There are of course many things an Orthodox Christian might read concerning Prayer of the Heart. What I often suggest that people read first is a little book by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), called The Power of the Name. It is a superb introduction to the subject:...

It's not enough to read the results of other people's thinking nor even books about how one might learn to think for oneself. You have to engage in the process itself, and this is not something for which there are formulas or rules. It's a living...

My sense is that agape and caritas have come to possess very similar, indeed all but identical, connotations. Etymologically, however, there remains a small, but perhaps significant, difference: the Latin caritas (n.) is cognate with carus (adj.), meaning "dear,...

You're right to suppose that Schuon's views on the subject of abortion were consistent with the teaching of traditional Islam as to the moment of quickening—a teaching shared by Saint Thomas, unless I'm mistaken—though of course they were framed in terms of the...

Needless to say, the claims of your son's professor—that Nicaea was merely the scene of a political power-play and that the Christianity "invented" by Constantine and his henchmen was not, and is not, the only option—are far from surprising; it's the usual classroom...

Thank you for referring me to the review of this book: Mystics, by William Harmless, S. J. (Oxford, 2007). The problem, of course—or one problem—comes in the reviewer's claim that "the Christian conception of knowing a personal God and the deity-free...

Self-discipline appears to be the root problem, and it obviously entails a sort of "vicious circle": one wishes to be more disciplined, more strict with oneself, but in order for this to happen the wish must itself be transformed into effective action, which requires...

I'm glad you noticed my "Once and Future College" and am pleased you found some of your questions about Socratic teaching answered. I posted the talk on my website—under "Articles and Papers"—a few weeks ago now, but you're right that I hadn't yet...

According to traditional Christian doctrine, the Son of God shares the Divinity of the Father, and for this reason, or to this extent, the Son may be said to be "equal" to the Father. On the other hand—as I've pointed out several times in this forum—the...

Do not be so concerned about concentration per se. Your task is to endeavor to concentrate. Whether or not you succeed—whether or not, in other words, you're blessed with an experience of repose or lucidity—is entirely God's business. It's the purity of...