Ascending the Heights [Paperback]

Fr. John Mack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2000

In the sixth century, a monk named John wrote a book outlining the stages of the spiritual life. He based his entire work on the image of the ladder of thirty rungs, stretching from earth to heaven. Each rung described a step in the pursuit of virtue and the spiritual life. Since it was first written, The Ladder of Divine Ascent has been an essential formation of Orthodox monasticism, and a mainstay of Orthodox ascetic spirituality. But it is not just for monks and nuns.This book is written to help those in a non-monastic setting, with "ordinary lives" to understand how to apply the Ladder. Each chapter contains many direct quotes from St. John's writings, in addition to commentary on St. John's words. This book, therefore, should be used as a primer to the Ladder as a helpful tool for ascending the spiritual heights.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fr. John Mack is a well-known author and priest in the Orthodox Christian Church. Founder and pastor of two mission parishes, he is a regional director for a new Orthodox Christian campus ministry program. Father John is married and has four children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Conciliar Press (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888212179
• ISBN-13: 978-1888212174
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #933,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highlights & commentary on a truly classic Christian book, January 22, 2002

By 

Volkert Volkersz (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ascending the Heights (Paperback)

The subtitle of this volume is: "A Layman's guide to the Ladder of Divine Ascent." While this may reflect the publisher's intent, I think it could be more accurately described as: "Key quotes from the Ladder of Divine Ascent with contemporary Orthodox commentary."

Although I have only read portions of the original 6th century classic work by St. John Climacus (also known as John of the Ladder), I can say that, while Father John Mack does an excellent job of introducing contemporary readers to this great work, he barely scratches the surface. Having said that, Fr. Mack has been able to shed light on each of the 30 steps of the ladder and make them relevant for the non-monastic reader.

Accompanying Amazon's book description, you have the opportunity to view the table of contents, which gives you Fr. Mack's contemporary names for each of the steps. You can also read the first chapter, which will give you an idea of the content and structure of his writing.

Hopefully one reading of this volume will whet your appetite for tackling the entire Ladder of Divine Ascent, which is filled with pearls of wisdom. Amazon.com lists various translations of "The Ladder," however I'm only familiar with one from "The Classics of Western Spirituality," which contains an informative introduction by Bishop Kallistos Ware. This is the one that was used for discussion in our Orthodox church men's group.

Just as most Orthodox monastic communities read one step of The Ladder on each weekday during Great Lent, I'm hoping to reread (and read aloud to my family) Fr. John Mack's "Ascending the Heights" during the next Lenten period.

Now if I can only begin to put into practice what I have learned here, I may be on the road to salvation. May God help me.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read book for every orthodox Christian, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ascending the Heights (Paperback)

I read "Ascending the Heights" during this last Lenten season and I found it very useful help for my daily struggle with my passions. A primer to St. John Climacus' spiritual classic, this book was written for contemporary Christians living in the world but not of this world. In our effort to grow closer to Christ, to simplify our lives, to control our thoughts and actions, this easy-to-read book can enrich us all with the wisdom of the Church Fathers.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply outstanding!, March 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ascending the Heights (Paperback)

This little book is a beautiful invitation to a deeper spiritual life for the Orthodox Christians of this age. Using down to earth examples it helps the reader understand how St. John of the Ladder's masterpiece ("The Ladder") relates to the very life of the modern Christian. It is a compelling hint that the works of the Holy Fathers do apply to us and do provide invaluable advice. Their writings are not for monastics but for every person who wants to be a Christian ( = to follow Christ).

The book reveals many passions present "in disguise" in our lives and offers practical advice on how to fight them. A contemporary Father once made the remark that Christians did not have, in the past, so many spiritual writings as we do today, but very few; they followed what they had and found salvation. I dare to claim that this book is also enough for those working on their salvation, provided they seriously try to put it in practice!