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Archimandrite Zacharias
The Very Reverend Dr. Zacharias Zacharou is a disciple of Elder Sophrony and a member of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Essex, England. Of Greek Cypriot heritage, Fr Zacharias is the official translator of Elder Sophrony’s writings from Russian into Greek, and holds degrees in Theology from the Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, France, and the University of Thessalonica, Greece, also receiving the degree of Doctor of Theology from the latter institution for his work on the theology of Elder Sophrony, which was published in English as Christ, Our Way and Our Life: A Presentation of the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony (2003). Also published in English are The Hidden Man of the Heart (1 Peter 3:4): The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology (2008), Remember Thy First Love (Revelation 2:4-5): The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life in the Theology of Elder Sophrony (2010), and Man the Target of God (2016). Archimandrite Zacharias is fluent in Greek, English, French and Russian, and is intimately familiar with the traditions of the Greek and Russian liturgical practice. In May of 2011 he was awarded the honorary doctorate from Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, in recognition of his remarkable contribution to the spiritual life of the Church in America.
The Editor
Dr. Christopher Veniamin is a spiritual child of St. Sophrony the Athonite (1896-1993).
Born and raised in London, England, of Greek Cypriot parents, Dr. Veniamin holds his first degree in theology from the University of Thessalonica and his doctorate from the University of Oxford. He is Emeritus Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon's Seminary in Pennsylvania, and Dean & COO Emeritus at the Antiochian House of Studies in California, where he also served as Professor of Patristic Theology and Dogmatics, established the Ph.D.Program in Orthodox Studies, and spearheaded the drive for full accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in North America and Canada.
Prof. Veniamin's works include Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies; The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation: "Theosis" in Scripture and Tradition; and The Transfiguration of Christ in Greek Patristic Literature: From Irenaeus of Lyons to Gregory Palamas.
Dr. Veniamin also holds the four-year Degree in Byzantine Music from the celebrated School of St. Romanus Melodus and St. John Damascene in Thessalonica, and is a pupil of Eleftherios Georgiades, former Lampadarios of the Great Church of Christ.
Prof. Veniamin is also the Founder and President of Mount Thabor Publishing (MTP), established in 2005 to produce quality books in Orthodox theology and the spiritual life, and the presenter of videos and podcasts for The Mount Thabor Academy, on the interrelationship between theology and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church, with particular reference to the Holy Bible and the witness of the Church Fathers, past and present.
Overall rating: 4.9 / 5 from 17 reviews.
The book was delivered in perfect condition and in a timely manner. Fr. Zacharias is the perfect next step for someone who has read St. Silouan or St. Sophrony and wants to dive deeper into the phronema of these modern saints. It makes me want to take a pilgrimage to St. John the Baptist Monastery in Essex!
Wonderful book and company!
The wisdom in this book has a profound depth even just a few pages in.
Thank you!
The scriptural topic of the heart’s expansion and enlargement is cosmic in it’s scale and scope. Archimandrite Zacharias anthropology is biblically and patristically completely Orthodox in the finest sense. Saints Silouan and Sophrony, pray for us! Pray that I pray more, Cyprian
Orthodox wisdom from beginning to end!
I’m making my way through all the books by Archimandrite Zacharias, and what I wasn’t expecting from this one is the best insight I’ve ever had about the holy mystery of confession. This insight is based on the dialogue between the Archimandrite and our beloved Bishop Basil about what questions they ask in confession! Don’t blink or you’ll miss it, but it provides an utterly unique perspective. If you’ve read everything by or about Elder Sophrony and are actually ready for more, then the books by Archimandrite Zacharias are the unavoidable next step. Read them — then live them, and you will find yourself growing closer to Christ every day.
The perfect book for lent. I have looked forward to this book for a long time. So glad to have found it.
This is an a book by a great spiritual Elder of the Eastern Orthodox Church who for a time was the Elder of a group on monks and nuns at Tolleshunt in the UK. Many hundreds went to see him and get spiritual advice. a helpful, practical and useful little book for all Christians and those seeking.
Great book. Very practical.
Well written with so much food for thought.What is the heart that is referred to in the Bible? What is a deep heart? Those questions are answered in this book. Pertains to St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony's understanding and way of explaining it to those seeking a deeper spiritual life.
This is a spiritual masterpiece for anyone wishing to grow in the faith and come closer to God.
