Rowan Williams

In this new book, Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, introduces us to some aspects and personalities of the Orthodox Christian world, from the desert contemplatives of the fourth century to philosophers, novelists and activists of the modern era, that suggest where we might look for fresh light and warmth.

He shows how this rich and diverse world opens up new ways of thinking about spirit and body, prayer and action, worship and social transformation, which go beyond the polarisations we take for granted. Taking in the world of the great spiritual anthology, the Philokalia, and the explorations of Russian thinkers, discussing the witness of figures like Maria Skobtsova, and the challenging theologies of modern Greek thinkers, Rowan Williams opens the door to a 'climate and landscape of our humanity that can indeed be warmed and transfigured'.