"The Philokalia" is a collection of texts written between the fourth and fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition. First published in Greek in 1782, translated into Slavonic and later into Russian, "The Philokalia" has exercised an influence far greater than that of any book other than the Bible in the recent history of the Orthodox Church.

About the Author

Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (1904-84) studied at Oxford and was the MP for Winchester from 1935 until 1945. He collaborated in many translations, including The Philokalia. Philip Sherrard (1922-1995) was educated at Cambridge and lectured at Kings College, London and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies from 1970 to 1977. He translated the works of George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis, making their work available to the English-speaking world. He was baptised into the Orthodox Church in 1956. The Most Reverend Kallistos (Ware), Metropolitan of Diokleia was born in England in 1934 and studied at Oxford. He embraced the Orthodox faith in 1954 and was ordained in 1966, in the same year he became a lecturer at Oxford. He was appointed to a Fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1979 and was consecrated as auxiliary bishop in 1982. He retired in 2001 and was elevated to Metropolitan in 2007. He is the author of The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way.

Reviews

"The Philokalia is a collection of texts written in Greek between the fourth and fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox tradition. Compiled in the 18th century and first published in Venice in 1782, it has had a profound influence on the spiritual life of the Eastern churches." -- "Theology Digest"

"A treasure of insight, wisdom, and counsel. The translation is clear and readable." --" Library Journal"