Psalms and the Life of Faith

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Psalms and the Life of Faith

​By Archimandrite Aemilianos of Simonopetra


The truth is that afflictions are not the signs of God's absence or abandonment but rather of His presence. Afflictions are like the kneading of the dough in the making of the bread. They are like the preparations for the mystical marriage, and without them the soul is left unformed, cold, and alone. It is affliction alone that can tear us away from our isolated, individual existence and transform us into something much more whole and open. Surrounded by the self-consoling dreams and delusions of my ego, I am not able to perceive reality, let alone to know God. But when these fantasies are swept away by my afflictions, then I begin to call and cry out to God. A man who does not experience afflictions becomes an egotist, incapable of loving God. - from Elder Aemilianos' interpretation of Ps. 118


From the Introduction

Throughout this study of the Psalms (as in every writing of Elder Aemilianos), the goal of union is developed in terms of three overarching themes: (i) the yearning for God, leading to restoration of the intimate relationship in divine love; (ii) self-awareness, leading to reintegration of the sin-fractured human personhood; (iii) utter allegiance to the ecclesiastical community, in which we experience the foretaste of Christ's reconciliation of all creation in Himself...Throughout the interpretation, the Psalms are handled, therefore, not merely as texts, but as living prayers that are understood rightly only through use in worship before God.


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Contents:

Introduction

Notes on the Text and Translation


  1. Psalm 63
  2. Psalm 17
  3. Psalm 110
  4. Psalm 88
  5. Psalm 81
  6. Psalm 90
  7. Psalm 84
  8. Psalm 38
  9. Psalm 19
  10. Psalm 103
  11. Psalm 118
  12. Psalm 77


Abbreviations

Works Cited

Index of Authors and Works

Index of Biblical Citations

​Index of Subjects


Softcover, 372 pp.