Father Nicolae Steinhardt’s seminal work, “The Journal of Joy,” will be published in its entirety in English by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press in New York. The volume is currently available for pre-order.
In his book, Steinhardt writes, “The test that never fails, the definitive criterion for drawing close to Christ is good cheer. Only a state of happiness proves that you belong to the Lord. The grumpy, virtuous man is not a friend of the Saviour but a seeker of the devil. The irritable ascetic is not authentic.”
In the foreword, Olivier Clément highlights the humility and closeness with which Steinhardt speaks to his readers. “The ethos Steinhardt recommends to Christians is that of an aristocrat minus the stiff upper lip and aloofness, a style molded by kindness, calm, good manners, respect for the dignity of others, and thus for one’s own dignity,” says Clément.
Father Nicolae Steinhardt
Nicu-Aurelian Steinhardt was born on July 29, 1912, into the family of engineer and architect Oscar Steinhardt.
On December 31, 1959, he was summoned by the Securitate as a witness in the trial of Constantin Noica. He refused and was sentenced to 13 years of hard labour in the “Pillat-Noica group” for the crime of “conspiracy against the social order.”
After several mystical experiences alongside imprisoned Christian confessors at Jilava, Steinhardt decided to convert to Orthodoxy and was baptized on March 15, 1960, by Hieromonk Mina Dobzeu.
After five years of imprisonment, he was released in August 1964 and became a monk at Rohia Monastery (August 16, 1980).
Throughout his life, Steinhardt published numerous works on Christian spirituality, but “The Journal of Joy” is considered symbolic of his personality.
The book has been translated into Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Hungarian, Hebrew, French, and German.
Photo: Basilica.ro
