Certain subjects -- especially those that teach us the good, the beautiful and the true -- are best begun with a cautionary word. Fr. Gabriel Bunge, an eremitical Benedictine monk and Patristic scholar, chooses Evagrius of Pontus: ''Do not merely speak with pleasure about the deeds of the Fathers, but demand of yourself also the accomplishment of the same amid great labors.'' While understanding the exquisite beauty of the patristic tradition on prayer, Fr. Bunge also recognizes that man is ''designed with a view to becoming,'' and that ''faith evaporates when it is no longer practiced in a wa... View More...
Certain subjects -- especially those that teach us the good, the beautiful and the true -- are best begun with a cautionary word. Fr. Gabriel Bunge, an eremitical Benedictine monk and Patristic scholar, chooses Evagrius of Pontus: ''Do not merely speak with pleasure about the deeds of the Fathers, but demand of yourself also the accomplishment of the same amid great labors.'' While understanding the exquisite beauty of the patristic tradition on prayer, Fr. Bunge also recognizes that man is ''designed with a view to becoming,'' and that ''faith evaporates when it is no longer practiced in a wa... View More...
Among the most instantly recognizable images of Eastern Christianity is the icon of the Holy Trinity by the hand of St. Andrei Rublev. Its transcendent and enduring quality appeals across the centuries to peasant and scholar alike. This great work of ecclesial art has generated innumerable cultural, religious, and philosophical studies, and caused St. Pavel Florensky to declare, 'There exists the icon of the Trinity by St. Andrei Rublev; therefore, God exists.' Among these many studies, we offer one by Benedictine hermit and contemplative Gabriel Bunge, who authored that extraordinary guide ... View More...
Among the most instantly recognizable images of Eastern Christianity is the icon of the Holy Trinity by the hand of St. Andrei Rublev. Its transcendent and enduring quality appeals across the centuries to peasant and scholar alike. This great work of ecclesial art has generated innumerable cultural, religious, and philosophical studies, and caused St. Pavel Florensky to declare, 'There exists the icon of the Trinity by St. Andrei Rublev; therefore, God exists.' Among these many studies, we offer one by Benedictine hermit and contemplative Gabriel Bunge, who authored that extraordinary guide ... View More...
In contrast to psychology, which justifies anger and aggressiveness as 'natural' human tendencies, Evagrius Ponticus castigates their 'unnatural' outcome: 'No other evil makes man in particular as much like a demon as anger.' Where spiritual life elevates our nature to the angelic plane, anger drives us downward toward the 'bestial' state. Drawing on his knowledge of Evagrius's fourth-century writings, Bunge renders this great 'desert philosopher's' teachings on anger both accessible and applicable to modern readers. When Evagrius describes troubled dreams, obsessive thoughts, and other conseq... View More...
In contrast to psychology, which justifies anger and aggressiveness as 'natural' human tendencies, Evagrius Ponticus castigates their 'unnatural' outcome: 'No other evil makes man in particular as much like a demon as anger.' Where spiritual life elevates our nature to the angelic plane, anger drives us downward toward the 'bestial' state. Drawing on his knowledge of Evagrius's fourth-century writings, Bunge renders this great 'desert philosopher's' teachings on anger both accessible and applicable to modern readers. When Evagrius describes troubled dreams, obsessive thoughts, and other conseq... View More...
In contrast to psychology, which justifies anger and aggressiveness as 'natural' human tendencies, Evagrius Ponticus castigates their 'unnatural' outcome: 'No other evil makes man in particular as much like a demon as anger.' Where spiritual life elevates our nature to the angelic plane, anger drives us downward toward the 'bestial' state. Drawing on his knowledge of Evagrius's fourth-century writings, Bunge renders this great 'desert philosopher's' teachings on anger both accessible and applicable to modern readers. When Evagrius describes troubled dreams, obsessive thoughts, and other conseq... View More...
