Discourses and Sayings (Volume 33) (Cistercian Studies Series)

A few Orthodox friends came by last week and we feasted on some summer treats. Eating, drinking, we talked for two hours over this old book. We'd landed on Dorotheos of Gaza, Discourses and Sayings (1977 Cisterian publication; 2008, OSB) for our Orthodox Book Club reading. Great choice.I found the Discourses and Sayings similar to The Ladder of Divine Ascent, written from the desert just one generation later, St. John Climacus having died in 603. Archimandrite Dorotheos was born between 506 to 508 and evidently died between 560 and 580 amidst the rise of Islam and the Persian takeover of the holy land. His tomb and the ruins of his monastery are lost to us in the sands of the desert not far from Gaza, which is still making news to this day.As we know, when Christianity was made easy and legal in the third century, many spiritual athletes made way for the desert to make it tough again, to work on their souls: the monk Antony in 271; then Pachomius in 320; all this until the death of Arsenius in 450. We later saw the community type monastery--the cenobium--the one here was started by Seridos, Barsanufius and John. Dorotheos came from this line, lesser known however than contemporary Barsanufius. Ordinary Christian folk might find a cenobium type monk more approachable than a hermit type, yet we no doubt need both for the health of the church.Dorotheos was a people person monk. He was, for a time, in charge of the guest house. He mixed it up there with ordinary folk so much so that evidently when his feet hurt--which he speaks of in a meditation on the fruits of the fear of punishment and having to revisit your sins after death--he seems to attribute this physical pain to excessive guest house partying over shared meals. Nice.Other Dorotheos themes: friendship skills, diet and portion size and dealing with the passions, humility, learning to take advice, care of the soul, guarding your tongue while rating out your brother (for his salvation of course), dealing with your own falsehood, the bad taste of bad religion ("a bad man does evil when he mixes it with righteousness"), sobriety and vigilance, the price of living near vs. distant from God, dealing with your own bitterness and disappointments. For an old book, approachable themes!Yes, Dorotheos did some of his important spiritual training serving in that guest house. He loved his friend monks as well as his strangers who came for retreat. I found him warm and a good teacher. He admonishes, for example, that the solitude of a monk's cell should lift a man up and the company of men, brothers, friends, (spouses?) should test the man, too.I loved what he had to say about living, being close and near as opposed to far and separate; to God, self, others:"To the degree that the saints enter into the things of the spirit, they desire to come near to God; and in proportion to their progress in the things of the spirit, they do in fact come close to God and to their neighbor. The closer they are to God, the closer they become to one another; and the closer they are to one another, the closer they become to God."Yes, read this book next Lent. Or before. I've added him to my list of favorite spiritual advisers. Pray for us father Dorotheos.

I've read this book three times, and I intend to read it again and again.

Whether you a from the Eastern or Western church, within these pages you will find a treasure trove of truly life altering wisdom. I came to this book unfamiliar with Dorotheos' writings, but since beginning a serious study of early Christian writings, I had seen his name mentioned in the commentaries from other authors. That, along with the sparkling reviews of this book finally convinced me to order it. I am so glad that I did!The book is broken down in a way that allows for unhurried reading of the text. This is wonderful due to the fact that you will probably find yourself wanting to fully absorb every word. Yes, it's THAT good!!!

Research work

Book arrived swiftly and in excellent condition. I was thoroughly impressed by this book and very moved by it. The things written by St. Dorotheos, though written to his fellow monks 1500 years ago, could easily have been written for a sermon preached in any Christian church this Sunday. I would highly recommend this book, and its suppliers, to anyone.

Dorotheos understood things about the human condition in the 5th century that psychiatric medicine is just now rediscovering in the past 100 or so years

Simply put, this work is a life altering, thought-provoking series of essays suitable for anyone of any religion seeking a discussion of topics such as humility, the need for a spiritual mentor, treating your neighbors, etc. Written in a very accessible and almost conversational style, despite the work having been done in the mid 6th century, the piece is a must for any thinking person.

Amazingly contemporary for a monastic who lived in the 6th Century!This is one of the few books chosen by my Spiritual Father for our one-on-one studies along my path of asceticism.I will have more to say after it has been properly "read, marked, learned and inwardly digested."

A gift for my husband. He assures me that it was an excellent read and full of details he was unaware of.One very happy husband.