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For a complete list of all New Seeds and Christianity titles currently in print, click here. |
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by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Foreword by Desmond Tutu
The place “where God happens,” according to Rowan Williams’s striking new reading of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, is between each other. These fourth-century Christian hermits of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine understood the truth of interconnectedness profoundly, and their lives demonstrate it vividly—even though they often lived in solitude and isolation. The author breaks through our preconceived ideas of the Desert Fathers to reveal them in a new light: as true and worthy role models for us even today, who provide priceless wisdom for dealing with the anxieties, uncertainties, and sense of isolation that are so often a feature of our modern lives. Williams makes these radical figures, who clearly have a special place in his heart, come to life in a new way for everyone.
The book includes an appendix of selections from the teachings of the Desert Fathers. “Rowan Williams is a scholar and priest, a mystic and a poet, a contemplative and an advocate for social justice—all rare combinations for a church leader. In Where God Happens, he combines his roles by examining the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers and interpreting the relevance of their teaching for Christian spirituality today. In the early monastics’ search for the experience of God and an alternative style of community, he finds a new and deeper faith for the postmodern world. This compelling work of scholarship and spirituality shows why the Archbishop of Canterbury is truly a breath of fresh air and one of the most important and hopeful church leaders we have today.”
—Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, author of God’s Politics
Hardcover / New Seeds Books
192 pages / 5 x 7 ¾ / $19.95
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by James Harpur
The Christian faith is at heart about an intimate and direct experience of God, and the men and women known as mystics are those who manifested this experience in particularly memorable ways. From New Testament times up to the end of the twentieth century, Love Burning in the Soul presents the lives and legacies of fifty key figures in the Christian mystical tradition, each in his or her historical context, providing the details of their lives and of their unique contributions to Christian spirituality. Each chapter of the book sets the scene by introducing the pertinent era in Church history, then the mystics of that period are presented with their biographies and summaries of their experiences and teachings. The result is a comprehensive, readable course in the history of Christian mysticism. Included are:
Clement of Alexandria | Gregory of Nyssa | John Scotus Eriugena | Bernard of Clairvaux | Hildegard of Bingen | Francis of Assisi | Mechtild of Magdeburg | Meister Eckhart | John Tauler | Jan van Ruysbroeck | Gregory Palamas | Richard Rolle | Julian of Norwich | Catherine of Siena | Jacob Boehme | George Fox | Teresa of Ávila | François Fénelon | Jean Pierre de Caussade | William Blake | Pierre Teilhard de Chardin | Thomas Merton | many others
James Harpur studied classics and English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. He has edited or written a number of popular books on religion, particularly the Christian mystical tradition. He is also a prizewinning poet whose three collections of verse reflect his interest in the Christian contemplative tradition.
Paperback / New Seeds Books
256 pages / 6 x 9 / $16.95
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by Marvin Meyer
Hundreds of sayings were attributed to Jesus by his ancient students and admirers—but only a handful made it into the canonical Gospels. Marvin Meyer has here collected and translated two hundred sayings attributed to Jesus from the first centuries of the Christian era—none of which have been published before in English. The sayings come from a variety of sources, giving a wonderful glimpse into some of the scriptures that were in existence in the early Church. Some of the sayings are even of Jewish and Islamic origin. Dr. Meyer includes an intriguing introduction and annotations that put the sayings into perspective. This book will appeal to all those who love the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospels of the New Testament, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical Jesus and his many sayings not recorded in the canonical Gospels.
“Hundreds of sayings were attributed to the sage from Nazareth by ancient admirers. More than fifteen hundred versions of five hundred quotations are attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, the Gospel of Thomas, and other gospels found at Nag Hammadi. Marvin Meyer has combed additional Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sources for another two hundred of the most fascinating epigrams and parables ascribed to Jesus. This new resource prepared by a veteran scholar will be invaluable to everyone engaged in a quest to discover the authentic voice of Jesus.”
—Robert W. Funk, founder of the Jesus Seminar, author of The Acts of Jesus
“First there was the Jesus of history. Then there was the Christ of the Gospels. But third there was the echo of Jesus that reverberated throughout the world in the first centuries of Christian history. Marvin Meyer has attempted to capture the echo. By searching Christian, Jewish, and Islamic sources he found Jesus quoted in sometimes familiar and sometimes startling ways, and he lays them out beautifully. The result is a treasure!”
—John Shelby Spong, author of Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism
“Since the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas, Marvin Meyer’s exciting Unknown Sayings of Jesus is the major revelation of Yeshua’s diverse extracanonical voices—here presented in invisibly deep scholarship and elegantly simple English to give us a spiritual page-turner.”
—Willis Barnstone, editor of The Other Bible
“A most valuable and fascinating book indeed. It gives us insight not only into what Jesus—peace be upon him—said or might have said, but also into the ways he was admired in different cultures and times.”
—Muzzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America and adjunct professor of Islamic Studies and World Religions, California State University, Fullerton
Marvin Meyer, Ph.D., is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. He is director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, and Pacific Coast regional past president of the Society of Biblical Literature. He is the author, editor, or translator of numerous books including The Gospel of Thomas and, with Willis Barnstone, The Gnostic Bible.
Paperback / New Seeds Books
208 pages / 5 x 7 ¼ / $12.95 paper
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by Brother Lawrence
Foreword by Mother Tessa Bielecki
The Practice of the Presence of God is among the most enduringly popular of all Christian devotional works. It is a collection of conversations with a simple seventeenth-century French Carmelite monk who, through the simplest of everyday activities, was able to achieve a profound intimacy with God. Brother Lawrence’s teaching has resonated with Christians for more than three hundred years, and it is fitting that it is now available in this beautiful edition with a fine full-cloth cover, a sewn binding, and a ribbon marker.
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1611–1691) was a Carmelite monk who spent the greater part of his life in the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Paris.
Mother Tessa Bielecki is the co-foundress of the Spiritual Life Institute, a modern Carmelite community with retreat centers in Colorado and Ireland. She is the author of Holy Daring, Teresa of Ávila: Ecstasy and Common Sense, and Teresa of Ávila: Mystical Writings.
Hardcover / New Seeds Books
112 pages / 4 ¼ x 6 ¾ / $14.95
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Selected and edited by Robert Inchausti
This pocket-sized treasury of wisdom from the influential Christian contemplative, political activist, social visionary, and literary figure is abridged from the larger collection Seeds by Robert Inchausti (Shambhala, 2002).
“I heartily recommend purchasing this book, not merely to add to one’s shelf of Merton collectibles, but to read it, stunned by its beauty. It glitters with sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, each flashing with extraordinary power. Everything fits and radiates here. I thought I had read Merton . . . and then I walked into Inchausti’s garden of diamonds.”
—Gray Matthews, The Merton Seasonal
Paperback / New Seeds Books
208 pages / 3 x 4 ½ / $6.95
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by Ignatius Brianchaninov
Foreword by Kallistos Ware
Thousands have fallen in love with the anonymously authored book The Way of a Pilgrim—the account of an ordinary man’s encounter with the Eastern Orthodox Christian practice of the Jesus Prayer, which consists of the constant repetition of the short phrase, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” Here is the perfect introduction to this life-changing practice, as it was taught by one of the great spiritual lights of Russia. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867) provides wise instruction and advice covering all aspects of the practice, from how to get started, to approaching difficulties that arise, to dealing with friends and family who don’t get what you’re doing, to making this prayer (also called the Prayer of the Heart) the foundation of your life.
Paperback / New Seeds Books
144 pages / 5 x 7 ¾ / $16.95
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by Edited by David O’Neal
Foreword by David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B.
Meister Eckhart (1260–1327) was a German Dominican theologian and popular preacher who believed that God is best approached through paradox and mystery rather than through reason or logic. His works have rung true with seekers for more than eight hundred years.
“Even though the Roman Catholic Church tried hard to suppress its German Dominican priest, Meister Eckhart, by excommunication and condemnation, his writings have remained influential. Eckhart has been especially important among those seeking ways to connect Eastern religious traditions to Christian ones. The problem is that Eckhart's writing is difficult reading, losing much in translation not only from German to English but also from the 13th to the 20th century. O'Neal has produced an exceptional introductory edition that makes Eckhart more accessible. O'Neal's edition is an important introduction to Eckhart's work in that it draws the best texts from the most successful translations and, from them, produces a rich tapestry of presentation for this often quoted and little understood Rhineland mystic.”
—Publishers Weekly
“That Meister Eckhart is among the most important of Christian mystics is beyond dispute, so any collection that makes his work accessible to a wider audience is welcome. This new collection assembles material from existing translations along with a foreword by an important contemporary Benedictine mystic. The material is organized with an eye toward easing readers into Eckhart, beginning with short quotations then moving to table talk, sermons, and other longer pieces. That is not a bad organizational strategy, though readers may find it more exhilarating to plunge into Eckhart then swim slowly back toward the beginning. Read the book backward; start with Eckhart, then consider David Steindl-Rast's foreword and the editor's introductory note—both full of excellent advice and useful information for second and subsequent readings.”
—Steve Schroeder, Booklist
Paperback / New Seeds Books
160 pages / 5 x 7 ¼ / $12.95
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“There is no greater disaster in the spiritual life than to be immersed in unreality, for life is maintained and nourished in us by our vital relation with realities outside us. When our life feeds on unreality, it must starve. It must therefore die. There is no greater misery than to mistake this fruitless death for the true, fruitful and sacrificial ‘death’ by which we enter into life.” —Thomas Merton Selected from Thoughts in Solitude |
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