“The[publisher]istobecongratulatedonamajorpublishingenterprise....Itisanimportantecumenicalseries,eachbookbeingtranslatedoreditedfromtheoriginalorbestavailabletextsandintroducedbyrecognizedscholarsandspiritualleaders.Thismeansthatforthefirsttimeauthoritativetextsofthesegreatclassicsarebeingmadeavailableinanattractivelargepaperbackformatwithfour-colororiginalartcoversandwiththetexts,notes,introductionsandprefacesallpresentedinaneasy-to-readtype.“MethodistRecorderAthanasius:TheLifeofAntonyandTheLettertoMarcellinusTranslationandintroductionbyRobertc.GreggPrefacebyWilliamA.Clebsch“Anditseemstomethatthesewordsbecomelikeamirrortothepersonssingingthem,sothathemightperceivehimselfandtheemotionsofhissoul,andthusaffected,hemightrecitethem.Forinfacthewhohearstheonereadingreceivesthesongthatisrecitedasbeingabouthim,andeither,whenheisconvictedbyhisconscience,beingpierced,hewillrepent,orhearingofthehopethatresidesinGod,andofthesuccoravailabletobelievers-howthiskindofgraceexistsforhim-heexultsandbeginstogivethankstoGod.“Athanasius(c.295-373)Athanasiuswasamajorfigureof14th-centuryChristendom.AstheBishopofAlexandria,spiritualmasterandtheologian,heledtheChurchinitsbattleagainsttheArianheresy.Athanasius’TheLifeofAntonyisoneoftheforemostclassicsofChristianasceticism.IttellsthespiritualstoryofSt.Antony,thefounderofChristianmonasticism.WrittenattherequestofthedesertmonksofEgypttoprovide“anidealpatternoftheasceticallife,“itimmediatelybecameastonishinglypopular.ThisworkcontributedgreatlytotheestablishmentofmonasticlifeinWesternChristianity.Fromaliteraryperspective,itcreatedanewChristiangenreforthelivesofsaints.TheLettertoMarcellinusisanintroductiontothespiritualsenseofthePsalms.ThePsalmsarepresentedasavarietyofattitudeswhichcoexistinatrulyharmoniousandwholesenseofprayer.WilliamA.ClebschofStanfordUniversity,PresidentoftheAmericanAcademyofReligion,inhisPrefacetothisvolume,says,“Thistranslator’sfidelitytothetextsensuresthatthereaderreceivesintheseworksAthanasius’meaning,sofarasfeasibleintheorderofhisthoughtsandintheequivalenceofhiswords.“
