Voices from the Mountains
Forgotten Wisdom for a Hurting World from the Biblical Peaks
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
In the shifting sands of today's uncertain world, where traditional paradigms are fragmenting and everything seems in a state of flux, the biblical mountains endure as unshakable and steadfast. In their caves and canyons linger ancient voices that can startle us into new insights and awaken in us new ways of seeing the world and ourselves. In this book we go on a quest to locate the ancient voices of those who actually lived in these mountains, who knew both the physical contours and spiritual secrets of the summits and who long pondered their mysteries. We will rediscover texts and fragments that have been long forgotten in the West.
The pandemic has filled the world with uncertainty and fear. We will discover wisdom and insights that are strikingly relevant to this unfolding world crisis and that speak with an uncanny directness to our situation. But the wisdom here is timeless and enduring, and readers will benefit from these ancient voices in all generations and in all sorts of circumstances. This book is not so much an anthology of forgotten voices as a sourcebook of spirituality and a guidebook for the spiritual adventure.
Andrew D. Mayes has served as Spirituality Adviser to the Diocese of Chichester and to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He has lived several years in Jerusalem, firstly as a theological researcher and later as Director of Courses of St George’s College, of which he is an associate professor. He is the author of eleven spirituality books, including the award-winning Learning the Language of the Soul; Beyond the Edge: Spiritual Transitions for Adventurous Souls; and, from Wipf and Stock, Gateways to the Divine: Transformative Pathways of Prayer from the Holy City of Jerusalem.
“Mayes brings his rich experience of the land of Israel and Palestine and wide spiritual reading to enable us to hear voices rooted in the landscape. These are ancient voices, but at the same time astonishingly contemporary. . . . Expect to be enriched as you embark on this accompanied journey through time and landscape.”
—Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford
“Voices from the Mountains takes readers on a fascinating tour of biblical summits: Ararat, Sinai, Tabor, Jerusalem—and more. Through powerful poetic images, the messages of those who have heard the voice of God over the centuries in these ‘thin’ places are gradually uncovered. . . . This is a rare combination of texts and reflections to read and reread. An adventure not to be missed!”
—Stephen W. Need, former Dean, St. George’s College Jerusalem
“Voices from the Mountains beautifully links the ancient stability and timelessness of the mountains with words of hope and wisdom. These are particularly poignant at this time, when the dramatic effects of COVID-19 have forced us to look more deeply into our life choices. Listen to these voices which resound and resonate across the centuries, speaking powerfully into today’s challenges!”
—Helen Bicknell, Churchwarden, Leominster Priory
“Mayes’s knowledge of the Bible, of spiritual writings down the ages, and of the Holy Land, together with keen pastoral insight into the impact of the pandemic, combine to offer us a key resource for our times. We’re invited to enter afresh the vulnerability revealed in Christ and to press on with the eternal perspective of his resurrection.”
—John Twisleton, author and broadcaster
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