300 Maximes des saints ascetes

This collection was made in order to give the reader the opportunity to become acquainted with the spiritual life of the Christian East. You will find more than three hundred maxims over fifty great orthodox spiritual Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia. And as in the first millennium of the Christian era the Western Church was also part of the family of Orthodox Churches, one will find in our collection of stories and sayings of the saints of that time who lived on territories belonging today Italy, England, France, Tunisia. Their lives and their education are the common spiritual heritage of the Orthodox Church. The oldest maxims reported in this collection dates from the second half of the first century, most recently, in the second half of the twentieth century. Where they lived, in any time whatsoever, whatsoever, Orthodox saints share the same spirituality. That is why their maxims complement and blend into one harmony. This observation was expressed by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov in the nineteenth century: "When on a clear autumn night I contemplate the clear sky dotted with a multitude of stars, all emitting the same light, I think: so are the writings of the holy fathers. When a summer day I contemplate the vast sea, covered with a large number of vessels, all current, carried by the same wind, towards the same goal, the same landing stage, I tell myself that thus the writings of our fathers. When I listen to a choir in which different voices are united in elegant harmony and singing the same song I tell myself that thus are the writings of our holy fathers. "(Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov). I believe that this modest collection of aphorisms of our holy fathers of interest to readers and will be useful not only to Orthodox Christians, but to all those looking for the basics. Many of the maxims contained in this book have helped myself, gave me solutions to painful questions, helped me understand what was going on in my life. For this reason I wanted, through this book, to share with you what is dear to me. Deacon George Maximov January 8, 2011.