The Field: Cultivating Salvation (Collected Works of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), 1, Band 1) - Softcover

Brianchaninov, Ignatius

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0884653765 ISBN 13: 9780884653769

Verlag: Holy Trinity Publications, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

Many people today are uncertain about what they believe and how they should live. They seek for a tradition that demonstrates antiquity and possesses authenticity. This newly translated volume of the writings of the Orthodox spiritual teacher Ignatius Brianchaninov offers a vision of a life that flows from following Christ. The field is both a place of spiritual struggle and a garden in which to cultivate virtues. But are we willing to respond to the challenge of a life lived in accordance with the Christian Gospel? St Ignatius' writing is the Christian tradition at its deepest, intensely practical but also transcendent and mystical.

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Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867) was a prolific author of Orthodox Christian ascetical works. Published toward the end of his life, his writings continued to grow in popularity long after his death. Along with his contemporary, St. Theophan the Recluse, Ignatius is now considered a foremost authority on Orthodox spirituality. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. His writings have previously appeared in English as "The Arena" and "On the Prayer of Jesus". Nicholas Kotar is a translator as well as writer of fantasy novels inspired by traditional Russian folk tales.

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The Field

Cultivating Salvation

By Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Nicholas Kotar

Holy Trinity Publications

Copyright © 2016 Holy Trinity Monastery
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-88465-376-9

Contents

Introduction, 
Part I, 
1 Emulating Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
2 On Reading the Gospels, 
3 On Reading the Holy Fathers, 
4 On Avoiding Books That Contain False Teaching, 
5 On the Commandments of the Gospel, 
6 On the Gospel Beatitudes, 
7 Truth and Spirit, 
8 Faith and Works, 
9 A Scattered Life and an Attentive Life, 
Part II, 
Reflection: The Sea of Life, 
10 On the Snares of the Prince of This World, 
11 The Pharisee, 
12 A Christian and His Passions, 
13 On Habits, 
14 Conscience, 
15 The Eight Chief Passions with Their Subdivisions and Offshoots, 
Part III, 
Reflection: Thoughts on the Shores of the Sea, 
16 On the Virtues That Act Against the Eight Chief Sinful Passions, 
17 On Loving One's Neighbor, 
18 On Loving God, 
19 On Fasting, 
20 On Prayer, 
21 On Faith, 
Part IV, 
Reflection: Dew, 
22 On Repentance, 
23 On Humility: A Conversation Between an Elder and His Disciple, 
24 On True and False Humble-Mindedness, 
25 On Patience, 
26 On Purity, 
27 A Short Rule of Vigilance for Those Who Live in the World, 
Part V, 
Reflection: A Tree in Front of My Cell's Window During Winter, 
28 The Cemetery, 
29 A Voice from Eternity: Thoughts on the Grave, 
30 Thoughts on Death, 
31 Proof of the Resurrection of the Body, Taken from the Effect of the Jesus Prayer, 
Part VI, 
Reflection: The Garden During Winter, 
32 My Cross and the Cross of Christ, 
33 The Cup of Christ, 
34 On Monasticism: A Conversation Between Two Orthodox Christians: a Layman and a Monk, 
35 Words of Consolation for Sorrowing Monks, 
36 On Tears, 
37 Glory to God!, 
38 The Praying Mind Seeks Union with the Heart, 
39 A Vision of Christ, 
Appendix 1: A Short Biography of St Ignatius (Brianchaninov), 
Appendix 2: My Lament, 
Notes, 
Subject Index, 
Scripture Index, 

CHAPTER 1

Emulating Our Lord Jesus Christ

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me," said the Lord. Every Christian, through the oaths given at holy baptism, takes upon himself the responsibility of being a slave and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Christian absolutely must follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having called Himself the shepherd of the sheep, the Lord said that "the sheep hear his voice, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." The voice of Christ is His teaching; the voice of Christ is the Gospel; following after Christ's earthly wanderings means completely following His commandments.

In order to follow Christ, one must know His voice. Study the Gospels, and through your life you will be able to emulate Christ.

Whoever is born in the flesh and receives regeneration in holy baptism, and then preserves the purity he has received in baptism with the help of a life according to the Gospels, will be saved. He will "go in" to a God-pleasing life on earth through a spiritual rebirth, and he will go "out" from this world in a blessed death, and in eternity he will "find" an eternal, expansive, sweet, spiritual "pasture."

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor." Where was the Lord when He said these words? In His humanity, united with His divinity, He was among people on earth in the midst of their exile and suffering, remaining in His divinity there, where He has been from the beginning without beginning. "The Word was with God" and in God. This Word said of Himself: "The Father is in Me, and I in Him." The one who follows Christ will share in His state. "Whoever confesses" with his mouth, heart, and deeds "that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."

"If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor." "To him who overcomes" the world and sin, who follows Me in this earthly life, in the life eternal "I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on His throne."

Rejection of the world must come before following Christ. The latter has no place in the soul if the former has not yet been accomplished. The Lord said, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Many approach the Lord, but few decide to follow Him. Many read the Gospels, find comfort in them, become inspired by their lofty and holy teaching, but few decide to model their actions according to the commandments of the Gospel. The Lord says to all who approach Him and desire to be joined to Him, "If anyone comes to Me," and he does not renounce the world and himself, "he cannot be My disciple."

"This is a hard saying," said even such people who appeared to be followers of Him and considered themselves His disciples: "who can understand it?" This is how the word of God is judged by the wise of this world in the poverty of their discernment. The word of God is life, life eternal, true life. With this word, the carnal mind is destroyed, since it is born from eternal death and supports eternal death in people. The word of God, for those dying from the carnal mind and those desiring to die from it, is "foolishness. But to us who are being saved, it [the Word] is the power of God."

Sin has become so common to us as a result of the fall that it has absorbed all qualities, all intentions of our souls. Rejection of sin that has become part of the soul requires rejection of the soul itself. This kind of rejection of the soul is necessary for its own salvation. Rejection of the nature defiled by sin is indispensible to attain the nature renewed by Christ. When even part of a meal has been poisoned, all of the food is thrown away. The dish is carefully washed, and only then is more food put into it for serving at the table. Food that has been tainted with poison can be called poison itself.

In order to follow Christ, let us first renounce our own reason and our own will. Both the reason and will of our fallen nature are completely tainted by sin; they cannot be reconciled with the reason and will of God. Only he who rejects his reason makes himself capable of attaining the reason of God; only he who rejects the doing of his own will makes himself capable of doing God's will.

In order to follow Christ, let us take up our cross. The taking up of our cross is called the willing, pious submission to God's judgment, despite all sorrows that may be sent or allowed by God's providence. Grumbling and anger during sorrows and difficulties is a rejection of the cross. Only he who has taken his cross can follow after Christ — he is submissive to God's will, humbly acknowledging himself to be worthy of every judgment and punishment.

The Lord who has commanded us to sacrifice ourselves, to reject the world and to carry the cross gives us the strength to fulfill His commandment. He who decides to fulfill this commandment and tries to fulfill it...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Holy Trinity Publications
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0884653765
• ISBN 13: 9780884653769
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 373
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Buchbär; info@buchbaer.de; ; Weberstr. 67; Osnabrück; 49084; Deutschland