True Elder Books

Optina Elder Series
Platina offers these books today for a fair price
     https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com

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   Out-of-Print books, some still can be found for a fair price, or else I can help you find a digital copy:

Elder Nektary Optina
Elder Macarius
Elder Zosima
Moses Optina   ISBN: 0-943405-07-6
Joseph Optina    ISBN: 0-913026-53-0
Elder Isidore, Salt of the Earth   ISBN 10: 0938635727
Blessed Xenia, Fool  ISBN10: 0884650006 
Eldress Rachael  ISBN: 1-887904-35-2 
Abbess Thaisia, Autobiography
Abbess Rufina, The Gospel Pearl

   More worthwhile true elder books that get overlooked:

Hieroschemamonk Feofil, Fool 
Nun Parasceva Semyonovna, St. Seraphim's Seraphim
Elder Zenobius   ISBN: 978-0-88465-331-8
Fr. Arseny ISBN: 978-0-88141-180-5
Diveyevo nun Eupraxia
Diveyevo nun Pelagia
Abp. Anthony Vovonezh  ONLY $2 each  — 11 copies left — buy extras for gifts

     https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/products/archbishop-anthony-of-voronezh

 I'm interested in finding Book 4 of  this series: Great Ascetics of Russia.  I have Books 1,2,3, and 5.  Does anyone have Book 4?  or 6?   (There might not be a Book 6.)

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Do not doubt these quotes:

"ROCOR brought holiness to America"
     Metr. Demetrius GOC, St. John's monastery in New York
     https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-light-of-rocor.html

"The Christian who studies the Apostolic Scriptures, writings of the Holy Fathers and Ascetics, or texts of the divine services can enter into a spiritual communion outside of time, with the very authors of these writings. . . "
     Fr. Michael Pomazansky
     https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/2023/11/catholicity-and-cooperation-in-church.html 

     Do not doubt that you can have a personal encounter with a true elder when you read his life, homilies, counsels.  It can happen when you turn a page, or maybe more of a delayed reaction, later on when you are distracted with some chore.  This can happen for the least of us.  Get to know the true elders, and you will be less likely to be fooled by the many neo-false elders out there today.  (Beware of any elder who died after 1920.)

     I know there are many true Greek elders also we can meet, but we Americans should first get to know the Russian elders.  Even though most of us are now in our Sister Church GOC, we still owe our parentage to Russia, and even our Greek Sister Church recognizes this.  I'm referring to what Metr. Demetrius says, that "ROCOR brought holiness to America."  [You will not hear a declaration like that from Etna....not even an acknowledgement giving ROCOR any credit...*]  Today many who are ROCOR-at-heart find themselves in the GOC.  The GOC and all of Orthodoxy is indebted to what ROCOR brought not just to America, but to all of true Orthodoxy — the whole Universal Church Triumphant. 

*   except for one thing, in 2019 Etna provided Americans with a highest quality English translation of our modern Holy ROCOR Father Michael Pomazanky's important writing: On the Church of Christ in the Light of the Orthodox Faith. This effort was an unspoken admitting by Etna that ROCOR made a valuable contribution to Orthodoxy.  But notice whose picture is on the cover of the Etna book, notice who wants credit...  Compare that cover with St. Fr. Seraphim Rose's cover he chose for his translation of Fr. Michael's Dogmatic Theology book.  As they say. "One picture is worth a thousand words."

     Do not deprive yourself of this book.  Etna's intentions for providing the publication come into question, but Fr. Michael's essay is given to us from heaven.

https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/collections/books-media/products/on-the-church-of-christ-in-the-light-of-the-orthodox-faith

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Book: Elder Leonid of Optina

Do you have this book?

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https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/leo.htm

 I'm hoping to compare the 2002 edition with my 1990 edition.  The front covers are different.  The 1990 is a yellow on brown  the 2002 edition is an ultra-pastel salmon on blue.  

Advertizers online will use stock photos of book covers for their ads, indiscriminately, so don't be misled.  Both editions contain 272 pages, so you need to check the year.  Even then, checking further, be careful again.   Some sellers, including my favorite seller (Thrift Books)* will use the original year in their ad regardless of what picture they use.

If, after we can do a comparison, if it turns out that the 2002 edition is painfully different from the 1990 version, then I will go to the trouble to scan my 1990 copy.  But if the 2002 edition is not lacking, then I won't take the time to scan my 1990 edition.  I wish I could see a copy of the first English edition!  If you have that edition, how can I convince you to send me a scan?

