Threshold: Trials at the Crossroads of Eternity

Death is a great sacrament. It is the birth of a person from this earthly, temporary life, into eternity. In this third volume of St Ignatius's collected works, published here in English for the first time, the saint examines the mystical boundaries that govern the life of a Christian: the one, between life and death; and the other, between the visible, physical realm and the invisible to most, but no less real, spiritual realm. Included in this volume is St Ignatius's "Homily on Death," one of his most popular works in his native Russia and often published separately. The reader will also encounter St Ignatius's teachings on the nature of the soul and the essence of the incorporeal beings, the latter theologoumena being a point of contention between the author and his contemporary, St Theophan the Recluse. The text is complemented by a comprehensive scripture index and a short biography of the author. AUTHORS: Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807?1867) was a prolific author of Orthodox Christian ascetical works. Published toward the end of his life, his writings continued to grow in popularity long after his death. Along with his contemporary, St Theophan the Recluse, St Ignatius is now considered a foremost authority on Orthodox spirituality. He was canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. His writings have previously appeared in English as The Arena and On the Prayer of Jesus, among other works. Deacon Nicholas Kotar is a recent graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary and an assistant editor at Holy Trinity Publications in Jordanville, NY. He also has a degree in Russian Literature from UC Berkeley. Having begun conducting with the youth choir in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, Nicholas helped establish the St John of San Francisco Men's Chorale, which has released two disks to date: Rejoice in Song and Chrysostom. Currently he conducts the monastery and seminary choir at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. He is also a founding member of Conquering Time, an ensemble of performance, visual, and literary artists inspired by the Inklings that stages original works of storytelling and traditional music and publishes new poetry and prose.