A Spiritual Treasury Gathered from the World (Paperback)

Paperback. A landmark of Russian Orthodox spirituality, now presented in a complete English edition.A Spiritual Treasury Gathered from the World is the great collection of 157 reflections by Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783), the Russian Orthodox bishop of Voronezh whose final years were spent at the Monastery of the Theotokos in Zadonsk. Written between 1777 and 1779, it has long been treasured among Orthodox Christian books on repentance, prayer, humility, mercy, suffering, death, and hope in Christ.Saint Tikhon begins with things anyone can see: the sun, seed, a traveler, a mirror, a ship, a garden, a king, a servant, a father and his children, water flowing downhill, a debt, a road, a warning. He follows each image where it leads. A familiar sight becomes a lesson about the soul, the Gospel, the habits that draw us from God, and the return to Him. Scripture is woven into every part of the work, giving these reflections the directness of pastoral teaching rather than abstract theology.Here the teaching is direct: pride, anger, self-deception, temptation, fear of death, forgiveness, spiritual warfare, and the hard work of changing one's life. Alongside them are God's compassion, Christ's call, the joy of repentance, and the quiet strength of a conscience formed by prayer. This is serious, practical Russian Orthodox spiritual reading for a person who wants more than religious information.His own life gives the book its setting. After years of work as Bishop of Voronezh, reforming clergy education, establishing a seminary, and writing pastoral guidance, poor health led him to leave diocesan administration. He came to Zadonsk in 1769 and remained there until his death. The title by which he is now known comes from this monastery on the Don River. In these writings, the concerns of a bishop are never far away: worship, prayer, confession, almsgiving, the care of neighbor, the formation of children, the temptations of prosperity, and the need to remember that earthly life is passing.Read one reflection at a time, use it in morning or evening prayer, bring it into Lent, or take it up as a companion during a season of repentance and renewal. The pieces are short enough to return to often, yet substantial enough for slow reading and reflection. Their world is eighteenth-century Russia-its farms, roads, homes, churches, servants, travelers, officials, and monasteries, but the questions remain close to every Christian life: What do I love? What do I serve? What am I becoming? How do I return to God?Whether you are an Orthodox convert looking for a dependable daily companion, a reader of Russian religious classics, or someone returning to the basic disciplines of confession and prayer, this book gives you substantial pages to live with. Its language comes from a different century; its topics, how to pray, how to forgive, how to resist sin, how to keep the heart directed toward God, do not belong to one century.Inside this complete English edition: All 157 numbered reflections in one volumeAn unabridged reading text, set in its original numbered sequenceRussian Orthodox teaching from Saint Tikhon of ZadonskScripture-rooted counsel on prayer, repentance, humility, temptation, mercy, and Christian conductA substantial classic for Orthodox daily reading, personal prayer, parish study, and serious Orthodox Christian formationFor readers of Eastern Orthodox saints, Orthodox Christian devotionals, Russian monastic spirituality, Orthodox books by saints, and Christian spiritual classics, A Spiritual Treasury Gathered from the World offers a trusted pastor's voice: concrete, biblical, demanding, and full of the hope of Christ. It is a lasting companion for converts, lifelong Orthodox Christians, Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…