Jonathan L. Zecher's Books

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

By: Jonathan L. Zecher

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The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

By: Jonathan L. Zecher

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, the work of an otherwise shadowy figure, John Climacus (meaning of the Ladder), abbot of St. Catherine's, Sinai (ca. 579-649 CE), is one of the most popular and enduring classics of Greek ascetic spiritual direction. Hailed as the great synthesis of early ascetic writings, the Ladder presents a spirituality self-consciously rooted in the literary and theological tradition of the Desert Fathers and the Great Old Men of Gaza. Despite its incredible popularity among monastic and lay readers, the Ladder is virtually unknown in scholarship. In this work, Jonathan L. Zecher offers a sustained study of the Ladder's spiritual vision, which is contextualized within an equally sustained genealogical survey of Climacus' own tradition. The Ladder is built up through the 'memory of death', a term referring to admonitions of early authors to remember one's inevitable but unknowable death and to contemplate the divine judgment which would follow to cultivate particular ascetic, Christian, lifestyles in their readers. In the literature that formed Climacus, every aspect of the 'memory of death' varied considerably, but Climacus draws these together in the Ladder so that death and the judgment which follows defines a symbolic framework within which monks reflect on their past and approach the future. Climacus also took up metaphorical practices of dying to oneself and others to craft an idea of spiritual progress in the imitation of Christ taking into account failure and frailty. At the heart of this study is the abiding question of how tradition forms, and in the Ladder is an outstanding example of how unflinching fidelity to tradition results in a creative, synthetic achievement.

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273

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ISBN 10

0198724942

ISBN 13

9780198724940

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

By: Jonathan L. Zecher

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The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

By: Jonathan L. Zecher

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273

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OUP Oxford

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ISBN 10

0191037982

ISBN 13

9780191037986

Faith in the Future

By: Jonathan Sacks

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Faith in the Future

By: Jonathan Sacks

Faith in the Future addresses some of the major themes of our time: the fragmentation of our common culture, the breakdown of family and community life, the lack of moral direction, and the waning of religious belief. How, Sacks asks, can we construct a humane social order that honors human dignity and difference, one in which we can be both true to ourselves and a blessing to others? In the confusing state of postindustrial societies in the post-Cold War situation, can we give those who come after us a coherent map of hope? In treating such questions, Faith in the Future is structured in four parts. In the first, The Moral Covenant, Sacks touches on the broadest of issues: morality, the family, and the importance of communities in the life of society. In the second, Living Together, he asks how we can co-exist while remaining faithful to our distinctive identities and traditions. In the third, Jewish Ethics and Spirituality, he sketches some of Judaism's leading themes. There is such a thing, says, as an ecology of hope, and it lies in restoring to our culture a sense of family, community, and religious faith.

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Page Count

262

Publisher

Mercer University Press

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ISBN 10

0865545502

ISBN 13

9780865545502

Book's by Jonathan L. Zecher

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

The Role of Death in the Ladder of Divine Ascent and the Greek Ascetic Tradition

Faith in the Future

Faith in the Future

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