THE GREAT COLLECTION OF THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS

VOLUME IV: DECEMBER, compiled by Saint Demetrius, Bishop of Rostov (1651-1709); first English edition translated by Fr. Thomas Marrettac Full length Lives of those Saints commemorated on each day of December - 55 in total. A profound Homily on the Nativity and Incarnation of Christ. Narrative accounts from Scripture and the teachings of the Fathers on the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi,, the Flight into Egypt, and the Slaying of the Holy Innocents. Includes many of the greatest and most beloved Saints of the Orthodox Church: St. Nicholas the Wonder-Worker, St. Philaret the Almsgiver, St. Spyridon of Tremithus, Great-martyr Barbara, Great-martyr Anastasia, St. Sabbas the Sanctified, Virgin-martyr Juliana, St. Ignatius the God-bearer, St. Ambrose, St. John of Damascus, The Prophet Daniel and the Holy Three Youths, Virgin-martyr Eugenia, St. Melania the Roman, and many more. 616pp

$35.00 Paper $28.00 (Chrysostom Press)

HOLY WOMEN OF BYZANTIUM: TEN LIVES IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION, edited by Alice-Mary Talbot The lives of ten holy women from the 5th to the 13th centuries, monastic and lay, are presented here wtih information on many aspects of Byzantine civilation. First in the series of Dumbarton Oaks translations of Byzantine Saints. 384pp

$30.00 Hardcover $19.00 Paper (Dumbarton Oaks Publications)

NILUS OF ROSSANO: BESIGED BY THE DIVINE, Gaetano Passarelli; translated by George Gallaro "Nilus of Rossano is undoubtedly the most famous monk of the Ital0-Greek Church. His fascinating and adventurous life was a path to search for his own true human condition. His baptismal name was Nicholas. He was born around the year 910 in Rossano - at that time a stronghold of the Byzantine domination of Sourthern Italy - and was a member of a well do to aristocratic family. Since his youth, he was a lover of classical works, an expert in calligraphy and a skilled singer. Very early in his life Nicholas met and became a close friend of an erudite Jew, Rabbi Shabbai Domnolo. Following an encounter with a certain Anne Triantafila, he felt deep dissatisfaction with his style of living and his inner suffering. Approximately in his thirties, Nicholas was in such a state of spiritual and physical crisis that he left his hone, wife and daughter, and total environment in search of something better. The monastic Eparchy of Mercurion, at the border between Calabria nad Lucania, welcomed him. The spiritual guides there, Fantinus, John and Zachary, served as models for Nicholas in pursuing his Divine call. Once professed as a monk with the name Nilus, he was attracted by solitude and, before long, retreated to a local but remote rock spike. However, life called him to become a father and spiritual guide to many disciples. During his life Nilus was in contact with many powerful and influential people - Emperor Otto III, Pope Gregory V, Dukes Pandolphus of Capua, John of Gaeta and Gregory of Tusculum, Abbots Aligernus and Monson of Montecassino, and the Byzantine Strategos Basilios and Magistros Nicephoros. Nevertheless, he always declined to accept honors and favors as he considered himself a simple pilgrim on this earth. His long life spanned from Rosano to San Mauro Labruca, to San Demetrios Corone, to Montecassino, to Gaeta, to Lomolara, and finally to Grottaferrata, where his earthly existence ended on September 26, 1004. Fate willed that Saint Mary Hodigitria of Grottaferrata at the gates of Rome remains the only surviving Ital-Greek monastery and the Greek biography of Nilus is a masterpiece of the Byzantine hagiography of Southern Italy. This English edition of the biography of Nilus is humbly offered in his memory as we approach the millennium celebration of the founding of the monastery at Grottaferrata." - George Gallaro, from the Foreword 189pp

$15.00 Paper (Eastern Christian Publications)

