A collection of Gnostic texts spanning centuries, geographical locations, and cultural traditions--a wonderful achievement (Elaine Pagels, author of The Gnostic Gospels)

Gnosticism was a wide-ranging religious movement of the first millennium CE--with earlier antecedents and later flourishings--whose adherents sought salvation through knowledge and personal religious experience. Gnostic writings offer striking perspectives on both early Christian and non-Christian thought. For example, some gnostic texts suggest that god should be celebrated as both mother and father, and that self-knowledge is the supreme path to the divine. Only in the past fifty years has it become clear how far the gnostic influence spread in ancient and medieval religions--and what a marvelous body of scriptures it produced.

The selections gathered here in poetic, readable translation represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar expressions of gnostic spirituality. Their regions of origin include Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, and France. Also included are introductions, notes, an extensive glossary, and a wealth of suggestions for further reading.

The Pocket Thomas Merton presents a profound exploration of the spiritual journey through the meditative reflections of Thomas Merton, an influential American writer and monk. This collection grapples with the complexities of identity, existence, and the human condition, urging readers to confront the illusions that cloud their understanding of self. Merton's insights address the distinction between the real self and the false self, challenging societal constructs and advocating for a life of authenticity and spiritual depth.

Readers will find themselves immersed in Merton's reflections on navigating the chaos of modern existence, the necessity of embracing humility, the power of nonviolence, and the pursuit of a deeper connection with oneself, others, and the divine. Merton's meditations encourage a contemplative approach to life, fostering a sense of inner peace and authenticity that transcends superficial distractions.

The Pocket Thomas Merton is an essential read for those seeking to deepen their spiritual understanding and live a more meaningful life. This book offers a unique perspective on the human experience, challenging readers to engage with the world from a place of love, humility, and genuine connection. Uncover the profound beauty of existence and the transformative power of spirituality with Thomas Merton as your guide.

A new view of Jesus as a Buddha-like wisdom teacher who taught the transformation of consciousness--includes traditional meditative practices you can do yourself

If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness.

The Wisdom Jesus provides a new perspective on Christ and an expansive interpretation of His message. Cynthia Bourgeault creates a masterful guide to Jesus's vision and the traditional contemplative practices you can use to experience the heart of his teachings for yourself.

A pure genius translation of the beloved autobiographical writings of the great 16th-century Spanish mystic, Saint Teresa of Ávila (Caroline Myss, New York Times-bestselling author)

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) is one of the most beloved of the Catholic saints. In 1562, during the era of the Spanish Inquisition, Teresa sat down to write an account of the mystical experiences for which she had become famous. The result was this book, one of the great classics of spiritual autobiography.

With this fresh translation of The Book of My Life, Mirabai Starr brings the inimitable Spanish mystic to life for a new generation. In contemporary English that mirrors Teresa's own earthy, vernacular Spanish, and that presents us with--four centuries after Teresa's death--someone we feel we know, Mirabai Starr offers a stunning portrait of a woman who is intoxicated by God yet filled with an overflowing love for the world.

This introduction to the writing and preaching of the greatest medieval European mystic contains selections from his sermons, treatises, and sayings, as well as Table Talk, the records of his informal advice to his spiritual children.

This collection of folk tales, legends, and narratives about the life of Francis of Assisi and his followers appeared about seventy-five years after the saint's death, in the early fourteenth century. The writings have remained popular ever since due to their beauty and charm, and because they are the nearest thing to a biography of Francis that exists. They are the source of many of the most famous stories about Francis--including the accounts of his preaching to the birds and of his receiving of the stigmata--and they are based on stories that circulated about him in the years after his death.

Robert Hopcke and Paul Schwartz provide the first truly new translation of the Fioretti in forty years, and in doing so they bring the spiritual classic up to date, using contemporary language to show Francis to be a living, breathing human being who walked the streets of Assisi in a state of spiritual, physical, and social enlightenment, through his own existence making Christ real in the world.

The translators have also edited the work to present the stories that most powerfully present Francis's spirit and teaching.

When Thomas Merton entered a Trappist monastery in December 1941, he turned his back on secular life--including a very promising literary career. He sent his journals, a novel-in-progess, and copies of all his poems to his mentor, Columbia professor Mark Van Doren, for safe keeping, fully expecting to write little, if anything, ever again. It was a relatively short-lived resolution, for Merton almost immediately found himself being assigned writing tasks by his Abbot--one of which was the autobiographical essay that blossomed into his international best-seller The Seven Storey Mountain. That book made him famous overnight, and for a time he struggled with the notion that the vocation of the monk and the vocation of the writer were incompatible. Monasticism called for complete surrender to the absolute, whereas writing demanded a tactical withdrawal from experience in order to record it. He eventually came to accept his dual vocation as two sides of the same spiritual coin and used it as a source of creative tension the rest of his life.

Merton's thoughts on writing have never been compiled into a single volume until now. Robert Inchausti has mined the vast Merton literature to discover what he had to say on a whole spectrum of literary topics, including writing as a spiritual calling, the role of the Christian writer in a secular society, the joys and mysteries of poetry, and evaluations of his own literary work. Also included are fascinating glimpses of his take on a range of other writers, including Henry David Thoreau, Flannery O'Connor, Dylan Thomas, Albert Camus, James Joyce, and even Henry Miller, along with many others.

