cover image Illumined Heart

Illumined Heart

Frederica Mathewes-Green. Paraclete Press (MA), $13.95 (120pp) ISBN 978-1-55725-286-9

Frederica Mathewes-Green, whose books on Eastern Orthodoxy have popularized ancient Christian practice for a modern audience, beautifully underscores the importance of following the precedent of the earliest Christians in The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation. Too often, she argues, contemporary Christians bend to the ""confusing winds"" of change, subordinating Christian tradition to popular ideas. (So stubborn is she in her claim for the superiority of ancient wisdom that she offers an unusual disclaimer at the outset: ""I hope not to say anything original. If I do, ignore it."") Mathewes-Green thoughtfully reflects upon how 21st-century Christians can incorporate early spiritual practices, such as continuous prayer, spiritual direction, fasting and communal worship. (Oct.)