The Philokalia is a collection of texts on prayer and the spiritual life, written between the fourth and fifteenth centuries by masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition. First published in Greek in 1782, translated into Slavonic and later into Russian, this is the first complete translation into English. It is made from the original Greek, and will be completed in five volumes.

Volume IV contains some of the most important writings in the entire collection. St Symeon the New Theologian speaks about the conscious experience of the Holy Spirit and about the vision of the divine and uncreated Light. St Gregory of Sinai provides practical guidance concerning the life of the Hesychast and the use of the Jesus Prayer. St Gregory Palamas discusses the distinction between the essence and the energies of God.

The fourth volume of The Philokalia - here translated and edited by G. E. H. Palmer - the most influential book besides the bible in the recent history of the Orthodox church.

About the Author
Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (1904-84) studied at Oxford and was the MP for Winchester from 1935 until 1945. He collaborated in many translations, including The Philokalia. The Most Reverend Kallistos (Ware), Metropolitan of Diokleia was born in England in 1934 and studied at Oxford. He embraced the Orthodox faith in 1954 and was ordained in 1966, in the same year he became a lecturer at Oxford. He was appointed to a Fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1979 and was consecrated as auxiliary bishop in 1982. He retired in 2001 and was elevated to Metropolitan in 2007. He is the author of The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way. Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (1904-84) studied at Oxford and was the MP for Winchester from 1935 until 1945. He collaborated in many translations, including The Philokalia.


Book Information
ISBN 9780571193820
Author G.E.H. Palmer
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint Faber & Faber
Publisher Faber & Faber
Weight(grams) 470g
Dimensions(mm) 195mm * 125mm * 35mm