phronema - Orthodox Christian Books, Arts, Philosophy and Culture

"God's Revelation To The Human Heart" - A lecture by Fr. Seraphim Rose - Now Streaming Online!

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:59:34 -0700

Fr. Seraphim Rose gave a notable lecture at the University of Santa Cruz in 1981, just a year before he reposed, to a class which was a survey of world religions. Several people found this lecture (alongside another that was given) to be life changing for them. Amidst the spiritual smorgasboard that was UC Santa Cruz, Fr. Seraphim stood out. The lecture which is now available in streaming form, is preceded by an introduction by Fr. Damascene Christiansen, and the lecture is read by a member of the St. Herman Brotherhood for the first several minutes (this part of the lecture wasn't taped). Then the audio switches, and you can hear the rest of the lecture as given by Fr. Seraphim.

Listen here: God's Revelation To The Human Heart, and get the book here.

The 25th Anniversary Of The Repose of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:16:56 -0600

Update: See the photos of this event posted by Patrick Barnes of the Orthodox Christian Information Center.

The 25th anniversary of the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose was commemorated at the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, CA on September 2, 2007. It was really a 3 day event, with Sunday morning liturgy being held at Fr. Seraphim's grave, and about 100 pilgrims in attendence, and Liturgy on Monday morning, with over 200 pilgrims in attendence, with Bishop Maxim and another Serbian Bishop serving, as well as Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Patritarchate. Several talks were given. Fr. Vladimir Anderson and Matushka, as well as Thomas Anderson (who lived in the monastery for a time during Fr. Seraphim's life) shared heart-warming remembrances of Fr. Seraphim. Fr. Damascene Christiansen shared his own remembrances, and gave pilgrims a tour of Fr. Seraphim's cell. Metropolitan Joseph gave 2-3 inspired talks concerning the significance of Hieromonk Seraphim for our time, which coincided with the release of the biography of Fr. Seraphim in Bulgarian. Others shared personal recollections as well. People came from all over the US and Canada for this event, from all Orthodox jurisdictions. A new CD of Fr. Seraphim's taped lecture on the Orthodox Worldview was distributed, and can now be ordered from St. Herman Press.

Frank Schaeffer back on Book TV

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:02:25 -0600

Frank Schaeffer was back on Book TV, talking about his new book "AWOL", being interviewed for the AfterWords feature. This time it can be viewed online here.

An Orthodox Christian Response to the Gospel of Judas

Sat, 06 May 2006 23:10:05 -0600

Michael A. Pappas has written an Essay that deals with the so called "Gospel of Judas", this years attempt by the media to taint Holy Week (watch closely: there is at least one every year). It can be read at:

http://www.stgeorgebroadcasting.com/index.php?/archives/717-The-Hammer-of-Judas.html

The basic thrust and source of this "Gospel" has been known about at least since the time of St. Ireneaus, who dismissed it for the Gnostic propaganda it was, so this is hardly news, despite having found a new copy.

Theosis: New Book by Athonite Abbot Now Online

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 01:46:47 -0700

THEOSIS Revised English Edition 2005

Archimandrite George Capsanis, the Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on the holy mountain of Athos, has written a book which has been translated into english, and has been made (temporarily?) available on the website of Praxis Research Institute, who will also publish it.

Not everything on Praxis can be recommended, as the attempts to link the "esoteric Christianity" of various "fourth way" teachers (e.g. Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Mouravieff etc.) to Athonite and Patristic spirituality by the institute, sometimes results in some odd readings of the Holy Fathers. They have, however, published two books by Archimandrite George, A translation of the Triads of St. Gregory Palamas and a book of sermons by St. Theophan the recluse which are generally good, with a few "caveat lectors".

Alan Jacobs discusses C.S. Lewis on Book TV

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:33:24 -0700

BOOK TV.ORG Description: Professor Alan Jacobs profiles Oxford scholar and religious writer C.S. Lewis in his book "The Narnian." C.S. Lewis created the childrens series "The Chronicles of Narnia," as well as many books for adults on religious topics. Mr. Jacobs details the writer's life and discusses his influence on scholars around the world. This event was hosted by the Cambridge Forum in Massachusetts.

Orthodox Books in Australia: Crossroad Books

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:39:50 -0700

Crossroad Books - Christian Orthodox Books

If you are looking for a source for Orthodox books in the Melbourne area, or if you want to order online from an Australian source, check out the above link.

