Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A [Paperback]

Cindy Crosby (Editor), Thomas C. Oden (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2007

"To search the sacred Scripture is very good and most profitable for the soul. For, 'like a tree which is planted near the running waters,' so does the soul watered by sacred Scripture also grow hearty and bear fruit in due season," writes John of Damascus in Orthodox Faith (4.17). By helping us to read holy writings with ancient eyes, the church fathers help us drink deeply from the only water that can give us true life. This guide to prayer and reflection combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer. There are fifty-two weeks of readings following the weekly lectionary cycle A. You can read through them in order or by thematic interest. Each day you will also find a simple opening and closing prayer drawn from the prayers and hymns of the ancient church. Come and find the deep nourishment God offers through the insights of this "cloud of witnesses"--the ancient church fathers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cindy Crosby is the author of four books, including By Willoway Brook: Exploring the Landscape of Prayer. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Books & Culture, Mars Hill Review and Publishers Weekly. She frequently speaks and teaches on the relationships between faith, writing and the natural world.

Thomas C. Oden recently retired as Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology at The Theological School of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He is general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the author of numerous theological works, including a three-volume systematic theology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (April 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830834311
• ISBN-13: 978-0830834310
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nourished from the the Church's life, June 22, 2007

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A (Paperback)

This is a unique devotional that I highly recommend for those interested in tying their spiritual lives closer to that of the Church. Each of the fifty-two weeks' readings is aimed at nourishing your mind and heart with wisely excerpts from the rich patristic heritage of the early Church. You may follow the lectionary itself or go on your own in a thematic approach.

What I would also suggest is that readers who are interested in this volume would consider the fact that all of the writers in this collection wrote out of their experience of the common liturgical life of the Church, with all of the holy days, Eucharistic celebrations, baptism, fasting periods and feasting periods etc. This book is a great example of the fruit that is born out of such a life, which still exists in the Eastern Orthodox tradition in full force. For these writers, Christianity was never a "me and Jesus" experience, but one which understood itself as part of the Body of Christ, partaking of the holy mysteries and worshipping at one altar before the triune God who has revealed Himself to us in His incarnate, crucified and resurrected Christ.

Ut Unum Sint.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful wealth of a resource, November 27, 2007

By 

M. Romig (Fullerton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A (Paperback)

I was so delighted to discover this wonderful devotional. The collection of writings from the church fathers is invaluable. So many modern Protestant Christians are unaware of the rich heritage we have in our history. This devotional is very thoughtful, but still very accessible. What a joy to journey into the heart of Christ with those who have gone before!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing devotional, January 3, 2008

By 

Andrew G. Lang (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A (Paperback)

After purchasing my first copy, I bought several as gifts for friends and colleagues in my church. InterVarsity should be congratulated for a devotional that is ecumenically useful: evangelicals, mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics can profitably use this devotional to accompany the ecumenical lectionary through the church year with brief commentaries from the first centuries of Christian spirituality.

The devotional matches each reading from the Sunday lectionary with comments from the Church Fathers (and occasionally, Mothers). This is a rich source of Christian inspiration from ancient sources that until now have been unavailable to the average lay Christian. There are enough readings to make this a useful book of devotions for each day of the week.

You may have to learn something about the lectionary to use this book: the dates published in the devotional won't necessarily be the right dates when this year's edition (corresponding to Lectionary Year A) is used again three years from now. There's no problem with identifying Sundays like the "First Sunday in Lent," but at other times of the year (especially the later Sundays after Epiphany and the earlier Sundays after Pentecost) you'll need to match the readings with what your church is reading on the coming Sunday to figure out whether you're using the right week. So there's a bit of a learning curve. I wish this had been better explained in the introduction.

Some readers may not know that the lectionary that forms the basis of this devotional is the same used widely in Protestant and Anglican churches, and is very close to the Sunday mass lectionary used in the Roman Catholic Church.

Used with the Bible and any version of the "daily office" (as in the Book of Common Prayer or The New Century Psalter), this devotional can add value both to personal and public daily prayer.