The Divine Name

Volume II
From Byzantium to the Slavic World
The Northern Renewal of the Prayer of the Heart

Volume II follows the historical migration of the hesychast tradition after the decline of Byzantium, showing how the prayer of the heart took root in the monasteries and forests of the Slavic world.

The Divine Name - Vol 2

The volume begins with a historical account of:

• the fall of Constantinople

• the role of Mount Athos as a spiritual bridge

• the spread of Byzantine monastic spirituality into Eastern Europe

• the development of Russian monastic culture

It then explores the lives and teachings of several key figures who preserved and renewed the hesychast tradition:

Saint Nil Sorsky
The reform of Russian monasticism and the return to the desert ideal of poverty, detachment, and interior watchfulness.

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky
The rediscovery of the patristic writings and the revival of hesychasm through the translation and dissemination of the Philokalia.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov
The experiential theology of the Holy Spirit and the radiant joy that arises from continual prayer.

Saint Theophan the Recluse
The interiorization of prayer and the descent of the mind into the heart within everyday Christian life.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
Spiritual discernment and warnings against deception in the practice of contemplative prayer.

Through these figures, the volume demonstrates how the ancient desert tradition adapted to new cultural landscapes while preserving its essential theological core.