Persons and Places

Persons and places mentioned in this book, with short notes and back-links to every occurrence.

Persons

St Antony the Great

Egyptian desert father (c. 251–356), founder of monastic eremitism. Feast day 17 January.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3, 1.7.19, 1.53.2).

St Basil the Great

Cappadocian Father (c. 330–379), Archbishop of Caesarea, monastic legislator and theologian; one of the Three Hierarchs. Author of the Longer and Shorter Rules and the Liturgy bearing his name. Feast day 1 January.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.9.4, 1.12.5, 1.24.12, 1.26.17, 1.53.3).

Christ the Savior

A title for Jesus Christ emphasizing His role as the Redeemer of humanity. In patristic literature, ‘Savior’ (Σωτήρ, Спаситель) is a common christological designation referring to Christ’s salvific work.

Mentioned in: 4. Zeal for Salvation (4.1.8).

St Euthymius the Great

Palestinian desert father (377–473), founder of lauras in the Judean wilderness and a leading monastic teacher. Feast day 20 January.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3).

St Hilarion the Great

Palestinian monk (c. 291–371), disciple of St Antony and a founder of monastic life in Gaza. Feast day 21 October.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3).

St Ignatius of Antioch

Bishop of Antioch and Apostolic Father (c. 35–c. 108), martyred in Rome; author of seven letters written en route to martyrdom, foundational texts on the Eucharist, episcopacy, and Christian unity. Also known as Theophoros (the God-bearer). Feast day 17 October (West) / 29 January (East).

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.38.7, 1.40.2).

Jesus Christ

The incarnate Son of God, second Person of the Holy Trinity; his name forms the centre of the Jesus Prayer and of all Orthodox spiritual life.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.24.12, 1.38.2).

St John Climacus

Abbot of Sinai (c. 579–649), author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, the standard manual of monastic ascesis in the Eastern Church. Feast day 30 March.

Mentioned in: Introduction (2); 1. Life Under Guidance (1.8.3, 1.9.1, 1.10.6, 1.12.7, 1.12.10, 1.14.14, 1.18.6, 1.18.13, 1.19.3, 1.20.6, 1.20.8, 1.21.4, 1.24.25, 1.24.32, 1.24.33, 1.25.14, 1.26.12, 1.27.2, 1.28.1, 1.29.11, 1.33.11, 1.33.14, 1.35.9, 1.35.17, 1.44.12); 4. Zeal for Salvation (4.1.27).

St Macarius the Great

Egyptian desert father (c. 300–391), abbot of Scetis; attributed author of the Homilies on the heart and spiritual fire central to the hesychast tradition. Feast day 19 January.

Mentioned in: Introduction (2, 5); 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3, 1.10.19, 1.51.29); 3. The Narrow and Sorrowful Path (3.2.15); 4. Zeal for Salvation (4.1.22, 4.2.2).

St Pachomius the Great

Egyptian monk (c. 292–348), founder of cenobitic monasticism and author of an influential monastic rule. Feast day 15 May.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3).

St Paisius Velichkovsky

Ukrainian-born monk (1722–1794), abbot of Neamț Monastery in Moldavia; compiler and translator of the Philokalia into Slavonic (the Dobrotolubiye), transmitting hesychast spirituality to the Slavic world. Feast day 15 November.

Mentioned in: Introduction (2); 1. Life Under Guidance (1.47.4, 1.51.2, 1.51.30, 1.54.3, 1.56.5).

St Sabbas the Sanctified

Palestinian monk (439–532), founder of the Great Lavra near Jerusalem and a major organizer of monastic life in the Holy Land. Feast day 5 December.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.4.3, 1.7.19).

Son of God

The Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, who became incarnate to unite humanity with divinity. A central christological title in Orthodox theology referring to Christ’s divine nature and eternal relationship with the Father.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.14.12).

St Theophan the Recluse

Russian bishop and spiritual writer (1815–1894), bishop of Tambov and then Vladimir before withdrawing to strict reclusion at Vyshen Monastery in 1866. Prolific author of letters, ascetic treatises, and homilies; translated the Philokalia into Russian. Canonised 1988. Feast day 10 January.

Mentioned in: Introduction (1).

the Twelve Apostles

The twelve disciples chosen by Christ to be the foundational witnesses of the Church. In the ascetical tradition the Apostles model submission to a divine teacher — Paul going first to Ananias (Acts 9:6) and then consulting the other Apostles (Gal. 2:2) — and so illustrate the principle that even the spiritually advanced sought external guidance.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.38.2).

Places

Mount Athos

The Holy Mountain of Athos in northern Greece, an autonomous monastic republic and the spiritual centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism since the 9th century. Twenty ruling monasteries plus dozens of dependencies; women have not been admitted since 1046.

Mentioned in: 1. Life Under Guidance (1.51.30).