The Enlargement of the Heart is a series of lectures, which Archimandrite Zacharias gave at a 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat. Archimandrite Zacharias is a disciple of Elder Sophrony of Essex who was in turn a disciple of Saint Silouan the Athonite. That's some pretty impressive lineage for those of you unversed in Orthodoxy. Drawing upon their teachings, these lectures discuss man's ultimate existence and purpose. Each lecture is brilliant but accessible. So many times, depending upon the speaker, theology can go over the heads of the majority of us, myself included. Archimandrite Zacharias, however, does a brilliant job keeping his lectures simple yet deep. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Jesus Prayer. In this chapter he tells us that two factors are indispensable when praying the Jesus Prayer. "The first is the faithful effort made by man to focus his attention in his heart, and humbly predispose his spirit. The second, and incomparably more important, is the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which nothing can succeed, no word and no act is accomplished." If I understand it correctly, it is saying that we need to humbly put forth the effort, while realizing that we can't accomplish it without the Holy Spirit. This was a great book to read. It not only made the teachings of Elder Sophrony and Saint Silouan available, but also made them accessible to the average reader. I appreciate the Scripture cross references included in the book, as well as the original questions and answers at the end of the lecture. Sometimes, no matter how clear a lecture is, there are questions that need to be answered, and a lot of the questions asked were some of the same ones I had as well. Pick up this 5 star book if you want to read from some of the great minds of recent Orthodox history.
My husband and I have read all of Fr. Zacharias's books, and I have to say they are among the most helpful teachings I've run across for living the Christian life. Fr. Zacharias makes a wonderful big brother and spiritual father, and I am so thankful he was willing to describe some of the milestones along "the Way" and share tools for passage. It is a rare and wonderful gift for Fr. Zacharias to open the treasure of his spiritual heritage received via Fr. Sophrony and St. Silouan! I recommend reading all of his books; we will probably reread them more than once in the years ahead, as well. They are a fine investment.
Archimandrite Zacharias offers the reader a chance to understand the spiritual tradition of the Orthodox Church as expressed in our modern day by St. Silouan the Athonite and his disciple Elder Sophrony of Essex. In the first chapter, Fr. Zacharias, sites several opinions concerning the work of St. Silouan. He makes reference to St. Justin Popovich and St. Nikolai Velimirovich, contemporaries of St. Silouan, who viewed the work of St. Silouan as, or more important than the writings of Symeon the New Theologian. Thus the source and content of Fr. Zacharias' book is that of the most significant theological writer of at least the past century, if not longer. Also the occasion of the Book, the 2001 clergy brotherhood retreat, gives the book an interactive quality as the reader hears the concerns of current pastors trying to aid their flock and in return given practical answers and direction. A must read for priests, especially the newly ordained!
In the writings of Saint Silouan and Elder Sophrony, I encountered a God I had never known before, leading to a life I had never dreamt possible, and all achieved in the most astonishing of ways. Archimandrite Zacharias' exceptional book, "The Enlargement of the Heart in the Theology of Saint Silouan and Elder Sophrony," achieves just what the title suggests for its readers: it enlarges their hearts to receive Saint Silouan's and Elder Sophrony's life-transforming truths. As a true theologian of the heart, Father Zacharias expounds the theology of Saint Silouan and Elder Sophrony in such areas as the fulfillment of our purpose in life, the vision of God, overcoming our passions, the role of a Spiritual Father, pure prayer, and even marriage. On the latter he writes, "Through marriage, we are taught selfless love, which is an image of the Love of God. Not to care for ourselves, but for the other - that is selfless love.... Then, truly, even marriage becomes a paradise." Please accept my challenge: read "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by Elder Sophrony and use Father Zacharias' "The Enlargement of the Heart" as both a commentary and expansion on it, and discover for yourself how your life will be set on an entirely different way, the surprising Way of our Lord Himself.
Father Zacharias's book is one of the most valuable books I have ever read. It is on the same level with The Philokalia, The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian and the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom. Anyone drawn to these books must read this one as well. The structure of the book is a transcription of a series of lectures by Father Zacharias which are followed by a question and answer session. The result is an extraordinary combination of theology and spiritual guidance for living it. Moreover, because Father Zacharias speaks with the Holy Spirit, he is able to convey his ideas with remarkable clarity and simplicity. This is a book for everyone. If you read this book, you will feel as if you are listening to a great Elder and hearing the Holy Spirit. Please do so. Please pray for me.
