Customer Reviews

Dorotheos of Gaza: Discourses and Sayings (Cistercian Studies Series, No 33)

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I've borrowed this book from an Orthodox priest and he wants it back: I think I may have to buy my own copy now! Dorotheos' discorses are very convicting: every time I read another I feel full of desire to change my life! I'd advise skipping the introduction (it's about half the book) until after you've read the meat, however.

It simply doesn't get any better than this. If one is really interested in theosis (Greek = the personal transformation involved in "putting on Christ"), look no further. This is THE book that I keep going back to for motivation in maintaining a spiritual discipline.

A few Orthodox friends came by last week and we feasted on some summer treats. Eating, drinking, we talked for two hours over this old book. We'd landed on Dorotheos of Gaza, Discourses and Sayings (1977 Cisterian publication; 2008, OSB) for our Orthodox Book Club reading. Great choice.

I found the Discourses and Sayings similar to The Ladder of Divine Ascent, written from the desert just one generation later, St. John Climacus having died in 603. Archimandrite Dorotheos was born between 506 to 508 and evidently died between 560 and 580 amidst the rise of Islam and the Persian takeover of the holy land. His tomb and the ruins of his monastery are lost to us in the sands of the desert not far from Gaza, which is still making news to this day.

As we know, when Christianity was made easy and legal in the third century, many spiritual athletes made way for the desert to make it tough again, to work on their souls: the monk Antony in 271; then Pachomius in 320; all this until the death of Arsenius in 450. We later saw the community type monastery--the cenobium--the one here was started by Seridos, Barsanufius and John. Dorotheos came from this line, lesser known however than contemporary Barsanufius. Ordinary Christian folk might find a cenobium type monk more approachable than a hermit type, yet we no doubt need both for the health of the church.

Dorotheos was a people person monk. He was, for a time, in charge of the guest house. He mixed it up there with ordinary folk so much so that evidently when his feet hurt--which he speaks of in a meditation on the fruits of the fear of punishment and having to revisit your sins after death--he seems to attribute this physical pain to excessive guest house partying over shared meals. Nice.

Other Dorotheos themes: friendship skills, diet and portion size and dealing with the passions, humility, learning to take advice, care of the soul, guarding your tongue while rating out your brother (for his salvation of course), dealing with your own falsehood, the bad taste of bad religion ("a bad man does evil when he mixes it with righteousness"), sobriety and vigilance, the price of living near vs. distant from God, dealing with your own bitterness and disappointments. For an old book, approachable themes!

Yes, Dorotheos did some of his important spiritual training as a monk serving in the guest house. He loved his friend monks as well as his guests who came for retreat. I found him warm and a good teacher. He admonishes, for example, that the solitude of a monk's cell should lift a man up and the company of men, brothers, friends, (spouses?) should test the man, too.

Yes, read this book next Lent. Or before. I've added him to my list of favorite spiritual advisers.

Simply put, this work is a life altering, thought-provoking series of essays suitable for anyone of any religion seeking a discussion of topics such as humility, the need for a spiritual mentor, treating your neighbors, etc. Written in a very accessible and almost conversational style, despite the work having been done in the mid 6th century, the piece is a must for any thinking person.

Whether you a from the Eastern or Western church, within these pages you will find a treasure trove of truly life altering wisdom. I came to this book unfamiliar with Dorotheos' writings, but since beginning a serious study of early Christian writings, I had seen his name mentioned in the commentaries from other authors. That, along with the sparkling reviews of this book finally convinced me to order it. I am so glad that I did!
The book is broken down in a way that allows for unhurried reading of the text. This is wonderful due to the fact that you will probably find yourself wanting to fully absorb every word. Yes, it's THAT good!!!