The Spiritual Meadow (Pratum Spirituale) (Cistercian Studies) [Paperback]

John Moschus (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Cistercian Publications (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879075392
• ISBN-13: 978-0879075392
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An oasis in the desert., June 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spiritual Meadow (Pratum Spirituale) (Cistercian Studies) (Paperback)

St John Mochus spent several years travelling throughout the deserts, rather like a 'roving reporter' of today, wanting to gather the stories of the spiritual giants of the desert (who often lived many distances apart in purposely difficult to get to places (so that they could lead their lives of prayer and struggle with more focus and attentiveness)) that lived during his own lifetime, and this is exactly what he did.

These stories are all real, straight from the mouths of 6th century Eastern Christian monks, and each is a word of wisdom - food for thought - sometimes shocking our pre-conceived notions of things - and ends up showing just how the Eastern Orthodox Church is of that same ethos today as it was then. A modern day example would be the monks on Mt Athos - and it should not be surprising that contemporary emulators of St John Mochus, compiling stories from Orthoox monks, will find similar true accounts today.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS BOOK TOGETHER WITH..., March 21, 2001

By 

"earthdude" (Tempe, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spiritual Meadow (Pratum Spirituale) (Cistercian Studies) (Paperback)

If you (1) enjoy reading the writings of Orthodox believers from centuries ago, (2) love good travel writing, AND (3) seek further spiritual enrichment on your Christian walk, buy Moschus's "The Spiritual Meadow." I strongly recommend that you also buy "From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East" by William Dalrymple (see the link under "Customers who bought this book also bought..."). In the mid 1990s Dalrymple used Moschus's book to retrace the journies Moschus made and makes a strong case for the fragile state of contemporary Middle East Christianity--something Moschus even noticed just starting to manifest itself way back in c. 580 A.D. Each book complements the other. Buy them both. Don't worry about the money outlay, which isn't much anyway. You won't be disappointed.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You Can't Judge This Book By Its Cover, September 1, 2004

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spiritual Meadow (Pratum Spirituale) (Cistercian Studies) (Paperback)

I know the old expression "You cannot judge a book by its cover" is perhaps the most overused cliché in the English language, but I assumed that a book titled "The Spiritual Meadow" with flowers on its cover would be a sweet, or at least semi-sweet title with ancient tried and true spiritual quotes, a Desert Father's Lite so to speak. Well, it's not. If anything, the Desert Fathers could be described as "Spiritual Meadow Lite" rather than the other way around.

The book itself is an example of an early Christian travel tale. John Moschos traveled to visit the monasteries in Palestine and the book is a recording of his observations, the stories he heard, and the wisdom he learned along the way. The people we meet in the book are serious about the Christian life, and the importance of austerity. There are no excuses for anything but the best from all followers, and readers could wonder if anyone could truly be a follower of Christ. The stories themselves can be a bit difficult for modern Christians to understand, and could seem so far removed from today that the writings are little more than a curiosity. Readers could decide that the writings are too severe, and in some cases, anti-Semitic, at least by our standards. Some of these thoughts were my immediate observations after reading many of the excerpts, especially of I read these writings too critically. Yet when I think about the time in which these monks lived, the power of their witness, and their dedication to God, and this is where the power of this work can be found, and makes it timeless. From a historical point of view, we get an up close and intimate look at early monasticism.

Potential readers should note that the translation of this work is literal. Some of the pieces are available only in fragmentary form and this is how it is presented. This is a plus for the work in my estimation. Readers can wrestle with the actual text rather than what a translator feels the text is missing.