OPTIMA ELDER SERIES

VOLUME 7: ELDER BARSANUPHIUS Elder Barsanuphius (+1913) a man gifted with great intelligence and compassion, came to monasticism only at the age of forty-five, after having served his homeland as a colonel in the army. During a near fatal illness the grace of God touched him and, in the words of Elder Nektary, "from a brilliant soldier, in one night, by the will of God he became a great Elder." He made his way to Optina and met with Elder Ambrose, who, foreseeing his future greatness, blessed him to enter the Skete of Optine, where he became the disciple of Elder Anatole (Zertsalov). Due to his many talents and natural leadership, he was eventually appointed Superior of the Skete, and was a true father to the monks entrusted to his care. Especially touching was the paternal relationship he had with his disciple Nicholas, the future Elder and confessor Nikon. Like the other Elders, Fr. Barsanuphius was also a grace filled guide for the enormous number of pilgrims who hastened to Optina for spiritual nourishment from every corner of Russia. He was clairvoyant to a remarkable degree, and was thus able to reveal the hidden and forgotten sins of those who came to him, enabling them to purify their consciences. This volume, comprising the largest collection of material on Elder Barsanuphius in any language, is one of the msot fascinating studies ever printed on the inner makeup of a great Elder. 840pp

$23.00 Paper (Saint Herman of Alaska Press)

SAINT GEORGE: HERO, MARTYR AND MYTH, Samantha Riches Who was St. George and how did he become a patron saint? In this richly illustrated book, Samantha Riches explores the extraordinary wealth of myths, legends, and art that has grown up around this obscure 4th century Christian martyr. Little is known of any historical St. George, though there are records of churches dedicated to him as early as AD 346 in Syria. What limited knowledge we have comes form a fragmentary manuscript of the 4th century, recounting the martyrdom of a Cappadocian Christian who entered the imperial service and was martyred when he challenged the pagan beliefs of the king at Diospolis. The cult of St. George grew rapidly in the eastern Mediterranean and spread to Western Europe, though it was the experience of the crusades which brought him to prominence as a "warrior saint." In Saint George: Hero, Martyr and Myth, the author, using historical, art-historical, and literary evidence, creates a vivid and compelling narrative. 224pp

$28.00 Cloth (Sutton Publishing, Ltd.)

SOLDIERS OF CHIRST: SAINTS AND SAINTS' LIVES FROM LATE ANTIQUITY AND THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES, edited by Thomas F.X. Noble and Thomas Heas Both during their lives and after their deaths, the saints were key members not only of the Christian community, but also of Western society as a whole. As soldiers of Christ, saints were given enormous power from God. This power enabled them to cure disease, counter famine, quell enemies. Even the prayers of a holy man or woman were believed to be more effective than those of ordinary Christians. After their deaths, saints became residents of the divine kingdom, where they could directly present petitions to God on behalf of the living in order to win favor for them in God's court. The stories in this volume, therefore, are fascinating not only for what they tell us about the saints themselves but also for what they tell us about the men and women who venerated them during this turbulent and formative period in the history of Europe. Some of the saints included are: St. Martin of Tours, St. Augustine, St. Germanus of Auzerre, St. Willibrord and St. Gerald of Aurillac. 383pp

$20.00 Paper (Pennsylvania State University Press)

WITNESSES FOR CHRIST: ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NEOMARTYRS OF THE OTTOMAN PERIOD, 1437 - 1860, by Nomikos Vaporis This study is the culmination of two decades of research on Orthodox Christian Neomartyrs under the Ottoman Turks. Father Vaporis has compiled the life stories of almost two hundred faithful men and women who were by and large of humble station, possessing little or no formal education, yet gave their lives, or witnessed, for Christ. It is a pan-Orthodox study which cuts across ethnic boundaries to include many non-Greek neomartyrs, from countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Cyprus, Egypt, Ukraine, and Georgia. It also includes a number of accounts of Muslims who converted to Orthodox Christianity and suffered a martyr's death because they refused to return to Islam. This, however, is not simply a collection of hagiographic stories. Here, the Lives are retold in a fluid, easy-to-read manner, and set in an historical context to make them more accessible to the reader. Also of great interest are the many translations provided of the dialogue between the neomartyrs and the Ottoman judges (kadi) during the three interrogations that were mandated by Islamic law. These records provide fascinating information on mutual perceptions and the clash between Orthodox and Islamic cultures, illustrating how the Ottomans became decreasingly tolerant of Orthodox Christians as their empire declined. While of great historical interest, this collection of accounts of Orthodox Neomartyrs, who had to choose between conversion to Islam and painful torture and death, will no doubt inspire many readers in their own daily lives. Includes 18 full color icon plates. 400pp

$19.00 Paper (St. Vladimir Seminary Press)