Philocaly

This article explains the anthology of Orthodox contemplative theology from the 4th to 15th centuries; for the extract from Origen of the same name, prepared by Basil of Caesarea and Gregor von Nazianzen, see Origen .

The Philocalie (Greek Φιλοκαλία) is an anthology of excerpts from works, sayings ( Apophthegma ), teachings from originally 26, later 38 ascetic Christian Orthodox writers ( old fathers , desert fathers ) from the 4th to the 15th century . The Greek word Philokalia means love of beauty , i. H. to virtue or spiritual beauty , and is also translated as love of virtue . According to Walter NiggThe title would have to be reproduced with: "The love of the holy sober for spiritual beauty." In the philocalyptic the aim of the eastern asceticism is described, through the purely spiritual prayer or the contemplation of God ( Hesychia ) to reach union with God. Philocalia is the basis of the everlasting prayer of the heart . The first collection was made on Mount Athos by the monk Nicodemos Hagioreites , who lived there from 1748 to 1819. It was first published in Greek in 1782 in Venice , with 1207 double-columned pages , financially supported by Johann Maurogordatus from an influential Greek dynasty family in Moldavia and Wallachia. This edition was reprinted in five volumes in 1982.

The Archimandrite and elder Paisii Welitschowski (1722-1794) translated the collection of Nicodemus Hagioreites into Church Slavonic . This work was printed in two folio volumes in Saint Petersburg in 1793 as Dobrotoljubie ("Love for virtue beauty"). In 1877 , the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos published an expanded 5-volume Philocalie in modern Russian . The translation came from the hermit Theophan Goworow (also called Feofan der Klausner), the former bishop of Tambov and Vladimir.

Important authors of the Philocalie are Gregor Sinaites , Symeon the New Theologian , John of Damascus , Makarios the Egyptians , Isaac of Nineveh and Ephraem the Syrians , Euagrios Pontikos , Johannes Klimakos , Gregory Palamas .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Φιλοκαλία τῶν νηπτικῶν συνερανισθεῖσα παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ θεοφόρων πατέρων ἡμῶν ("Philokalia of ascetics,") collected by our holy fathers and gods. 5 volumes. Athens, Astir Publishing House (Ἀστήρ), 1982.

literature

• Manfred Baumotte (ed.). Introduction by Igor Smolitsch . Little philocaly. Reflections of the monk fathers on prayer from the heart. Benziger, Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-545-20309-3
• Matthias Dietz (ed.). Little philocaly. Reflections of the monk fathers on prayer from the heart. Benziger, Zurich 1996, ISBN 3-545-20503-7
• GEH Palmer, Philip Sherrard , Kallistos Ware : The Philokalia, The Complete Text. Compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Vol. 1-4 ISBN 0-571-11377-X , ISBN 0-571-13013-5 , ISBN 0-571-15466-2 , ISBN 0-571 -17525-2 , ISBN 0-571-19382-X
• Philocaly of the Holy Fathers of Sobriety . 5 volumes. Verlag Der Christliche Osten, 2nd edition, Würzburg 2007. ISBN 3-927894-37-0

Web links

• The Philocalie (PDF)