The Ladder, by St John

[Wallace Justin Miller]

Does anyone have any advice or any sort of schedule for reading The Ladder in it's entirety during Lent? I'm trying to figure out a way to stretch it out the entire forty days.

[Baroness]

I do, if you're still interested. It's at home - I've got a small table that guides you through how much of "The Ladder" to read each day. Once I get home, I'll get back online and post it here for you. :-)

[Baroness]

Here is the table, as promised ... hope you can read it!
I'm looking forward to reading through "The Ladder" this Lent, using the same table. Best wishes!

[Link to table...] (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/sparrowshell/LectionaryforLadderofDivineAscent.jpg)

(Message edited by admin on 01 March, 2006)

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear 'Baroness',

Thank you for that link. Tucked away in my copy of the Ladder is a hand-written 'schedule of reading' (i.e. a schema for dividing up the book into short portions to ensure that it's got through during Lent) that was the common use in a monastery where I spent some time several years ago. Interestingly, it's almost identical to that which you've posted!

INXC, Matthew

[Eugenia]

Dear Baroness,

Thank you for the link for "The Ladder". I, too, wish ro use it during Lent. Thank you for sharing! Eugeniahttp://www.monachos.net/mb/clipart/happy.gif

[Rick Henry]

In another thread I have asked for help with determining which copy of the Ladder to purchase. In order to not clutter up that thread I am here asking for help.

Here are some that seem to be options. Can anyone please tell me which they might recommend?

Thank you:



John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (The Classics of Western Spirituality) by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell (Paperback - Dec 1982)

St. John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent by Archimandrite Lazarus [Trans.] Moore (Hardcover - 1973)

The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus The classic work on the spiritual life. Available in two formats:

Holy Transfiguration Monastery edition - Deluxe edition printed in red and black throughout. 336 pp. cloth. HTF1411

Paulist Press edition - paperback. MEP6203

PS No Paul, I don't want to 'split' this book with you. Thanks for the offer though!!! :o)

[Rick Henry]

With a little help from my friends (again), I just found this review of the following book by Fr. Dcn. Matthew on Amazon:

John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (The Classics of Western Spirituality) by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell (Paperback - Dec 1982) Paulist Press





While no objections can be made to this work itself (the 'Ladder' is one of the greater spiritual texts in human history), it is this particular translation of the text that must be criticized. This edition is wonting in the original tone of the Greek, little of which has been preserved in its English rendition.

Perhaps more upsetting is the 'insertion' into the translation of much Western religious sentiment that is not apparent in Maximus' original Greek. This is fundamentally an Eastern text from an early period, and its translation 'into' a modern Western framework does a great injustice both to the text and to the reader. Only one star for this volume: those who are considering reading the 'Ladder' would do themselves much better to find one of the various other translations available, such as that by the Transfiguration Monastery, or HMC Press (the latter available hereon Amazon.com)



So, I guess I am steering towards this one at the present:

Holy Transfiguration Monastery:
Orthodox Icons and Books (http://www.thehtm.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=569&osCsid=7985dc4bceeb198325cdf26839e8ed63)

[Kusanagi]

Personally I found the Western Spirituality translation bothersome by mentioning in many places that some part of the ladder is not mentioned in their translation but it is mentioned in the HTM version, plus they quoted Origen once too many times for me.

Does anyone know if the Archimandrite Lazarus Moore version is any good?

[Rick Henry]

Does anyone know if the Archimandrite Lazarus Moore version is any good?



I think the Archimandrite's version is the HTM version (Holy Transfiguration Mountain)

Orthodox Icons and Books (http://www.thehtm.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=569&osCsid=7985dc4bceeb198325cdf26839e8ed63)

[Theodora E.]

Yes, the HTM version is the Archimandrite's version. It has some things that are missing from the Classics of Western Spirituality edition. I had to read The Ladder this summer as part of my OCA deanery's higher ed program and our instructor much, much preferred the HTM edition.

ETA: I was delighted to see the link to the scheme for reading The Ladder through Great Lent. I printed it out and it's now residing in my copy. Very timely as Great Lent begins in about six weeks!

[Michael Stickles]

I just noticed that I can't see the Lenten schedule for reading the Ladder using the link given above, but I did find a couple of other copies online - one at Ortodoxia (http://ortodoxia.webs.com/LectionaryForLadderOfDivineAscent.pdf), the other at the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat (http://www.stjosaphateparchy.org/documents/Ladder.pdf) (they look identical to each other).

In Christ,
Michael