tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134782302655515338.post2764124735235184313..comments2023-12-25T05:12:46.199+01:00Comments on ORA ET LABORA: Elder Ambrose of OptinaFelix Culpahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18062279686869827534noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134782302655515338.post-81522057114004164932008-07-10T13:32:00.000+02:002008-07-10T13:32:00.000+02:00I agree! This has always been my favorite photogra...I agree! This has always been my favorite photograph of St. Ambrose. Thank you for this post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134782302655515338.post-43323700083851530152008-07-10T08:40:00.000+02:002008-07-10T08:40:00.000+02:00Thanks very much for your comment. For a few of my...Thanks very much for your comment. For a few of my thoughts on the matter, see my post "The Russian Christ" from February 2, 2008. <BR/><BR/>I'm afraid I don't specifically recall the criticisms you mention, although I think I can remember the gist of them. I've also heard that the monks of Optina themselves distanced themselves from The Brothers K, and I also recall that the Holy Synod did not give a blessing to print the chapter "The Russian Monk" (which contains Zosima's central teachigns) as a separate pamphlet. The best short treatment of the issue I know of, and one I frequently recommend, is one written by the late Fr Sergei Hackel and published in a volume entitled, if I recall correctly, "New Essays on Dostoevsky." (Now there's a dated title if there ever was one.)<BR/><BR/>In my opinion "Crime and Punishment" is superior to the Brothers K both as a novel and as an expression of Christian thought, although less explicitly religious in character.<BR/><BR/>Thanks very much for your recommendation of Dr Stanton's book, which I've never seen. The price is high enough that I'll need to request it through a library, but it looks eminently worth reading.Felix Culpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062279686869827534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134782302655515338.post-47948639931573981552008-07-10T07:58:00.000+02:002008-07-10T07:58:00.000+02:00I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky myself, but I wonder w...I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky myself, but I wonder what you think about the criticisms that have been made, first, by Leontiev, and second, by Fr Seraphim (Rose) (in Fr Damascene's biography) of D's portrayal of the elder in 'Brothers K'. Also, your comments about writers visiting Optina made me wonder, have you read Leonard Stanton's book on Optina Pustyn and Russian literature? Despite flaws, I love this book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com