Staretz, or "elder", is a title given to Orthodox monks of particular spiritual development. Staretz Silouan (later glorified as a saint by the Orthodox Church) was a Russian peasant whose only formal education consisted of two winters at the village school. But on Mt Athos, rooted in a tradition reaching back to the very beginnings of Christian monasticism, he was taught of God and attained wisdom akin to that of the Desert Fathers.

Wisdom from Mount Athos is a collection of the notes which Staretz Silouan penciled on odd scraps of paper. Included is his prose-poem "Adam's Lament", which echoes the haunting lyrical urgency of the Psalms. On the whole, St. Silouan's writing recalls the splendor of the great liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church.

Title: Wisdom from Mount Athos: The Writings of Staretz Silouan
Publisher: Saint Vladimir's Seminary Press
ISBN 10: 0913836176
Author: Elder Silouan, Archimandrite Sophrony
ISBN 13: 9780913836170
Binding: Paperback
Number of Pages: 127
Date Published: 2001-03
SKU: 10929