Overview

2022 Catholic Media Association honorable mention in prayer: collections of prayers St. Gregory of Narek (ca. 945–1003), Armenian mystic poet and theologian, was named Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis on April 12, 2015. Not so well known in the West, the saint holds a distinctive place in the Armenian Church by virtue of his prayer book and hymnic odes—among other works. His writings are equally prized as literary masterpieces, with the prayer book as the magnum opus. With this meticulous translation of the prayers, St. Gregory of Narek enters another millennium of wonderment, now in a wider circle. The prayers resound from their author’s heart—albeit in a different language, rendered by a renowned translator of early Armenian texts and a theologian.

Full Product Details

Author:   Abraham Terian ,  Abraham Terian
Publisher:   Liturgical Press
Imprint:   Liturgical Press
Edition:   Annotated edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.862kg
ISBN:  

9780814684641

ISBN 10:   0814684645
Pages:   568
Publication Date:   03 January 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Contents Transcription of Armenian xi Preface xiii Introduction xv   The Life and Times of Gregory xix   Gregory’s Earlier Works xxiv   Toward a Better Understanding of the Prayers xxviii   Gregory’s Esteem for His Book xxxvi   The Genre of the Prayers and the Title of the Book xxxviii   The Composition of the Book xliv   Mix of Poetic Prose and Verse xlvii Translation of the Prayers   1 “Plaintive cries from the heart I offer to you” 3   2 “Grant the mercy of your grace” 7   3 “Through the prayers in this book” 14   4 “There is no answering on that day” 20   5 “How dare I come before your judgment?” 24   6 “The weight of my sins is scaled in heaps of sand” 30   7 “Woe to me!” 35   8 “What will you do, my lost soul?” 39   9 “I reprimand my soul” 42   10 “I begin constructing an edifice of faith” 45   11 “In hope I believe” 48   12 “Remembering the hope placed in you” 53   13 “The Holy Trinity to help a sinner like me” 57   14 “You resuscitated” 60   15 “You are called Shepherd” 64   16 “The light of your mercy” 68   17 “The more you show mercy . . . ” 71   18 “I beg healing for my soul” 75   19 “I will testify against myself ” 80   20 “Confession laid in repentance at your feet” 84   21 “I shall confess all over again” 90   22 “My blameworthy soul” 94   23 “In the inner chambers of my heart” 97   24 “Spiritual distress” 101   25 “Like the wrecked sailboat” 105   26 “At the head of the circle of those who sing in mournful verse” 110   27 “I have sinned” 115   28 “Forgive these many sins” 121   29 “You taught us to be like you in forgiving” 127   30 “May the truth of your word be affirmed” 132   31 “You are remembered” 137   32 “I bare my soul before you” 142   33(a) “This book’s confessions to affect multitudes” 148   33(b) “Supplication in the presence of the Holy Spirit” 152   34 “Confession of faith” 156   35 “The dew of your goodness” 167   36 “Your publicly demonstrated passion on the cross” 171   37 “Yours is all the boundless goodness” 174   38 “The liberating law of spiritual life” 177   39 “Much to my shame” 181   40 “You, Lord Christ, are the answer” 184   41 “Nothing is impossible for you” 187   42 “I plead with the one who was crucified with you” 189   43 “I shall be made whole in soul and body” 191   44 “You cared so much for my salvation” 193   45 “Confess your thoughts to God” 196   46 “You are still the likeness of his image” 201   47 “Like the Prodigal Son” 205   48 “Solomon as an example” 207   49 “Grace greater than all the miracles” 216   50 “Out of sympathy for me?” 220   51 “The salvation of Manasseh” 225   52 “Those narrow windows” 231    53 “His body and blood for atonement” 234   54 “My salvation comes from you” 239    55 “Acceptable prayers” 243   56 “By my deeds I merited the worst” 247   57 “Consider my agonizing contrition” 250   58 “For one sinful like me, you are Savior” 253   59 “So, come Lord” 256   60 “Dare I say with David . . . ?” I. 259   61 “Dare I say with David . . . ?” II. 267   62 “Passages from the Prophets” 272   63 “Your name is to be glorified, O Jesus” 275   64 “I am still sustained by your willing compassion” 281   65 “When I leave this life” 284   66 “May the message of these words be engraved as an epitaph” 289   67 “Gazing at the bottom of hell” 297   68 “How could the streams of tears from my eyes be dried?” 301   69 “Reminding me of [dreaded] things to come” 307   70 “You are life, you are salvation” 310   71 “And where is salvation in desperate situations?” 314   72 “I rather speak to you, ascetic communities and monastic disciples” 322   73 “On the day of my life-breath’s release” 326   74 “Your mercy is truly there” 330   75 “Representing heaven on earth” 335   76 “Wishing salvation” 352   77 “Friday of the Great Pascha” 356   78 “Your grace renewed by the blood drops from your side” 360   79 “At the tribunal of the Last Judgment” 365   80 “I pray to you, Holy Mother of God” 370   81 “Through the prayers of my angel” 374   82 “For the sake of the holy apostles” 377   83 “Praying for my enemies” 383   84 “I commit to you today” 388   85 “Make me arrive at what I hope for” 391   86 “I plead for all the dead” 394   87 “If I reach old age” 396   88 “The lasting prayers of this book” 400   89 “Son of God is your confessed name” 403   90 “Mirroring again your changeless image” 404   91 “Watch over me with your heavenly hosts” 410   92 “The semantron” 415   93 “The Holy Myron” 428   94 “Life in death and Light in darkness” 458   95 “Renewed by you with eternal life” 460 Colophon by the Author 463 Bibliography 465 General Index 479 Scripture Index 489

