There is more to read as a Christian than your bible. For centuries Christians had no bible. How did they learn about Christ, His life, His death and resurrection? How did they learn that He is the Son of God & not some guy that achieved perfection and was made a god before ascending into heaven? These, and many others, are issues the early church faced with no formal scripture to guide them. They had Holy Tradition instead. Eyewitness accounts passed on from generation to generation. We call them the holy fathers or ancient fathers of Orthodoxy. These men wrote about Christ, and corrected the heresies that popped up. These are the men who held the councils that framed, and shaped, ancient Christianity before Protestantism. The Orthodox Church still adheres to the teachings in these writings. We consider them to still be valid, and holy, writings today.
Abbot Seraphim was interviewed about the challenges monastic novices face as they enter a monastery for the first time. It seems to me that we all face the same issues in some degree. Even lay people (not priests, deacon, or monastics) can benefit from his wisdom and the reading list he gives to novices. I have copied the reading list from the monastery’s website. First… his interview.
Spiritual Reading List (from the Holy Cross Monastery website)
The book and articles listed below can serve as introductions to various aspects of the Orthodox Church and Orthodox monasticism in particular, and are particularly suitable for one’s daily spiritual reading.
Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Church
The Orthodox Church, Timothy Ware
God’s Revelation to the Human Heart, Fr. Seraphim Rose
Door to Paradise, published by St. Herman Press
Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven, St. Innocent of Alaska
The Faith of the Saints, St. Nikolai Velimirovich
The Truth of Our Faith, Volumes 1 & 2, Elder Cleopa
Introduction to Monastic Life
The Arena, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov
Epistles, Elder Paisios
Abba Dorotheus: Practical Teaching on the Christian Life
Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Hieromonk Damascene
“Monasticism in the 21st Century”
Scripture
The Old and New Testaments
Commentary on the Gospels, St. Theophylact
Toward Understanding the Bible: Old Testament, Bishop Alexander (Mileant) (read online…)
Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Archbishop Averky
Biblical Commentaries of St. John Chrysostom
Lives of the Saints
The Prologue of Ohrid
St Dimitri of Rostov’s Lives of the Saints
The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, published by Simonos Petra
The Optina Elders
- Elder Moses
- Elder Leonid
- Elder Anthony
- Elder Macarius
- Elder Ambrose
- Elder Joseph
- Elder Barsanuphius
- Elder Nektary
- Elder Anatoly
- Elder Sebastian
Saint Nektarios: The Saint of our Century, Sotos Chrondropoulos
Contemporary Ascetics of Mt. Athos; Volumes 1 & 2
An Extraordinary Peace: St. Seraphim of Sarov, Archimandrite Lazarus Moore
Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit
Prayer & Spiritual Counsel
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives, Elder Thaddeus
My Life in Christ, St. John of Kronstadt
Wounded by Love, Elder Porphyrios
Spiritual Counsels, Elder Paisios
Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Priestmonk Christodoulos
Way of the Ascetics, Tito Colliander
Discourses and Sayings, Abba Dorotheos
Sts. Barsanuphius & John, Guidance toward the Spiritual Life
The Art of Prayer, compiled by Igumen Chariton
Letters to Beginners, Abbess Thaisia
Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Optina Elders
A Spiritual Psalter by St. Ephraim the Syrian, arranged by St. Theophan the Recluse
The Spiritual Meadow, John Moschos
Paradise of the Holy Fathers (read online; Volume 1, Volume 2)
Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It, St. Theophan the Recluse
The Way of a Pilgrim & The Pilgrim Continues his Way
The Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 1: St. Seraphim, Spiritual Instructions
The Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 2: Abbot Nazarius of Valaam, Counsels
The Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 3: St. Herman of Alaska: Treasury of Spirituality
The Little Russian Philokalia, vol 4: St. Paisius Velichkovsky: Field Flowers
The Little Russian Philokalia, vol 5: Elder Theodore of Sanaxar: Sayings
The Dogmas of the Church
Orthodox Faith & Life in Christ, St. Justin Popovich
Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, Fr. Michael Pomazansky
The First Created Man, St. Symeon the New Theologian
The Future Life According to Orthodox Teaching, Constantine Cavarnos
Home Front on the Hills 