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Rating: 
Summary: The definitive book on Mt Athos
Review: I have read several books on Mt Athos, a subject that has fascinated me for many years. This is the best English language book on the topic and one that I think would be difficult to be surpassed. It is scholarly without being "stuffy"; it is eminently readable without the simplistic approach of a tourist guide; it is almost encyclopedic but not fragmentary. And most importantly, coming from a person who apprently went through a spiritual journey, it is permeated by the deeper understanding that such experience brings. I recommend it to anyone who plans to visit Athos or, for that matter, to everyone who already made the customary brief visit to the Holy Mountain as he will discover many things he probably missed, often the larger perspective of the place that is sadly lost in the brevity of an overnight stay.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely well done
Review: This is a first class publication (slick paper/good photographs/excellent documentation) on the history of the monastic communities on Mt. Athos. This information includes both the physical history along with the spiritual history (a sort of metahistory, so to speak). The author includes information on the various spiritual movements (hesychasts, etc) that have originated on this peninsula that, while located in northern modern Greece, is actually a sort of autonomous republic. Especially interesting is the information on the unexpected, amazing renewal that is taking place there. 30 years ago, the end of Mt. Athos was in sight. Now, new monks come and the monasteries are again flourishing. Amazing. Also interesting is the information on Mt. Athos's place in the EU, and what that membership may mean to the monks. At any rate, this is a first rate book of interest to anyone who is interested in christian spirituality in general, and orthodox spirituality in particular.
Rating:
Summary: Next best thing to going!
Review: This is a history not only of the Holy Mountain Athos, but also of the monks that inhabited it and those that dwell there to this very day. Speake has done a wonderfl job covering the world's influence on Athos as well as Athos' influence on the world. It is incredibly refreshing to see a book about a monastic community published by a secular university press (Yale University) be free of the condescension and skepticism that one would expect to find. As a matter of fact, there's a general tone of reverence for the monks' traditions. It is, however, fair and balanced in the fact that he hasn't glossed over the rough patches of Athonite history. Speake has produced a work of scholarship that is accessible to the academic and the average joe as well as to Orthodox and non-Orthodox. That is no small accomplishment. Many people outside of Eastern Europe and the Middle East are embracing Orthodoxy today. This is happening in Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Oceania and the Americas. An intelligent, well written and accessible history (both political and spiritual) of Mount Athos in English is essential and Speake has provided us with what will surely be the standard for years to come. Athos is the center of world Orthodox monasticism and could be called "The Conscience of Orthodoxy." This book is essential for those wishing to understand Orthodoxy and particularly Orthodox monasticism.
Rating:
Summary: Next best thing to going!
Review: This is a history not only of the Holy Mountain Athos, but also of the monks that inhabited it and those that dwell there to this very day. Speake has done a wonderfl job covering the world's influence on Athos as well as Athos' influence on the world. It is incredibly refreshing to see a book about a monastic community published by a secular university press (Yale University) be free of the condescension and skepticism that one would expect to find. As a matter of fact, there's a general tone of reverence for the monks' traditions. It is, however, fair and balanced in the fact that he hasn't glossed over the rough patches of Athonite history. Speake has produced a work of scholarship that is accessible to the academic and the average joe as well as to Orthodox and non-Orthodox. That is no small accomplishment. Many people outside of Eastern Europe and the Middle East are embracing Orthodoxy today. This is happening in Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Oceania and the Americas. An intelligent, well written and accessible history (both political and spiritual) of Mount Athos in English is essential and Speake has provided us with what will surely be the standard for years to come. Athos is the center of world Orthodox monasticism and could be called "The Conscience of Orthodoxy." This book is essential for those wishing to understand Orthodoxy and particularly Orthodox monasticism.
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