The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition. First published in Greek in 1782, then translated into Slavonic and later into Russian, The Philokalia has exercised an influence in the recent history of the Orthodox Church far greater than that of any book apart from the Bible. It is concerned with themes of universal importance: how man may develop his inner powers and awake from illusion; how he may overcome fragmentation and achieve spiritual wholeness; how he may attain the life of contemplative stillness and union with God.
Compiled by Bishop Kallistos Ware
The fourth volume of The Philokalia
Volumes I through III are also available.

Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (1904-84) studied at Oxford and was the MP for Winchester from 1935 until 1945. He collaborated in many translations, including The Philokalia.