
Reading List
This reading list for ressourcement: to renew the living tradition of English spirituality and orthodox-catholic reality (or “phronema”) in Anglican parish life. This is not a catalogue of conventional historical theology, nor is it intended to be exhaustive. Herein are fundamental starting points for the study and especially the renewal of the English School of orthodox-catholic spirituality, according to various dimensions.
General Overviews
Martin Thornton—English Spirituality: An Outline of Ascetical Theology According to the English Pastoral Tradition and Margery Kempe (commentary)
(note: these works are primarily for parish priests and lay catechists)
Benedicta Ward—High King of Heaven and Give Love and Receive the Kingdom
Peter Ackroyd—Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination
Lay-Ascetical Texts
Saint Anselm—Prayers and Meditations with the Proslogion
Julian of Norwich—Revelations of Divine Love
Jeremy Taylor—The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living
The Book of Margery Kempe (with commentary by Fr Thornton)
The Quest of the Holy Grail—(trans. P. M. Matarasso)
Lancelot Andrewes—Preces Privatae
Lev Gillet (A Monk of the Eastern Church)—On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus
Frederica Mathewes-Green—The Illumined Heart and Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her
The Cloud of Unknowing
Martin Thornton—The Purple Headed Mountain and Christian Proficiency
Father Andrew—Our Lady’s Hymn and Simeon’s Song
S. Bonaventure—The Mystical Vine
S. Aelred of Rievaulx—Letter to His Sister, On Jesus at Twelve Years Old and Pastoral Prayer
E. Rozanne Elder (ed.)—Mary Most Holy: Meditating with the Early Cistercians
Hagiography
Benedicta Ward—Signs and Wonders, Anselm of Canterbury: A Monastic Scholar, and Anselm of Canterbury: His Life and Legacy
Eadmer—The Life of S. Anselm
S. Athanasius—Life of Antony
S. Gregory the Great—The Life of S. Benedict
Sulpicius Severus—The Life of S. Martin of Tours
The Age of Bede (ed. D. H. Farmer)
Adomman of Iona—Life of St Columba
Anonymous—Life of St Cuthbert
Felix—Life of St Guthlac
Prayer of the Heart (Jesus Prayer, Passions)
Lev Gillet (A Monk of the Eastern Church)—On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus and The Jesus Prayer
Benedicta Ward and Desert spirituality:
- The Desert of the Heart
- The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
- The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
- Harlots of the Desert
- Lives of the Desert Fathers (trans. Norman Russel)
The Philokalia—2 vols. (Constantine Cavarnos, ed.) and 4 vols. (Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware, eds.) via the traditional path of entry into the Philokalia (from Maximos Constas, see here):
- S. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain—Guarding the Mind and the Heart and then Introduction to the Philokalia
- S. Nikephoros the Hesychast—On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart
- Ss Kallistos and Ignatios—Directions to Hesychasts
- S. Hesychios—On Watchfulness and Holiness
- Evagrios—On Prayer
- A Discourse on Abba Philemon
- S. Symeon the New Theologian—On Faith andThe Three Methods of Prayer
- S. Gregory Palamas—In Defense of Those who Devoutly Practice a Life of Stillness
- S. Gregory of Sinai—On the Signs of Grace and Delusion
Lorenzo Scupoli—Unseen Warfare
Maximos Constas—Saint John Chrysostom and the Jesus Prayer
Iconology
Maximos Constas—The Art of Seeing
Andreas Andreopoulos—Gazing on God
Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church—Stephen Sartarelli (trans.), Getty Publications
Leonid Ouspensky—Theology of the Icon (2 vols.) and The Meaning of Icons
Michel Quenot—The Icon: Window on the Kingdom and The Resurrection and the Icon
Mariology
Eric Mascall (ed.)—The Mother of God: A Symposium by Members of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius
S. Bernard of Clairvaux—Homilies in the Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary
John Macquarrie—Mary for All Christians
A. M. Allchin—The Joy of All Creation
ARCIC II—Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ
Pastoral Theology
Note: This section is primarily for parish priests and lay catechists.
Martin Thornton—Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation, Spiritual Direction, Feed My Lambs, The Rock and the River, The Function of Theology, Prayer: A New Encounter, and My God: A Reappraisal of Normal Religious Experience
S. Basil the Great—Asketicon (Long and Short Rules), The Morals, Concerning Baptism, Letters, On the Holy Spirit, Hexaemeron and other sermons
S. Benedict—Rule
S. Gregory the Great—The Book of Pastoral Rule (Pastoral Care)
Walter Hilton—The Scale of Perfection
Isaac Williams—On Reserve in Communicating Religious Knowledge (Tracts 80 and 87)
John Behr—The Mystery of Christ, The Way to Nicaea and The Nicene Faith (2 vols.)
Evelyn Underhill—Concerning the Inner Life and Practical Mysticism
F. P. Harton—The Elements of the Spiritual Life
Kenneth Kirk—The Vision of God and Some Principles of Moral Theology
Ascetical Theology
S. Ignatius of Antioch—The Letters
S. Clement of Rome—Epistles to the Corinthians
S. Polycarp—Epistle to the Philippians
The Didache
Epistle of S. Barnabas
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
The Epistle to Diognetus
S. Justin Martyr—The First and Second Apologies and Dialogue of Trypho
S. Irenaeus—On the Apostolic Preaching and Against the Heresies
Origen—Commentaries, Philocalia and On Prayer
Evagrius Ponticus—The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer
S. Athanasius—Against the Pagans, On the Incarnation, and Letter to Marcellinus (on the Psalms)
S. Gregory Nazianzus (the Theologian)—Theological Orations and other orations
S. Gregory of Nyssa—Sermons on the Song of Songs, The Making of Man and Life of Moses
John Cassian—Institutes and Conferences
S. Augustine—Confessions, On the Trinity, sermons and commentaries
S. Gregory the Great—The Dialogues, Moralia on Job, sermons and commentaries
Venerable S. Bede—On the Temple, On the Tabernacle, sermons and commentaries
Anglo-Saxon Poetry (ed. S. A. J. Bradley)
The Bridlington Dialogue: An Exposition of the Rule of S. Augustine
S. Bernard of Clairvaux—On the Love of God, The Steps of Humility and sermons
William of St Thierry—Mirror of Faith and Golden Epistle
The Ancrene Riwle
S. Aquinas—Compendium of Theology
Richard Rolle—The Fire of Love and The Mending of Life
The Whole Duty of Man
John Cosin—A Collection of Private Devotions
A. L. Maycock—Nicholas Ferrar of Little Gidding
Jeremy Taylor—The Great Exemplar and sermons
Lancelot Andrewes—Sermons
George Herbert—The Complete English Poems
William Law—A Serious Call
John Keble—The Christian Year, and sermons
Charles Grafton—Works (8 vols.)
Arthur Michael Ramsey—The Gospel and the Catholic Church
Eric Mascall—Christ, the Christian, and the Church, Grace and Glory, and Corpus Christi
John Macquarrie—Principles of Christian Theology and A Guide to the Sacraments