Product Description

An acclaimed expert in Christian mysticism travels to a monastery high in the Trodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to readers of Carlos Castaneda.

In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information, Kyriacos C. Markides continues the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice little known in the West he began in Riding with the Lion. His earlier book took readers to the isolated peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece and into the group of ancient monasteries. There, in what might be called a “Christian Tibet,” two thousand monks and hermits practice the spiritual arts to attain a oneness with God. In his new book, Markides follows Father Maximos, one of Mount Athos’s monks, to the troubled island of Cyprus. As Father Maximos establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in this deeply divided land, Markides is awakened anew to the magnificent spirituality of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enrich the Mountain of Silence. Like the writings of Castaneda, the book brilliantly evokes the confluence of an inner and outer journey. The depth and richness of its spiritual message echo the thoughts and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and other great saints of the Church as well. The result is a remarkable work–a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83128 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-19
• Released on: 2002-11-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.com Review
The spiritual traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church are all but unknown to most Christians in the West, who often think of Christianity as split into two camps: Bible-based Protestantism and sacramental Catholicism. Yet in The Mountain of Silence, sociologist Kyriacos Markides suggests that Orthodox spirituality offers rich resources for Western Christians to integrate the head and the heart, and to regain a more expansive view of Christian life. The book combines elements of memoir, travelogue, and history in a single story. Markides journeys to a cluster of monasteries on Mount Athos, an isolated peninsula in northern Greece and one of the holiest sites in the Orthodox tradition. He also visits the troubled island of Cyprus, largely occupied by Turkey since 1974, and makes the acquaintance of a monk named Father Maximos, who has established churches, convents, and monasteries. Markides, a native Cypriot, tells the tale of this journey in a tone that's loose and light, with many excursions on Church history and Greek and Turkish politics. But despite the easygoing tone, the importance of this book is potentially immense. The Mountain of Silence introduces a world that is entirely new to many Western readers, and unveils a Christian tradition that reveres the mystical approach to God as much as the rational, a tradition that Markides says "may have the potential to inject Christianity with the new vitality that it so desperately needs." --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly
Markides, a Maine sociologist who was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith and later drifted into agnosticism, continues his spiritual journey homeward in this collection of captivating conversations with the monk Father Maximos. The book is set on the island of Cyprus, where the author and his monastic mentor spent extended periods of time together due to unexpected circumstances that moved Father Maximos from the "Holy Mountain" of Mount Athos. Markides (Riding with the Lion), his interest piqued by an earlier pilgrimage to Mount Athos, used a sabbatical from the University of Maine to further explore the body of Christian mysticism that Mount Athos's monks have preserved since the ninth century. Here, Markides and others pepper the charismatic Maximos with questions on a wide range of topics from angels, saints and demons to the role of icons in worship and the place of hell in Christian belief. Markides is a skillful and skeptical inquisitor whose queries surely must have tried the patience of his mentor. But Maximos rises to the occasion, providing gentle, thoughtful answers that by necessity often transcend the Western mind's reliance on logic in spiritual matters. Markides's work is an excellent resource for spiritual seekers of all levels, answering questions about Christianity in general and Eastern monasticism in particular. It will be of special interest to those who may be unaware of Christianity's deep roots in mysticism.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In a familiar, conversational style, Markides (sociology, Univ. of Maine) continues the spiritual discourse with Greek priest and monk Father Maximos begun in his earlier work, Riding with the Lion (LJ 1/95). In passages reminiscent of Bill Moyers's now famous interviews with religionist Joseph Campbell (published as The Power of Myth, Doubleday, 1988), Markides questions the monk, using his long, discursive responses to deepen his focus on Orthodox spirituality and practice, defend the monasticism of Mt. Athos (where Father Maximos resides), and explore topics like saints, the long Orthodox liturgies, faith healing, miracles, and many other mainstays of traditional Orthodoxy. Often blurring the distinction between participant and observer, Markides serves more as the spiritual seeker's muse than as a true guide to Orthodox faith and practice: he very much believes that "the mystical and miracle tradition of the holy elders" stands as the true Christian antidote to the scientific rationalism of Western Christianity. Readers without a background in Orthodoxy will be helped somewhat by the glossary but will find this hard going. Recommended only for collections already strong in Orthodox materials. Sandra Collins, Duquesne Univ. Lib., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Approachable Orthodoxy
Mountain of Silence is a wonderful read. For spiritual seekers of any shade, this book reveals the great depths of the Orthodox tradition, demonstrating that Orthodox Christianity has everything seekers often look for in Far Eastern mystical traditions... and more, in my opinion. It demonstrates to Christians that they need not abandon Christianity altogether, if they deem much of it empty or superficial, but may turn to Orthodoxy for a deep, experiential, practical Christianity. For the merely curious, or the armchair traveler, it tells a good story and takes one to an exotic landscape every bit as interesting and other-worldly as Tibet or India. For the Orthodox Christian, it is packed with wisdom, insights, and in a way that is approachable - not dry and academic - clarifies much about various aspects of the Orthodox spiritual life. For the Orthodox Christian, this book will become, after its first read, more a much-visited reference book than a mere story.

I hope to share this book with people who think that practical, mystical and transpersonal spirituality belongs only to the Orient, or to those who think that Christianity has been emptied of mystery, transformative ascetic practice, and intelligence. This book makes Orthodoxy accessible to non-Orthodox people because of its engaging, narrative style. I hope to share it with many people.

A Special Book
I purchased this book at a time when the spiritual encouragement this book contains had special meaning to me. I have passed it on to a friend who called to say that this book is truly meaningful in the best sense. My thanks to the author and those he writes about for the spiritual lessons. Magnificent

Highly recommend this book
I am an Orthodox catechumen and recently had the privledge of hearing the author give a guest lecture in my church after services one Sunday. The Church bookstore was selling copies of this book and right after his slide-show and talk, I grabbed one and could barely put it down from beginning to end and will probably re-read it at some point.

This book is a breath of fresh air and is a real treasure to read about a modern day perspective on elders, spirituality and some good day-to-day advice.

My love for my Faith and Christ has only become stronger with this book and set my feet on the path to reading works by Orthodox elders and Saints.