The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives [Hardcover]

John Anthony McGuckin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2002

To read any one of these ancient meditations—to repeat it to yourself, to explore its implications and its relevance to your daily life, to savor it—is to begin the soul's ascent on the path of mystical knowledge. Collected here are three hundred short meditations by Christian contemplatives from the second to the fourteenth centuries. Many were written by the Desert Fathers, the legendary monks who fled the decadence of city life to dedicate themselves to the life of the spirit in the deserts of Egypt and Palestine. The greatest of these teachers became experienced psychic guides, experts in mapping the stages of spiritual development, who taught and corresponded with disciples from all over Christendom. The meditations are arranged under three traditional headings (1) practice, geared primarily at developing sustained attention and discipline in the beginner; (2) theory, presenting guidance in overcoming obstacles that commonly arise in intermediate stages of spiritual practice; and (3) gnosis, reflections to be shared among the more spiritually advanced. From the Philokalia to Origen to Symeon the New Theologian, these ancient voices speak directly to the soul, as relevant today as they were centuries ago.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Book of Mystical Chapters wants to slow you down. Its 300 brief meditations, drawn from the writings of the earliest Christian contemplatives, are meant to be read over the course of 300 days. The book's translator and editor, John Anthony McGuckin, explains that this is how early Christian pilgrims learned the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, ascending through three stages of spiritual understanding, from the practical to the transcendent. Pilgrims repeated these meditations until each one broke "like a fruit on the tongue of the monk and revealed its inner flavor to the searching mind." The Book of Mystical Chapters suggests that readers ask of each aphorism, "How have we already experienced it; how could it illuminate a truth about our own heart or the troubles of our friends' hearts or the secret ways that God wishes to develop our seeking soul?" If you're sick of wasting time waiting at the bus stop, waiting between appointments, or waiting to go deeper in faith, maybe this is just the thing for you. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly

Esoteric ReligionAlthough Shambhala usually publishes books on Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism, The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives is a rare and well-conceived foray into Christian mysticism. Drawing from 300 short meditations by Christian mystics and contemplatives from the fourth to 11th centuries, John Anthony McGuckin's collection is arranged around themes of practice, theory and gnosis. He cautions that the book is not meant for a rapid half-hour read-through from cover to cover in one sitting, but is instead designed to be digested slowly and thoughtfully.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1ST edition (May 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570629005
• ISBN-13: 978-1570629006
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow down, you move too fast!, December 17, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives (Hardcover)

These "chapters" range in length from one sentence to a page and a half, with most about the length of a short paragraph. They are arranged into three sections ("the threefold ascent") of 100 chapters each.

Don't be tempted, as I was, to read several each day. These chapters were designed to be memorized and then meditated upon, no more than one a day. This is what the translator, John Anthony McGuckin, suggests in his introduction, and his advice is sound.

While many of these spiritual statements are deceptively simple, each one is worthy of serious ruminating.

I recommend this volume highly, but please take your time.

Related titles worthy of consideration are: "The Illumined Heart," by Frederica Mathewes-Green; "The Mountain of Silence," by Kyriacos C. Markides; and "The Art of Prayer," compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straightforword advice from the masters, September 17, 2003

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent, from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives (Paperback)

This is a nice collection of short adages that are directed to the seeker of Christ. Assuming that we are created for union with God in Christ and the Spirit, the authors of this collection, all experts from experience, give practical wisdom and advice.

"If you are serious about the life of prayer, take care to be very merciful, for in this way you shall receive a hundredfold reward and even greater things in the future age," writes St. John Climacus.

I never allowed myself to go to bed while I still felt resentment against a person. And as far as I was able, I never allowed anyone else to go to bed either, as long as they still felt resentment against me," said Abba Agathon.

This is the sort of tenor of the book. Other really useful books in this regard would include bishop Kallistos Ware's classic "The Orthodox Way", along with Markides' "The Silent Mountain" and Robin Amis' "A Different Christinaity". If you like anthologies, a good one with useful notes is Olivier Clement's "The Roots of Christian Mysticism". Enjoy!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than three hundred short meditations, December 4, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives (Hardcover)

Ably translated and with an informative introduction by Orthodox Christian Priest John Anthony McGuckin (Professor of Early Church History, Union Theological Seminary, New York City), The Book Of Mystical Chapters: Meditations On The Soul's Ascent From The Desert Fathers And Other Early Christian Contemplatives is a hallowed collection of more than three hundred short meditations written by Christians from the second through the fourteenth centuries. Many of these meditations were written by the Desert Fathers, monks who deliberately left behind the corruption of city life for the isolated deserts of Egypt and Palestine. These brief yet moving and heartfelt meditations focus upon practice, theory, gnosis, embracing spiritual enlightenment, and the expansion of one's mind and soul. The Book Of Mystical Chapters is very highly recommended reading for all serious students of Christian Theology, History, and Spirituality, regardless of denominational background or affiliation.