The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology [Paperback]

Archimandrite Zacharias (Author), Christopher Veniamin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2008

The Hidden Man of the Heart consists of a series of presentations on the place of the heart in the spiritual life of the Christian, with special reference to the writings of St. Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938) Elder Sophrony of Essex (1896-1993). Delivered in Wichita, Kansas at the 2007 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, each lecture is published here in full together with its corresponding Questions & Answers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Father Zacharias has inherited the rare and precious spiritual gift of speaking a word , an authentic word inspired by these contemporary spiritual giants, St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony. --The Right Reverend Basil Essey, Bishop of Wichita, USA

The writings of Archimandrite Zacharias evince that inspiration which is born of the undistorted vision of Christ in glory. The Hidden Man of the Heart is a companion volume to Fr. Zacharias' The Enlargement of the Heart. --Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics, St. Tikhon's Seminary, USA

About the Author

The author is a disciple of the Elder Sophrony and a member of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: Mount Thabor Publishing (January 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980020719
• ISBN-13: 978-0980020717
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound Spirituality, November 19, 2008

By 

Charles Webb (NYC, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (Paperback)

"The Hidden Man of the Heart" goes even deeper into the heart than "The Enlargement of the Heart" (Father Zacharias's previous book). Father Zacharias, a disciple of Elder Sophrony (see other review), has read every book on spirituality, understood them profoundly and through the grace of the Holy Spirit has written a distilled, succinct and miraculously complete explanation of the path to salvation. Through the Holy Spirit he has been able to use words which will not require a dictionary and to assemble sentences that can be followed. While the spirituality is deep and needs time -a lifetime- to understand, it is accessible. The immediacy is so powerful, that you will feel as if you have been speaking with him.

He speaks of repentance that purifies our a soul and allows the Holy Spirit to begin filling it. This process brings joy and salvation.

If you want exegetical writing, then you should probably stay with others such as St. John Chrysostom. But if you have been studying The Philokalia, St. Isaac the Syrian or similar books on spirituality, then this book is a gift to you from God.

Please forgive me.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Go in and you will find rest", September 12, 2008

By 

Emmanuelle Cazabonne (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (Paperback)

Archimandrite Zacharias is a member of the monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex, founded by Elder Sophrony. In 2007, he led a retreat in Wichita, KS, and this volume offers the presentations delivered at this occasion. Every other chapter is followed by a series of Questions and Answers, as Father Zacharias dialogued with the priests attending the retreat. The whole series focuses on the place of the heart in the spiritual life of the Christian believer. It consists in a very rich inner nourishment, based on the teaching of the Scriptures, and on the spiritual and liturgical experience of the author. He also incorporates the Tradition he received, especially through his mentors Sophrony and Silouan. The book presents the journey of the deep heart (see Ps 64:6), from its awakening to its deification, through purification and transfiguration. In other words, this is a genuine phenomenology of the spiritual life. Coming from a disciple of Sophrony, it is not surprising to see that for Fr. Zacharias, the awakening of the heart comes through mindfulness of death, a true source of inner freedom. This in turns leads to awakening, through a healthy balance between fear of God and love of God. Vigilance, prayer, and repentance help then to build up the heart, or to "enlarge" it, to use a favorite expression of the author (see 2 Cor 6:13). This process has to go through crucifixion, by struggling against the passions. By the grace of God, the Christian will find hesychia, and the divine Word will be conceived in his heart, for his salvation and the salvation of the world. The author offers also many elements of wisdom founded on concrete ecclesial practices, such as the sacrament of confession, meditation on the Gospel, calling upon the name of Jesus and partaking of the sacrament of Holy Communion. This book is an excellent companion for whoever wants to reach a deeper spiritual life.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plumbing the Depths of the Heart, August 18, 2008

By 

Matthew Jackson (McComb, MS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (Paperback)

"The Hidden Man of the Heart" is not a light read, but for serious seekers of spiritual maturity, the time spent digesting this work is well worth the effort. Personally, I would recommend beginning by reading another book by the same author, "The Enlargement of the Heart," which lays groundwork that really is needed to properly understand "The Hidden Man of the Heart." This is a work to be read and re-read, studied and returned to for a lifetime.