As we, Christians of the twenty first century, study the Fathers of the Church, their writings (often in an unreadable English produced by clumsy translators) appear to us as foreboding, verbose, and somewhat closed within a world where theological contemplation replaces everyday reality. The Greek Fathers in particular have this reputation among students because they wrote relatively little about themselves, about the details of their own lives and the circumstances of daily life. Here for the first time is an anthology of texts gathered almost exclusively from the personal correspondence between St Basil the Great, his close friend Gregory "the Theologian" and his younger brother Gregory of Nyssa. These three men appear to us as real human beings, reveal the substance of their Christian vocation, uncover the program of their spiritual life, unveil the intellectual background of their use of Greek philosophy at the service of Christian theology, and explain the meaning of their ministry as monastic leaders and bishops of the Church. Readers of this book will be able to contemplate the icons of these Fathers in a new way, with a fuller understanding of the human reality which appears iconographically transfigured in frescoes and mosaics. For indeed, it is their genuinely human response to divine love and grace which has made them into "Holy Fathers," into saints of the Church.
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Barrois has put his superb scholarship to work, adding a spiritual concern that takes his sources seriously. --The Living Church, February 14, 1988
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Text: English, Greek (translation)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent collection of letters,
By matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Fathers Speak: St Basil the Great, St Gregory of Nazianzus, St Gregory of Nyssa (Paperback)
I'm really surprised this hasn't been reviewed before. So often voices from the past are overlooked in favor of synopses or generalizations. To read the actual words from the past is an altogether different experience of learning and enrichment. Here for the first time is an anthology of texts gathered almost exclusively from persinal correspondance between St Basil the Great, his close friend St Gregory 'the theologian' and his younger brother St Gregory of Nyssa. The three men appear to us as living and human in a non-hagiographical way, revealing their understanding of their vocations as pastors and theologians, their spiritual practices, use of Greek philosophy and more.
It's a great addition to any collection of patristic studies. Readers may also profit from On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom, On Marriage and Family Life, The Relevance of the Fathers and Beginning to Read the Fathers (which is a survey text).
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