Below is a photo of the TOC page from the 1990 edition.  

 

* The reason why Thrift Books is my favorite seller is because they are opposed to Amazon.  After what Amazon did to Trump in 2020, I boycotted Amazon, I swore off of using Amazon.  It was then and still is now a tough oath to keep.  Thrift Books has helped a lot.
   Amazon is being quiet now, but I remember what Amazon did to Trump.  Amazon tried to annihilate Trump.  Amazon failed.  Amazon overestimated its power.  It has power, but not as much as it imagined.  Now we have caught a glimpse of Amazon's "soul."  Amazon is a servant of the Antichrist, and I will not let myself forget that, as convenient as it would be.  Amazon backed off, but never offered a formal apology.  Sometimes you only get one quick peek behind the mask of a psychopath.  When that happens, do not doubt what you saw.  And do not forget.  Do not doubt what God allowed you to see.

    And don't let yourself get tricked into that pseudo-Christian forgiveness.  That's something the psychopath usually can count on.  This is why Christians are so vulnerable.  The psychopath just waits until the Christian "forgives and forgets" without ever offering a satisfactory apology.  Sometimes, if you have trouble forgetting, the psychopath will remind you that remembrance of wrongs is a sin.  But keep staying honest with yourself, — isn't the "forgive-forget" just the easy way out, — laziness?  Don't get lazy.  Stay vigilant.  Stay true to the truth.   And when it looks like the evil has gone to sleep, don't be tricked by that either.  The psychopath is only pretending.  Remember also the Holy Father story that ends: "You knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

 

https://www.thriftbooks.com

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Book: Little Russian Philokalia Series

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Platina is selling two books from this series at a fair price.

As usual, with neo-Platina's new editions, you have to read passed the inserted praises of the MP.  ~jh  (ho-hum)


I can help you find pdfs of the out-of-print books (at no charge).
     Little Russian Philokalia Vol. II Abbot Nazarius Valaam
     Little Russian Philokalia Vol. III St. Herman Alaska
     Little Russian Philokalia Vol. IV Elder Paisius Velichkovsky
     Little Russian Philokalia Vol. VI Elder Zosima

Liturgical Calendar by God's Grace

2025 Liturgical Calendar download

https://app.box.com/s/h4i16y73dqegin7yvqoj8q3kddh0k98m
     https://tinyurl.com/LiturgicalCalendar2025

Dear Subscribers to the SJKP Liturgical Calendar,

By God’s grace, it has proved possible once again to produce the SJKP Liturgical Calendar in electronic format.

Attached are the pdf (Portable Document Format) monthly files for January through June 2025.

You should be able to print out a hard copy of the pdf files or transfer the pdf files to your portable device. If you encounter any problems with the pdf files, please contact me.

Please review the introductory material on pages 3 and 4 of the Liturgical Calendar for 2025.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of the servant of God, the ever-memorable Protopriest Gregory (Williams), whose indispensable labors in publishing the Liturgical Calendar, as well as numerous other Orthodox materials, over many years, have greatly benefited the English-speaking Orthodox world.

With best wishes for the approaching great feast of our Lord’s holy Nativity,
Daniel Olson

Dear Subscriber to the SJKP Liturgical Calendar,

Greetings for the approaching great feast of our Lord’s holy Nativity!

Attached are the monthly pdf (Portable Document Format) files for the SJKP Liturgical Calendar for July through December 2025. If you encounter any problems with the pdf files, please contact me.

Monthly PDF files for the first half of 2025 (January through June) were previously sent out today. If you have not received those files, or if any of the files were not properly transmitted to you, please contact me.

All questions, comments, reports of errors or other pertinent matters – particularly suggestions on how to improve the Liturgical Calendar – should be sent to me directly via e-mail at the following address: danielolson @ cox. net (take out spaces)

If you know anyone who would like to receive the Liturgical Calendar, please have them contact me so that I may add their name to my e-mail address list.

Please pray that the Lord would give me strength to continue working on the Liturgical Calendar.

