The Ladder of Divine Ascent was the most widely used handbook of the ascetic life in the ancient Greek Church. Popular among both lay and monastics, it was translated into Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Old Slavonic, and many modern languages. It was written while the author (who received his surname from this book) was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. As reflected in the title, the ascetical life is portrayed as a ladder which each aspirant must ascend, each step being a virtue to be acquired, or a vice to be surrendered. Its thirty steps reflect the hidden life of Christ himself. This work had a fundamental influence in the particularly the Hesychastic, Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart movement. Pierre Pourrat in his History of Christian Spirituality calls John Climacus the "most important ascetical theologian of the East, at this epoch, who enjoyed a great reputation and exercised and important influence on future centuries."

The ladder of divine ascent

JOHN

Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Text: English, Russian (translation)

Seraphim's Seraphim: The life of Pelagia Ivanovna Serebrenikova, fool for Christ's Sake of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent

Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston, Mass.)

The Psalter, according to the Seventy, of St. David, the prophet and King: Together with the nine odes and an interpretation of how the Psalter should be recited throughout the whole year

Orthodox Eastern Church

The life of the contemporary Orthodox saint, Papa Nicholas Planas, a parish priest in Athens at the turn of the last century.

Papa-Nicholas Planas, 1851-1932: The simple shepherd of the simple sheep ; the life and endeavors of the priest Nicholas Planas

Papadopoulos, Ourania

The Life of our Holy Father, Maximus the Confessor: Based on the life by his disciple Anastasius, the Apocrisiarios of Rome

Religion & Spirituality

Anastasius; Father Christopher Birchall

Christian Books & Bibles

Text: English, Greek (translation)

Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian

Isaac the Syrian

Detailed explanation of the distinctive characteristics of Byzantine iconography, of the traditional pattern of decorating Eastern Orthodox churches with panel icons, wall paintings, and mosaics, and of the chief Doctrinal, Liturgical, and Festal icons; together with an explanation of St. John Damascene's defense of holy icons. “An excellent didactic book for the general reading public and specialists, as well as a handy guide for the icon painter.” 1993. 264 pp. Profusely illustrated.

Guide to Byzantine Iconography

Arts & Photography

Cavarnos, Constantine

History & Criticism

This is a light-blue cloth heavy-duty hardcover with gold stamping, printed on heavy opaque acid-free paper and smyth-sewn for durability. It contains the complete Book of Psalms from the Bible translated into traditional ecclesiastical English from the Septuagint Greek translation made c. 300 B.C. The Septuagint was the OT most used and quoted by the Apostles in the NT and the early Christians writers. It is still the official OT of the Orthodox Church. This edition is intended primarily for liturgical and devotional use by Orthodox Christians. It preserves the traditional division of the Psalter into 20 sections called kathismata, each of which is subdivided into three stases. Thus it corresponds to the daily readings proscribed in the lectionary for vespers and matins/orthros. The chapter numbering follows that of the Septuagint rather the numbering in Protestant Bibles, but a chart is included which enables the two numbering systems to be reconciled. Also included are the nine biblical odes (canticles) from the Septuagint, which are traditionally read or chanted during Matins/Orthros in Great Lent, and which are the basis for the poetical odes of liturgical canons. In addition is the Psalm which David sang after his triumph over Goliath, sometimes called Psalm 151. There extensive scholarly and devotional articles about the Psalms and their use in the Church, and about the translation. This is probably the most widely used English Psalter in Orthodox Churches. Its large clear print and readible layouts make it easy on the eyes for public reading or chanting. Many pages are tastefully adorned with monochrome icons or iconographic line drawings by the renowned Photios Kontoglou. Red ink is employed to distinguish words not read aloud liturgically. First published in 1974. This translation is used for all Psalm quotations in the other fine liturgical books published by HTM, as well as in widely-used Orthodox liturgical books published by others.

The Psalter: According to the Seventy

Good book to help the Orthodox Christian remember God throughout the day and in the evening.

A Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians

mass-holy-transfiguration-monastery-boston

Includes the special texts inserted at vespers, matins, and Sunday/festal liturgies during the 50-day period between Pascha and Pentecost.

Pentecostarion

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