Reviews

Professor Terian's translation of St. Gregory of Narek's Prayers is masterful. His scrupulously literal rendition is lucid, the poetry, exquisite. Like the prayers themselves, the edition captures the reader's mind, heart, and soul--by its erudite introduction and annotations, by the rhapsodic beauty of the English, and by the power of the words to lift the supplicant to the realm of the Divine Word. Bishop-Primate Michael Daniel Findikyan, Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church of America St. Gregory of Narek, revered and beloved monastic author of tenth-century Armenia, gave the 99 poetic prayers to his own tradition; called simply The Narek, they came to be regarded as a form of sacred scripture. Armenians often traveled with a copy of this beloved book; English speakers can now see the reason for their attention and their devotion. We are deeply indebted to Professor Abraham Terian for this clear, elegant, and beautiful translation of the prayers, which demonstrates why St. Gregory has at last been declared a doctor of the universal church. Robin Darling-Young, The Catholic University of America

St. Gregory of Narek, revered and beloved monastic author of tenth-century Armenia, gave the 99 poetic prayers to his own tradition; called simply The Narek, they came to be regarded as a form of sacred scripture. Armenians often traveled with a copy of this beloved book; English speakers can now see the reason for their attention and their devotion. We are deeply indebted to Professor Abraham Terian for this clear, elegant and beautiful translation of the prayers, which demonstrates why St. Gregory has at last been declared a doctor of the universal church. Robin Darling-Young, The Catholic University of America

With From the Depths of the Heart, a meticulous translation of the prayers, St. Gregory of Narek enters another millennium of wonderment, now in a wider circle. SirReadaLot St. Gregory of Narek, revered and beloved monastic author of tenth-century Armenia, gave the 95 poetic prayers to his own tradition; called simply The Narek, they came to be regarded as a form of sacred scripture. Armenians often traveled with a copy of this beloved book; English speakers can now see the reason for their attention and their devotion. We are deeply indebted to Professor Abraham Terian for this clear, elegant, and beautiful translation of the prayers, which demonstrates why St. Gregory has at last been declared a doctor of the universal church. Robin Darling-Young, The Catholic University of America Professor Terian's translation of St. Gregory of Narek's Prayers is masterful. His scrupulously literal rendition is lucid, the poetry, exquisite. Like the prayers themselves, the edition captures the reader's mind, heart, and soul--by its erudite introduction and annotations, by the rhapsodic beauty of the English, and by the power of the words to lift the supplicant to the realm of the Divine Word. Bishop-Primate Michael Daniel Findikyan, Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church of America

Author Information

Abraham Terian is professor emeritus of Armenian theology and patristics at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, Armonk, New York. A recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in the Humanities award and Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, he has extensive publications in the fields of Hellenistic, early Christian, and Armenian religious literature.

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