Customer Reviews for Paraclete Press The Illumined Heart: Capture the Vibrant Faith of Ancient Christians

Why are modern Christians so indistinguishable from everyone else? How could the first Christians fast valiantly, but we feel deprived without dessert? How did New Testament believers pray without ceasing? How could the early Christian martyrs actually forgive their torturers? What did the Christians of the first centuries know that we don't? In short, what did it really mean to "live in Christ" in the years directly following Jesus' resurrection?

This is the central question with which Mathewes-Green struggles in this deceptively small book. Building on the wisdom of our earliest mothers and fathers in the faith, the author lays out principles and practices that have been long-forgotten. Read, and be transformed.

Frederica Mathewes-Green received her B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina and her M.A. in Theological Studies from Virginia Episcopal Theological Seminary. A sought-after speaker, editor, and commentator, she has worked with The Odyssey Television Network, National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," World magazine, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today, among others.