers in which is Explained how the Mind is Purified, Illumined, and Perfected through Practical and Contemplative Ethical Philosophy.

Translated by Constantine Cavarnos.

The Philokalia ("love of the beautiful") is a compilation of various ascetical and spiritual writings, and was originally printed in Greek in 1782. Philokalia also signifies the love of God's beauty, and love of the beauty of the soul and its virtues. The spiritual life is the most beautiful way of life, because the virtues, or beautiful qualities of the soul, reflect the ineffable Beauty of God.

The purpose of the Philokalia is to help man attain his highest perfection through both physical and spiritual methods. Among the physical methods are fasting, vigils, standing, prostrations, etc. St. Antony the Great states that man does not become good and wise suddenly, but rather "through painstaking practice, his mode of life, experience, time, askesis, and the desire for virtuous deeds."

The beauty of the Philokalia, like the beauty of the Lives of the Saints, not only elicits our admiration, but also inspires us to transform our inner being to reflect God's Supreme Beauty, the illuminate source of the beauty of the soul.

540pp., softbound.

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