The Monks of Mount Athos: A Western Monk’s Extraordinary Spiritual Journey on Eastern Holy Ground
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Twenty-five years ago, M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, was the first Western monk to live on Mt. Athos for more than the usually permitted overnight visit. The Monks of Mount Athos chronicles his extraordinary stay, his experiences of the East, and lively conversations with his hosts about theological differences and unfamiliar spiritual practices.
Listen in as Abbot Basil wrestles with historical differences between Christianity’s East and West, learns the Orthodox practice of “the prayer of the heart,” and explores the landscape, the monastic communities, and the food of Athos—a monastic republic like no other place on earth. New to this edition, Archimandrite Dionysios, a monk from “the Holy Mountain,” reflects on the ecumenical openness fostered as a result of, and since, Abbot Basil’s stay.
Key Features
- Presents a classic view of Orthodox spirituality
- Provides commentary designed for those with little or no prior knowledge of the texts or tradition
- Features a modern, annotated translation to aid in understanding
Contents
- Before: An Introduction
- First Days
- Simonos Petras
- Stavronikita
- Aghios Panteleimonos
- Back at Simonos Petras
- The Feast
- Ormilia
- The Light of Tabor
- Around the Mountain
- Last Days on the Mountain
- Rome
About M. Basil Pennington
M. Basil Pennington was a monk for more than 50 years. He lived at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts and was the author of many modern spiritual classics, including Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry, and Who Do You Say I Am? Meditations on Jesus’ Questions in the Gospels.