THE PHILOKALIA, VOLUME 2
various authors, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain
A collection of texts written between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition.
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| 1 |
"God is origin as Creator, intermediary state as provident ruler, and consummation as final end. For, as Scripture says, 'All things are from Him and through Him, and have Him as their goal' (Romans 11:36)." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century on Theology'
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"Our spiritual lamp is lit by pure prayer and perfect love." St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic, 'A Century of Spiritual Texts'
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"Love alone harmoniously joins all created things with God and with each other." St. Thalassios the Libyan, 'On Love, Self-control and Life in accordance with the Intellect'
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"The sublime providence of the Creator preserves everything that is." St. Thalassios the Libyan, 'First Century'
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"Since we were originally created by God as 'very good' (Genesis 1:31), we owe it to God to be such." St. Theodoros, the Great Ascetic, 'A Century of Spiritual Texts'
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"God, who gave being to all that is, at the same time unites all things together in His providence." St. Thalassios the Libyan, 'First Century'
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"God by nature is always one and alone, substantively and absolutely, containing in Himself all-inclusively the totality of substantive being." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century on Theology'
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| 8 |
"Truly blessed is the man who seeks virtue and pursues it and inquires diligently into its nature, since it is through virtue that he approaches God and enters into spiritual communion with Him." St. John of Damaskos, 'On the Virtues and the Vices'
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| 9 |
"Through active virtue desire is brought under control and anger is bridled." St. Theodoros the Great Ascetic, 'A Century of Spiritual Texts'
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| 10 |
"Goodness is the full expression of divine activity within us…In goodness the beauty that is according to God's likeness is made manifest." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Third Century of Various Texts'
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| 11 |
"There is one Divinity:…without parts, indivisible." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Second Century on Theology'
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| 12 |
"Intellect (nous): the highest faculty in man, through which – provided he is purified – he knows God or the inner essences or principles of created things by means of direct apprehension or spiritual perception….it understands divine truth by means of immediate experience, intuition, or simple cognition. The intellect dwells in the depths of the soul; it constitutes the innermost aspect of the heart."
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| 13 |
"Think good thoughts about what is good by nature, and think well of every man." St. Thalassios the Libyan, 'Third Century'
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"God is…a unity embracing a diversity of principles, each of which is an aspect of the Logos. Thus he who speaks about the truth…speaks always about the one." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Second Century on Theology'
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| 15 |
"God is in an absolute sense one." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century on Theology'
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"When the intellect is rich in the knowledge of the One, the senses will be completely under control." St. Thalassios the Libyan, 'Second Century'
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"The centre of a circle is regarded as the indivisible source of all the radii extending from it;…pre-existing in God are all the inner essences of created things." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Second Century on Theology'
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"Man is said to have been created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:26). He is made in the image of God, since his being is in the image of God's being." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Third Century on Love'
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"God, who is by nature good…loves all men equally as His handiwork." St. Maximos the Confesor, 'First Century on Love'
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"Love…will remain for all eternity, always increasing beyond all measure." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century on Love'
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| 21 |
"Truth admits of no plurality, and reveals itself as single and unique." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Third Century of Various Texts'
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"It is God's purpose to endow created things through grace with a knowledge both of their own essential being and of that of other things; for He will reveal to them the inner principles of their creation, pre-existent in a unified manner within Himself." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Fourth Century of Various Texts'
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| 23 |
"Perfect love does not split up the single human nature, common to all, according to the diverse characteristics of individuals; but, fixing attention always on this single nature, it loves all equally." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century on Love'
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"Love is distinguished by the beauty of recognizing the equal value of all." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'Second Century of Various Texts'
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"God embraces in unity the spiritual knowledge of all created things, providentially permeating all things with His power, and vivifying their inner essences in accordance with their nature." St. Maximos the Confessor, 'First Century of Various Texts'
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