Philokalia in the Romanian Tradition and Spirituality

Abstract

Iuliu-Marius Morariu, Philokalia in the Romanian Tradition and Spirituality. Philokalia is an anthology of mystical texts written by Fathers and ascetics of the Eastern Church tradition during the first Christian millennium. These texts are a primary source for understanding the mystical and ascet-ical tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Philokalia has its roots in the anthology of Origen’s works compiled by Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint Basil the Great. This work was first published in Venice in the second half of the eighteenth century by Saint Macarius of Corinth and Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, who selected passages from the works of important Holy Fathers such as St. Maximus the Confessor, St. John of Clamacus, St. Dorotheus of Gaza, Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, St. John the Prophet, Diadochos of Photiki, St. Isaac the Syrian, St. Macarius the Great, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Symeon the New Theologian, and many others. These Fathers also had a strong influence on Orthodox Romanian tradition. For example, the Romanian translation of Philokalia in 1769, known as the Dragomirna translation, was the first translation of Philokalia into another language. Additionally, the famous Slavonic version of Philokalia, completed by St. Paisius Velichkovsky and published in Moscow in 1793, was also produced in the Romanian lands, as St. Paisius was Abbot of the Neamț Monastery at that time. Taking all of this into account, we will examine the importance of Philokalia for Romanian culture and spirituality by providing an overview of its translations into Romanian and discussing its modern influence. The contributions of theological figures such as Saint Paisius of Neamț, Bishop Gherasim Safirin of Romania, and Father Dumitru Stăniloae will also be highlighted, along with their unique contributions and impact.