Three Cheers for the Philokalia: Envisioning a 21st-Century Christian Anthropology
By Brother Theophan We live in an age of unprecedented distraction, our inner worlds often resembling a noisy, crowded ecosystem of competing anxieties, looping memories, and a relentless inner narrator. Fragmentation is now the norm—we’re pulled in a dozen directions at once. But what if this isn’t a personal or moral failing? What if it’s simply the natural condition of an unregulated mind—and there exists a reliable, experience-proven path, understood by both ancient wisdom and modern science, to bring harmony to the chaos? In the late 18th century, a monumental anthology of spiritual texts known as the Philokalia was published in Venice. Compiled from the writings of ancient Christian contemplatives, it was never intended for monastics alone. As Metropolitan Kallistos Ware observed, the Philokalia’s ultimate aim is to awaken a special kind of inward attention—culminating in nepsis , or vigilant watchfulness—that marks true spiritual progress. (Note: for those unfamiliar b...