Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

The late Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, who died in 2003 after heading up the Russian Orthodox diocese in Britain for most of his life, continues to gain prominence and be the object of study. He was very popular in his life time though he ended up writing no books. Those many books that we have were compiled by others.

Gillian Crow, author of the first biography of Bloom, has recently compiled and published another collection of his writings:

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters)(Orbis Books, 2010), 189pp.

This is the latest in the "Modern Spiritual Masters" series published by Orbis Books. Others in this series of note include volumes devoted to Mother Maria Skobtsova, Yves Congar, Catherine De Hueck Doherty, and Leo Tolstoy.

In his review for the upcoming issue of Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, Roman Rytsar, currently finishing up a doctoral dissertation at the Sheptytsky Institute/Saint Paul University on Bloom's kenotic Christology, notes that Crow's selection is generally good, and her overview and brief biography helpful as well. Look for the full review in the spring issue of the journal, due out in May.