Kallistos Ware, The Inner Kingdom, Athens: Akritas Publication, 2006 4, p.307.
The fourth edition of Kallistos Ware’s book, the Inner Kingdom, includes some new articles and some changes, additions and improvements to the old ones. The articles of this volume have been written for different audiences the last thirty years but all have a common theme, our inner Kingdom. Kallistos Ware is writing with the certainty that there is in each of us a well hidden treasury – he makes use of Ephrem Syros references- an inner Kingdom, amazing in depth and fantasy. This inner kingdom, present in us here and now, is simultaneously the Kingdom to come. As Philotheos of Sinai stresses: “the way is the same and leads to both of them”.
The author starts his book with an article referring to the story of his entrance to the Orthodox Church (chapter 1). Next, he speaks about the repentance (metanoia), or “change of mind” that is the start point of our inner trip (chapter 3). He continues with the sense of silence and awe that characterize our prayer as we discover our inner kingdom (chapter 4-7), the meaning, the role and the contribution of our spiritual advisor and father (chapter 9), the martyr or the Fool in Christ, as alive witnesses of the Kingdom (chapters 8 and 10). The author, in an excellent way, discusses the meaning of time as a mystery of eternity which is the sign of the inner Kingdom (chapter 11). For the author the inner Kingdom and the future Kingdom are the same thing and that is why he is then dealing with the issue of death, resurrection and the ability of a final and catholic reconciliation (chapters 2 and 12).
The book closes with an appendix of names and terms.