A Life Together: Wisdom of Community from the Christian East

Written in the tradition of the Orthodox East’s “desert tradition” of short meditations on spiritual themes, Bishop Seraphim’s new book is the Eastern Church’s answer to Bonheoffer’s great reflection on similar themes. Here, Bishop Seraphim explores the Russian understanding of the term Sobornost, a word for “community” first introduced in the 19th century, which has taken shape as a key concept for exploring what community means and how unity between human beings is truly possible.

This uniquely Eastern perspective on a topic of interest to people everywhere will appeal to anyone hungering for a new understanding of community that can inspire daily life. The book will also leave readers with the happy awareness that the history of the Church is not something closed and complete, nor is Christianity an exhausted creed which has run its course. Instead, Christianity is young and ever new, and the Church is just beginning to discover the inwardness that is implicit in the Gospels.

 

Bishop Seraphim Sigrist is a Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America. Formerly a missionary in Japan, he has also taught at Drew University in New Jersey. His publications include two books of Christian spirituality, a translated book of the Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, as well as frequent contributions to Parabola.