On the Prayer of Jesus examines the transformative power of the Jesus Prayer within Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me). Through the classic translation by Father Lazarus, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov presents the Jesus Prayer as a vital Christian practice for deepening one's spiritual life. Through historical context and rich theological insight, Brianchaninov highlights the prayer's ability to foster a profound connection with the divine, emphasizing its accessibility to all believers, regardless of their spiritual maturity.

Readers will discover the enduring significance of humility, perseverance, and spiritual guidance in the practice of the Jesus Prayer. Brianchaninov provides practical advice for integrating this sacred invocation into daily life, offering a path toward inner peace and divine communion and addressing how to get started, approach difficulties, and communicate with friends and family who are unfamiliar with it. This compelling analysis serves as both a spiritual guide and a historical account, and its blend of historical narrative, theological reflection, and practical guidance offers a unique perspective that encourages readers to embrace the transformative potential of the Jesus Prayer.

From the time of the desert fathers to our own post-Christian age, the literature of monastic wisdom has provided inspiration for those of us who lead ordinary lives in the world. Father Jeremy Driscoll, a poet and theologian who is also a Benedictine monk, brings the genre into the twenty-first century with this exquisitely written collection of reflections on life from a monastic perspective. Whether reflecting on the details of the cloistered life, or observing the weirdness of American culture, explaining a fine point of Catholic theology to a child, or meditating on the flight of a seagull over the glittering ocean at sunrise, Fr. Jeremy's voice both enchants and provokes us to further contemplation. The 187 meditations are arranged by short titles in alphabetical order to emphasize that the reader should approach them in random fashion, without preconceived ideas, in order to be open to where they lead the heart and mind.

Hundreds of sayings were attributed to the sage from Nazareth by ancient admirers. More than fifteen hundred versions of five hundred quotations are attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, the Gospel of Thomas, and other Gospels found at Nag Hammadi. Marvin Meyer has combed additional Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sources for another 200 of the most fascinating epigrams and parables ascribed to Jesus. Dr. Meyer includes an intriguing introduction and annotations that put the sayings into perspective.

Chanting the psalms, or psalmody, is an ancient practice of vital importance in the Christian spiritual tradition. Today many think of it as a discipline that belongs only in monasteries--but psalmody is a spiritual treasure that is available to anyone who prays. You don't need to be musical or a monk to do it, and it can be enjoyed in church liturgical worship, in groups, or even individually as part of a personal rule of prayer. Cynthia Bourgeault brings the practice into the twenty-first century, providing a history of Christian psalmody as well as an appreciation of its place in contemplative practice today. And she teaches you how to do it as you chant along with her on the accompanying CD in which she demonstrates the basic techniques and easy melodies that anyone can learn. Even if you can't read music, Cynthia says, or if somewhere along the way you've absorbed the message that your voice is no good or you can't sing on pitch, I'll still hope to show you that chanting the psalms is accessible to nearly everyone.

The place where God happens, according to Rowan Williams's striking new reading of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, is between each other. It's a truth that we of the twenty-first century most urgently need to learn in order to heal the experience of alienation that has become endemic to our age, and these odd and appealing ancient figures, surprisingly, hold keys to this healing.

The fourth-century Christian hermits of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine understood the truth of Christian community profoundly, and their lives demonstrate it vividly--even though they often lived in solitude and isolation. The author breaks through our preconceived ideas of the Desert Fathers to reveal them in a new light: as true and worthy role models--even for us in our modern lives--who have much to teach us about dealing with the anxieties, uncertainties, and sense of isolation that have become hallmarks of modern life. They especially embody valuable insights about community, about how to live together in an intimate and meaningful way. Williams makes these radical figures, who clearly have a special place in his heart, come to life in a new way for everyone.

The book includes an appendix of selections from the teachings of the Desert Fathers.

God. It's such a small word to stand for such an immense mystery. Great theologians and ordinary folks have wrestled with it and lost. But this is just as it should be, according to Irma Zaleski. Any answer to the question Who is God? that satisfies our minds will likely be a false one, an idea about a reality that transcends ideas. Yet there is great value in asking the question, she says, because the answer to it is found in the asking: It is in the place of not-knowing that arises from asking Who is God? that words and concepts fall away, that the mystery of what that little three-letter word represents is communicated directly to the heart.

In forty-six short meditations, Irma Zaleski reflects on the mystery of God, the vision of faith, and the conversion of the heart that enables us to live in communion with the Ultimate Reality that reason cannot penetrate nor words express.

From John Chrysostom in the fourth century to Teresa of Avila in the sixteenth to William Butler Yeats in the twentieth, this wide-ranging collection is a treasury of writings on prayer from throughout the history of Christianity. Lorraine Kisly has arranged the material according to the great general themes of prayer--such as praise, thanksgiving, repentance, and purification--to make this anthology serve as a course in Christian prayer for anyone, as well as a marvelous companion for the contemplative journey in general. If this book is read truly, says Bishop Seraphim Sigrist, in his introduction, the reader will surely find the beginning of prayer itself, and this is to open another book with no end at all.

Christian Teachings on the Practice of Prayer features writings by:

- Angela of Foligno
- Augustine of Hippo
- Bernard of Clairvaux
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Ephrem of Syria
- Francis of Assisi
- John Donne
- George Fox
- C. G. Jung
- S ren Kierkegaard
- C. S. Lewis
- Martin Luther
- Thomas Merton
- Meister Eckhart
- Henri Nouwen
- Flannery O'Connor
- Marguerite Porete
- Seraphin of Sarov
- Teresa of Avila
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
- John Wesley
- Evelyn Underhill
- many more