September 3, 2014
Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Publications releases new translation of Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

On Monday, September 1, Holy Trinity Publications released a new translation of spiritual talks delivered by the ever-memorable Archbishop Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse & Holy Trinity. The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society goes straight to the roots of our modern alienation from God and each other. We are shown that through the renewal of Gospel Love, the conscience is reawakened. We can then begin to experience true freedom, founded on the acquisition of virtue and overcoming of the passions. All of this demands effort: the eponymous struggle for virtue.

Each chapter is based on a lecture given by Archbishop Averky. These lectures were published in Russian as Sovremennost’ i duhovnaya zhizn’ (ISBN: 9780884650942). They were subsequently translated and serialized in the monastery’s bimonthly English-language periodical Orthodox Life over the course of two years. After careful re-editing, these translations have now been gathered into a single volume.

Archbishop Averky (1906-1976) was the fourth abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery. Born in Imperial Russia before the Bolshevik revolution, he went on to become one of the leading voices and teachers of the Russian Orthodox Church, which he served in both Bulgaria and the USA. Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) called him "one of the last giants of 20th century Orthodoxy... an Orthodox scholar in the unbroken tradition of patristic thought which has come down to us from the ancient Fathers to our own days." Due to this high reputation, Archbishop Averky’s entire collected works were recently published in Russia as a substantial four-volume set.

And yet, very little of his prolific legacy has ever been translated and published in the English language. Among the existing translations, there is only one full-length book – The Apocalypse in the Teachings of Ancient Christianity (St. Herman Press: Platina, CA). The Struggle for Virtue is the first fruits of HTP’s commitment to rectify this dearth of Archbishop Averky’s writings in English. Future releases in the English language will include Archbishop Averky’s textbook on the study of Liturgics and his commentary on the Four Gospels.

The Struggle for Virtue retails at $16.95 and is available in both print and digital editions. Individuals may order it at www.bookstore.jordanville.org or from any good bookstore or online retailer. Church bookstores are eligible to receive a trade discount for this and other HTP titles ordered from the publisher. See www.holytrinitypublications.com/Ordering for more information. Retail bookstores, academic institutions, and libraries may order the book from our distributor, Independent Publishers Group (www.ipgbook.com).

Contact:

Deacon Peter Markevich
Holy Trinity Publications
marketing@holytrinitypublications.com
(315) 868-4527

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese