St. Paisius Velichkovsky (Little Russian Philokalia)

Philokalia means, "love of the good--love of the beautiful." It was the name given to the celebrated 18th century Greek collection of Patristic texts on Christian spiritual life, teaching the path to inner sobriety and the fullness of union with God.

Christian spirituality is not a retreat or escape from life. On the contrary, it is a withdrawal from the spirit of a fallen world lying in evil in order to cling to the source of life itself--Christ the true God.

Because of the multitude of outstanding spiritual leaders which have existed in Russia, there have been several attempts to compile a collection from the Russian Fathers similar to that of the Greek Philokalia. The teachings of these spiritual Fathers rest in the eternal truths and guiding principles of suffering Christianity, and their counsels are of particular value since--from that fount of eternal wisdom--they offer direction suited to the peculiarities of today's "modern age."

Therefore it is of no small importance to present the Russian Fathers of recent centuries in an anthology of ascetic texts drawn from the original sources. The LITTLE RUSSIAN PHILOKALIA series serves as an intermediary with the great Fathers of the Greek Philokalia.

In this respect, the humble advice offered by the holy men of the LITTLE RUSSIAN PHILOKALIA series may render an inestimable service to a true seeker of salvation--a follower of Christ's narrow path of unceasing toil and humility. This, after all, was the primary purpose of the original Philokalia.

The fourth volume of the LITTLE RUSSIAN PHILOKALIA series is comprised of the only independent spiritual works, outside of his letters, of St. Paisius Velichkovsky: The Scroll and The Field Flowers

The Scroll was written in response to an attack on the main work of true monastic life--the cleansing of heart and mind through the mental activity of the Jesus Prayer, while The Field Flowers is a collection of 44 ascetic homilies by Elder Paisius representing a continuation of the deepest ascetic tradition of Christianity--unseen warfare.

The LITTLE RUSSIAN PHILOKALIA series, Volume IV conveys the teachings of a humble, yet vitally important, servant of Christ--one singularly responsible for the contemporary revival of Orthodox Christian spirituality.