“Wealth without work Pleasure without conscience Science without humanity Knowledge without character Politics without principle Commerce without morality Worship without sacrifice. https://vidjambov.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-inventory-vladimir-djambov-talmach.html Some of the greatest texts of Christian mysticism are attributed to Macarius the Great. “Spiritual Conversations” represent the highest example of “mysticism of the heart” – one of the two great traditions of the Ancient Church, the meaning of which is expressed in the words pf the “Conversations”: “We tasted God, we had experience” – that is, a living direct experience of communion with God. “Not a theological argument. Rather … intimate confessions of the contemplator, teaching and edifying from personal experience,” as defined by G. Florovsky. “Spiritual Conversations” were often accused of messianism: however, the truly ecclesiastical character of “Spiritual Conversations” betrays an emphasis on the central role of Christ, on His Presence in the Eucharist, that is, in the Church. The unity of Christians, the “shining brothers” of Christ, is realized in the Church. “The inexpressible and incomprehensible God – in His goodness – humbled Himself; He clothed Himself with the members of this visible body, and hid from His own inaccessible glory; in His mercy and love-for-mankind He transforms, incarnates Himself, enters into unity with and accepts saints, who are pleasing and faithful, becoming, as Ap. Paul says, “one Spirit” with them (1 Cor. 6:17) –soul to soul and face to face, so to speak, soul, and being hypostatic, so that a soul worthy of God and pleasing to Him could live in renewal and experience an immortal life, and become a partaker of imperishable glory. For He brought this visible creature from non-being into being in some great variety and with many differences, and it did not exist until it was brought into being. He willed, and easily created course and rigid creations out of nothing, for example: mountains, trees (you see, what the hardness of their nature is!), then medium [creations] – waters, and from the waters commanded birds to be born, and even the most subtle: fire and winds, and even those that are invisible to the bodily eye due to [their] subtlety. The ‘heart’ of the “Spiritual Conversations” of Macarius the Great must be understood in the biblical sense as the centre of the spiritual forces of man (including the mind). Another ascetic tradition – the “mysticism of the mind” will merge with the “mysticism of the heart” (first of all, the Diadochus of Photika), which will prevent dangerous deviations in the spiritual life. This collection of conversations includes all currently known “Spiritual Conversations” attributed to Macarius the Great.