Every so often someone will ask me if I have read the latest Christian book, or if I know of a certain popular preacher. Sometimes I have heard of the person/book, and sometimes not. I try to stay informed, but there are two billion Christians in the world, and one person cannot stay on top of all the different movements, etc.

All that reminds me of a joke my fellow church history doctoral students had at seminary. Whenever someone asked us if we had read this or that latest book, we would say: "I don’t read anything unless it is at least 100 years old, that way I know it is a classic."

I teach at class on spiritual classics at Carolina Graduate School of Divinity. I take students through a sampling of Christian Spiritual Classics found throughout the history of Christianity. I have included a partial listing of books below. The author is listed first, the book second, and the lifespan of the author last; if the author is unknown then an estimated time span is given.

• Unknown editors, Apothegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers), 4^th-6^th Century;
• Augustine, Confessions (354-430);
• John Cassian, Rule (360-435);
• Patrick (as in St. Patrick), Confessions (390-460);
• Benedict, Rule (480-550);
• John Climacus, Ladder of Paradise (570-649);
• Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God (1090-1153);
• Hildegard of Bingen, Divine Works (1098-1179);
• Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun (1181-1226);
• Bonaventure, Journey of the Mind into God (1217-74);
• Mechthild of Magdeburg, The Flowing Light of the Godhead (1210-1280);
• Richard Rolle, The Fire of Love (1300-1349);
• Unknown, Theologia Germanica, 14^th Century;
• Unknown, The Cloud of Unknowing, 14^th Century;
• Catherine of Siena, Dialogue (1347-1380);
• Julian of Norwich, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (1342-1413);
• Nicholas of Cusa, Learned Ignorance (1401-64);
• Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (1380-1471);
• Philokalia (Eastern Orthodox classic), 4^th to 15^th Centuries;
• Thomas More, The Dialogue of Comfort (1478-1535);
• William Tyndale, Obedience of a Christian Man (1494-1536);
• Erasmus, Enchiridion (1469-1536);
• Ignatius Loyola, Spiritual Exercises (1495-1556);
• John Calvin, Institutes (1509-1564);
• Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (1515-82);
• John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul (1542-91);
• Francis of Sales, An Introduction to a Devout Life (1567-1622);
• Blaise Pascal, Pensees (1623-62);
• John Milton, Paradise Lost (1608-1674);
• John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress (1628-88);
• Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (1605-91);
• Robert Baxter, Reformed Pastor (1615-91);
• George Fox, Journal (1624-91);
• Philip Jacob Spener, Pia Desideria (1635-1705);
• Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections (1703-58);
• William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1686-1761);
• John Woolman, Journal (1720-72);
• Unknown, The Way of the Pilgrim (Eastern Orthodox classic), 18^th Century;
• Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven (1859-1907);
• Dietrich Bohnhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (1906-45);
• A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (1897-1963);
• Thomas Merton, Seven Storey Mountain (1915-1968); and
• Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life (1903-72).

And this is the best part:  you can find copies of most of these (especially the older ones) on the internet for free. Many of these are here: www.ccel.org. Click on "Browse author."  My favorite of all of these is the first one, Sayings of the Desert Fathers. And my favorite spirituality book of the past 25 years is Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk.  She is a Protestant and does a wonderful job of telling her spiritual journey of learning about the spiritual classics and incorporating them into her life.  

©2009 Mark Nickens

Questions/comments contact Mark at drnickens@triad.rr.com.

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