With best wishes for a good new year, filled with God’s manifold blessings,
Daniel Olson

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This Calendar is UP-TO-DATE
INCLUDING
St. Fr. Seraphim Rose of Platina

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SJKP offers a hardcopy for sale,

https://orthodoxbooks.com

even for one copy this is the best deal

spiral bound 

This is the neo-SJKP now run by Fr. Gregory's son-in-law, OCA priest

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Lost & Found: Missing Map

Upload to Shared Library:
     Version #2 of Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky is uploaded to my Shared Library today January 9th, 2025.

To the existing pdf I added a photo that had been glued onto the inside of the back cover of the original book.  Remember in the earlier years Platina's printing equipment was primitive even by the standard of those days, and they used to glue pictures, actual color icon prints, into the earlier magazines, too.  With time, the glue deteriorates and the icons fall out and get lost.  That was the case with the map in Version #1 of the Blessed Paisius book.  The existing scan came to me from a different source other than my own library.  I'm very grateful for it— it saves me days of work and allowed me to offer this pdf long before I ever would have found time to do the scanning myself.  And, more, I'm not able to make searchable scans.

This morning I noticed the map was loose in my copy in my home library, and I wondered if this map was included in the scan uploaded to my Shared Library.  It was not.  I thought this would be a quick fix, just to insert a scan of the map, but after an hour I've tried everything I can think of.  I'm having no luck trying to make the map big enough to fill the page in the pdf.   The resulting map is a huge file, 250 MB, more than the whole book for just that one page.  I give up, the small-sized map will have to do.

Is there anyone who willing able to fix this?  

Here is a jpg of the missing map.  

A pdf of the map can be taken from the thumbnails in Version #2.  Look for the pdf book in my Shared Library, (link in sidebar), look in the folder named: "Lives Saints & Elders" 

joannahigginbotham@runbox.com

temporary post - will be deleted soon

OUT OF PRINT BOOK

 

new upload today to Joanna's Shared Library

     link to Shared Library is in the side bar

         folder named "Philokalia"

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.Little Russian Philokalia Vol II Abbot Nazarius

.    includes 4 stichera verses composed by Fr. Seraphim Rose that were published in the 1983 edition

     the canon added in this 1996 edition is to be considered like poetry

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.If you get to know the true elders, you will not be fooled by the false elders.  There are so many false elders today.

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Correction SJKP December Menaion

I do not know if there is a newer December edition than the 2011 edition that I have.  Fr. Gregory always said his menaions were "translations in progress."  You'll want to check this against your copy.  ~jh

  This is a re-post from RRb 12/22/2016
Corrected Verse in Matins Canon Nativity Eve

December Menaion page 360 (SJKP, second edition)
Eve of the Nativity of Christ (December 24)
Matins canon of the forefeast, Ode IX, 3rd verse:

"O my child most sweet, how can I feed Thee Who nourishest all things?  How can I hold Thee Who holdest all things in Thy hand?  How can I wrap in swaddling-bands Thee Who dost enshroud the whole word in gloom?" cried the most pure Mistress, whom we magnify unceasingly.

Is there a better translation?  Yes, says our ROCA typicon expert, Rdr. Daniel.

1. “word” is indeed a typo.  It was probably intended to be “world”; but that itself is not an accurate translation of both the Greek and the Slavonic. A better rendering would be “earth”.

2. “gloom” is a possible translation of the Slavonic word. The original Greek word means “mist” or “fog”, either of which would be better in the context of this troparion. The Greek word is sometimes translated as “gloom” with the meaning of “partial or total darkness”. This probably is because “mist” or “fog” often results in general darkening. The problem with “gloom” is that it also has the metaphorical meaning of “state of depression or despondency”.

Note also that the use of “enshroud” is not a very accurate translation.  Both the Greek and Slavonic words indicate that a better translation would be “swathe”.

I suggest the following translation of this troparion from the Greek text, from which the Slavonic differs slightly:

“O sweetest Child, how do I nourish Thee who nourishest [all]; how do I hold Thee who holdest all things by a command; and how do I swaddle [Thee] who swathest all the earth with mist?" the all-pure Mistress cried aloud, whom in faith we magnify.

I have used two words – “swaddled” and  “swathest”  – to translate what in the original Greek text (and the Slavonic also) is just one word.  But in English, the words “swaddle” and “swathe” are etymologically the same. The dictionaries say that “swaddle” is just a frequentative form of “swathe”. The main distinction between them is that “swaddle” usually refers to the wrapping of an infant in swaddling clothes, while “swathe” has a more generally connotation of “wrap” in some material.

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