“[This...]book[...]is a translation of the original Prima Vita of Elder Anthony, one of the two founders of the famous Optina Monastery in Central Russia. It was authored by his disciple, a convert from Lutheran Protestantism, Fr. Clement Sederholm, and published only a few years after the Elder’s death. Since Elder Anthony was one of the founding fathers of Optina, his biography was used in his monastery as one of the major building blocks for the spiritual life of each novice who sought spiritual formation. Thus, the book originally had a special purpose, and was more than just an ordinary biography of a righteous man.” —“Introduction: A Gift of Optina to America: On the Bicentennial of Orthodoxy in America”
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION FOREWORD I. THE LIFE OF ELDER ANTHONY OF OPTINA 1. Childhood 2. Life in the Roslavl Forests 3. Life in the Skete of Optina Hermitage 4. Abbacy in the St. Nicholas Monastery 5. Life in Retirement at Optina Monastery 6. Last Years and Death II. PERSONAL NOTES AND LETTERS 1. The Personal Notes of Abbot Anthony 2. The Letters of Alexander Putilov (the future Abbot Anthony) to his Brother Timothy (the future Elder Moses) 3. Excerpts from the Diary of Father Anthony 4. An Excerpt from the Personal Calendar of Abbot Anthony III. PASTORAL LETTERS APPENDICES 1. A Letter of Abbot Anthony Bochkov 2. An Amazing Incident 3. An Entry from the Diary of Hieromonk Euthymius GLOSSARY INDEX
Item Number: BKP370 Publication data: Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994 Format: softcover Number of pages: 269 Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.0 cm × 13.5 cm × 1.5 cm Additional information: black-and-white illustrations ISBN: 0‒938635‒51‒4
