The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
by Kyriacos C. Markides
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kyriacos C. MarkidesEdition: Paperback
Published: 2002-11-19
ISBN: 0385500920
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Image
Book Reviews of The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
Book Review: Approachable Orthodoxy
Summary: 5 Stars
Mountain of Silence is a wonderful read. For spiritual seekers of any shade, this book reveals the great depths of the Orthodox tradition, demonstrating that Orthodox Christianity has everything seekers often look for in Far Eastern mystical traditions... and more, in my opinion. It demonstrates to Christians that they need not abandon Christianity altogether, if they deem much of it empty or superficial, but may turn to Orthodoxy for a deep, experiential, practical Christianity. For the merely curious, or the armchair traveler, it tells a good story and takes one to an exotic landscape every bit as interesting and other-worldly as Tibet or India. For the Orthodox Christian, it is packed with wisdom, insights, and in a way that is approachable - not dry and academic - clarifies much about various aspects of the Orthodox spiritual life. For the Orthodox Christian, this book will become, after its first read, more a much-visited reference book than a mere story.
I hope to share this book with people who think that practical, mystical and transpersonal spirituality belongs only to the Orient, or to those who think that Christianity has been emptied of mystery, transformative ascetic practice, and intelligence. This book makes Orthodoxy accessible to non-Orthodox people because of its engaging, narrative style. I hope to share it with many people.
Summary of The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
The spiritual traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church are all but unknown to most Christians in the West, who often think of Christianity as split into two camps: Bible-based Protestantism and sacramental Catholicism. Yet in The Mountain of Silence, sociologist Kyriacos Markides suggests that Orthodox spirituality offers rich resources for Western Christians to integrate the head and the heart, and to regain a more expansive view of Christian life. The book combines elements of memoir, travelogue, and history in a single story. Markides journeys to a cluster of monasteries on Mount Athos, an isolated peninsula in northern Greece and one of the holiest sites in the Orthodox tradition. He also visits the troubled island of Cyprus, largely occupied by Turkey since 1974, and makes the acquaintance of a monk named Father Maximos, who has established churches, convents, and monasteries. Markides, a native Cypriot, tells the tale of this journey in a tone that's loose and light, with many excursions on Church history and Greek and Turkish politics. But despite the easygoing tone, the importance of this book is potentially immense. The Mountain of Silence introduces a world that is entirely new to many Western readers, and unveils a Christian tradition that reveres the mystical approach to God as much as the rational, a tradition that Markides says "may have the potential to inject Christianity with the new vitality that it so desperately needs." --Michael Joseph GrossAn acclaimed expert in Christian mysticism travels to a monastery high in the Trodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to readers of Carlos Castaneda.
In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information, Kyriacos C. Markides continues the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice little known in the West he began in Riding with the Lion. His earlier book took readers to the isolated peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece and into the group of ancient monasteries. There, in what might be called a “Christian Tibet,” two thousand monks and hermits practice the spiritual arts to attain a oneness with God. In his new book, Markides follows Father Maximos, one of Mount Athos’s monks, to the troubled island of Cyprus. As Father Maximos establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in this deeply divided land, Markides is awakened anew to the magnificent spirituality of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enrich the Mountain of Silence. Like the writings of Castaneda, the book brilliantly evokes the confluence of an inner and outer journey. The depth and richness of its spiritual message echo the thoughts and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and other great saints of the Church as well. The result is a remarkable work–a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.
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