Paradise of the Holy Fathers

PopeKyrillos

hey everyone, I really have to reccomend the book

"Paradise of the holy Fathers"

It is such a great book, and I learned stuff about The church fathers that I didn't know, and personal experiences they never wrote in the synexarium. You can get one on

http://orthodoxbookstore.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1626

PK

SilentOne

The book is a lot cheaper on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Holy-Fathers-Part-1/dp/0766129071/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198093782&sr=8-1

If I may also suggest a book: Paradise of the Desert Fathers


Here are a couple websites that have excerpts from both books, I find them enjoyable, inspiring, and very helpful to read.

http://www.orthodox.net/gleanings/sub_all_topics.html
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8135.asp
http://www.coptic.net/articles/SayingsOfDesertFathers.txt
http://www.thenazareneway.com/paradise_of_the_desert_fathers.htm

gregorytheSinner

there was another thread about this book were you guys can find a
link to a downloadable .pdf file of the book

Holmes

[coptic]+ Iryny nem `hmot>[/coptic]

I would just like to share some advice given to me from a friend regarding the Paradise of the Holy Fathers.  He told me, that when reading it, one must use the utmost caution and discernment.  Not everything written in these stories necessarily applies to us, and he strongly recommends that if one does choose to read it, they also seek out spiritual guidance with their FoC as well.  Happy reading.

Unknown

Cephas,

Not everything written in these stories necessarily applies to us...

One of the most fascinating qualities of the Apophthegmata Patrum entries is their ability to transcend time and place so as to speak to us in the present. Whilst the immediate historical intent and purpose of various entries may not be relevant to us, the wider general moral to be inferred certainly is.

clay

Perhaps, but I remember what HH once said, that many who try to attain a virtue hastily, usually compromises one that was previously indelible and hard-won. Surely some desert sayings remark this, but often when reading such dense and rich book full of anecdotes of virtue, we do not understand that we must practice discernment in the path about which virtue best suits God will and in what manner is most suited to us. There are miles of difference between a dedicated monk, and a man who previously struggled to get early than the Gospel in the Liturgy.

Do you think that would be the reason your friend, Cephas, gave such a caution?

Holmes

[coptic]+ Iryny nem `homt>[/coptic]

Thank you for that clay.  You are thinking along the lines I was. 

Iqbal,

One certainly stands to benefit from all the wisdom offered to us by the Desert Fathers, there is no denying that.  But that does not mean we should not practice discernment as to how we apply that wisdom, or how we attain a particular virtue.  There are some stories mentioned, that, if one were to practice to the letter, would almost certainly bring about our spiritual downfall.  The reason is that we cannot always maintain the level of asceticism that these Fathers have practiced.  This is not because they are somehow better then us, but it is because we are reading these stories at a point in time when these Fathers attained a high spirituality after spending years perfecting a particular virtue.  For us to come along and think that we can attain that level of virtue overnight would be foolish.  That is all I meant.  A level of discernment is necessary and the stories must be put in their proper context (as with, virtually everything else).

Allow me to give you an example.  On another site, you related the following anectdote:

During the Nativity Fast, it was the custom of the monks of the desert of Shiheet to leave the bread exposed for fifteen days before eating it, by which time the bread would be almost rock hard. A certain Abba had a sore tooth and decided to pour water on his portion of bread before eating. When an Old Man saw this he rang the bell of the monastery and cried out saying, "Brethren, the desert of Scetis is in danger of being corrupt for the monks are having soup with their bread now!"

Now, a spiritual novice who comes along and reads this could potentially fall into despair because they have not (and maybe cannot) fast in such a fashion.  However, after reading this story, they could potentially think that because they do not fast like this, their fast is unacceptable before God, and thus, they cannot be saved.  They may strive to practice this level of asceticism and fail, fall deeper into despair, and as a result, give up the struggle, without realizing that their level of fasting (i.e. refraining until noon for instance) is still acceptable before God.  That is why I think caution and discernment are necessary.