Author Description

"Though compassion is central to a Christian understanding of God's love for us and the love we ought to have for one another, English translations of Scripture and the Fathers tend to be imprecise, so that eusplanchnia, oiktirmos, eleos, philanthōpia, and sympatheia can all be easily be confused. This text is not historical study of compassion in the Orthodox Christian tradition, nor does it give a purely theoretical or "scholarly" approach to this topic. It is not a guidebook for how to show compassion to others in particular situations. Rather, Moved by Compassion aims to develop a framework, theological and philosophical, in which to explore the dynamics of being moved by compassion and the vital role it plays in Orthodox Christian spiritual life and everyday life generally in order to provide a response to the question "why should we care about being compassionate?" The book draws extensively not only on Scripture and the patristic tradition, but also especially on the hymns of the Church. The author clearly demonstrates the meaning, centrality, and importance of compassion"--