Publisher's Synopsis
Orthodoxy is often identified with beautiful icons, elaborate liturgy, perfection as deification, and the vision of God as light. But there is a deeper side in which martyrdom is embraced. The spirituality of the Christian East is often identified with beautiful icons, elaborate liturgy, a way of perfection as deification, and the vision of God as light. But martyrdom is part and parcel of the Orthodox way, and its spirituality is profoundly marked by the reality of pain and division. This fascinating study finds a deeper insight at the heart of the Orthodox tradition: the idea of brokenness and darkness as the only way to healing and light, the idea of imperfection as the only way to salvation.