Archbishop Andrei (Fr. Adrian) Rymarenko Section Added to the Watchful Gate

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 23:59:27 -0700

Archbishop Andrei (Fr. Adrian - 1893-1978) was a disciple of Optina Elder Nectary, and was actually an Elder himself, although he was a married priest for most of his life. He carried the spirit of Optina Monastery to America, founding the New Diveyevo Convent

The Flame Of Spiritual Attention - An Account of Meeting Fr. Adrian (quoted from the book on Fr. Seraphim Rose)

The Restoration of the Orthodox Way of Life - Short pieces by Archbishop Andrei that reveal the essential nature of conscious inner struggle and philosophy of life, without which a spiritual community can be just a "spiritual hothouse."

A Thing Of Beauty: St. George's Pantry

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 23:03:57 -0700

Here is an inspiring example of an Orthodox Mission serving people in a full spectrum or integral way:

St. George's Pantry

This is a misson that takes place on both sides of the border. The website is also an excellent resource for people who want to know more about Orthodoxy in Mexico, or who need resouces in Spanish.

The sea beheld and fled, Jordan turned back!

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:33:36 -0700

The Biblical miracle recurs on the Jordan during the Epiphany Day - Interfax

"The sea beheld and fled, Jordan turned back."

Anyone paying any attention during Theophany services recently heard this psalm verse many times - a prophecy which is mirrored in the Old Testament readings (The Red sea turning away to let the Israelites pass, the Jordan doing the same when the Ark of the Covenent passed etc.) both of which are types that find their fulfillment in the Theophany/baptism of the Lord. The services indicate that the Jordan literally changed the direction of the flow when the Lord stepped into the waters.

Ebook Online: The Psychological Basis of Mental Prayer in the Heart

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 22:55:37 -0700

Phronema was informed that a series of 3 ebooks are now online.

The Psychological Basis of Mental Prayer in the Heart

From the Introductory Description:

"The Psychological Basis of Mental Prayer in the Heart is a three-volume work dedicated to the foundations of the Jesus Prayer. It has been written by an Orthodox monk, Fr Theophanes (Constantine). The complete text has been published on-line on the Internet, and the links given below are to the actual transcribed texts of the volumes.

The first volume, The Orthodox Doctrine of the Person, is dedicated to the theoretical issues in theological anthropology necessary to be understood as a preliminary to an intensive study of the Jesus Prayer. Its first two chapters deal with Orthodox anthropology and psychology according to the teachings of St Gregory of Nyssa. Its third chapter deals intensively with the cosmology of Evagrius Pontikos, on the basis of a rearrangement of chapters of the Kephalaia Gnostica, newly translated by the author into English; this chapter includes a detailed discussion of the Anathemas of the Fifth Ecumencial Synod against Origenism, based on a new translation. For purposes of comparison with the Orthodox doctrine, the volume's fourth chapter looks at the anthropology and psychology of St Thomas Aquinas. Its fifth chapter integrates the preceding material.

Thesis on Lao Tzu by Eugene Rose (The Future Fr. Seraphim) Now Online

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:22:30 -0700

Before he entered the Orthodox Church and became Fr. Seraphim Rose, Eugene Rose went to San Francisco to study Zen at the Academy founded by Alan Watts. After exposure to both the best known Zen masters and teachers in the country as well as Alan Watts' "hipster Zen" and the Beats, Eugene, went on to study Taoism under Gi Ming Shien. This document, his resulting Berkeley Masters thesis, shows his intellectual progress up to the point before he discovered Orthodox Christianity.

This is a large PDF, scanned from a copy, which preserves Eugene's Orthography of Chinese characters right on the typewritten page.

Phronema is Back!

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 22:43:58 -0700

You will notice that after a long period of inactivity, we are back with a new look. I didn't have much time to work on this site, and it needed a lot of work after some database corruption, hacking, spamming etc. I finally got it fixed and then migrated the data to the new CMS. So we are back online, and should be ready to resume new posts etc. Sorry for the long delays!

The good news is that all of your accounts were migrated over, so you don't need to reregister. I will be weeding out accounts, but you will receive an email about this l

Welcome to Phronema

Sat, 21 Jan 2006 23:43:59 -0700

Welcome to phronema - book discussions from an Orthodox Christian perspective
phronêma is greek for what often gets translated as mindset or worldview. This site is all about a worldview that comes from ancient patristic Orthodox Christianity, particularly as it relates to books. You could say that this is an Orthodox "great books" site, although it goes beyond that.

Frank Schaeffer Talk on Book TV

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 18:32:17 -0600

Frank Schaeffer's talk at Barnes & Noble in Oakland was broadcast on BookTV this weekend. Frank is the son of Francis A Schaeffer, fiery Protestant theologian and founder of L'abri Fellowship He shocked the Protestant world by becoming Orthodox and publishing the Christian Activist paper for a while. He is now the owner of Regina Ortho