47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A contemporary invitiation to the ancient Christian path, November 10, 2002
This review is from: The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation (Hardcover)
When I began to explore the mysteries of Eastern Christianity in 1997, as well as to look more closely at some of the documents of the early Church, I encountered terms and concepts that were foreign to my thinking. I also saw familiar biblical and theological terms used in similar, yet different, ways.
In my puzzlement I wondered, how could I--someone who had read a fair amount of Church history and Christian classics--be in such foreign territory? Was this yet another way of viewing the Christian faith (like the many theological streams I'd encountered in Protestant writings)? Or were these writings espousing not merely different, but erroneous, views of Christianity? Or was there something missing (or even erroneous) in my Western view of the faith that needed clarification?
Many of the growing number Eastern Christian books available to Western readers (some of which I have recommended elsewhere here at Amazon), might cause the reader the same kind of puzzlement mentioned above.
Along comes this wonderfully simple gem, "The Illumined Heart," by renowned author and commentator Frederica Mathewes-Green, who gently invites the reader to explore "the ancient Christian path of transformation" in an unthreatening manner. Here Frederica introduces us to a fictitious "Christian of another era, perhaps from the fifth or sixth century, living in the Middle East," called Anna.
By introducing us to Anna, and her family, we catch a glimpse of how Christians of another time and place lived out their faith on a daily basis. While I was a bit leery of how this fictional approach would work, I felt that this woman and her family accurately resembled the historical non-fiction accounts I've read of this era.
This is not a "religious" book in the sense of comparing one tradition or theological viewpoint with another. Instead, the reader begins to see how we in the West have lost contact with our spiritual ancestors, what they believed, and how they lived their daily lives. Here Frederica calls us back to that earlier "Christian worldview," and shows how it worked for them and how it could work for us today.
Many of the terms and concepts that puzzled me years ago are introduced here within the fabric of Anna's daily life, and consequently, they not only make biblical and theological sense, they become appealing. Fortunately, Frederica provides an excellent bibliography for those who wish to pursue more. I have added as many titles from this bibliography that are currently available at Amazon to a list that you should be able to access here, to make your search for them easier.
Frederica also lists some helpful sources on the web, such as the St. Pachomius list of early church documents, and the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
Here's wishing you the best as you explore your own path toward transformation.
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forget "The Prayer of Jabez" --, January 15, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation (Hardcover)
-- THIS is the book that every Christian should be reading! Ms. Mathewes-Green does an excellent job of distilling the timeless wisdom of the early Church into a wonderful introduction to traditional Christian life and spirituality. This approach to the Christian life has stood the test of time for centuries, and is a welcome corrective to the faddish pop-spirituality that fills the shelves at Christian bookstores. But be warned! Despite being an easy read (about 100 pages; I read it in an hour and a half) it presents some very challenging concepts. Not in terms of understanding them, but in terms of living them out. When was the last time you heard a sermon on "praying without ceasing?" How about "loving your enemies?" The early Christians took Biblical concepts like these at face value, and so does Mathewes-Green.
So be prepared to be confronted with the greatest challenge of the Christian life: to be transformed into the image of Christ. But the greatest challenge is also the greatest joy!
Buy this book, read it, and pass it on. You won't be sorry.
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52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mallowcups for Frederica, July 5, 2002
This review is from: The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation (Hardcover)
This is a small book. I thought I could knock it off in one setting. Two months later...
I did not expect it to become a book I'd have to slam down every other sentence for the richness of what I read. This is one of those books. Once again, I'm rearranging my "Top Ten Most Influential" book list. I heard this woman, who should be feted and bedecked with Mallowcups, speak at a conference; I remember thinking she was a soft-spoken woman I would not want to meet in an alley for the tough truth she owned. This book confirms that thought.
This book took me back to some hallowed basics of Christianity. It took me back to a simplicity I have long looked for without knowing. Here's a few things it did: 1. It reminded me that my other enemy is the devil (the first being myself.) That's not popular, Frederica, to own the devil as an enemy. Mallowcups for speaking truth. 2. It reminded me of fasting. Thanks a WHOLE LOT for that one--even my hair shrieks at the thought of missing a meal. But the truth of fasting, the realization that it is a sacrament and that I've been missing out, is louder than the shrieking. 3. It reminded me that I am a sinner. The tacit understanding is that we are NOT sinners. We are saved by grace, skip the sinner part. We think the grace part erases the sinner part. Owning the sinner part again is...huge. And, last, #4: The Jesus Prayer.
The idea of chanting a prayer over and over is anathema to many believers. It's too fearfully close to vain repetition. But there is something about "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." It's aligning. Frederica says, "Do not be deceived into thinking that the words have magic of their own...that is the kind of thing Jesus meant by "vain repetition."...you do it in vain if you don't mean it."
So for those four things, plus the reprint of the prayer of Nikolai Velimirovic (where did you dig that up? another thing that had me slamming the book down...)...Mallowcups, Frederica.
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