The Elder had been given a few hours to live. He did not die. He recovered, and the recovery itself took only a few days. I call it wondrous and move on.

What holds me is what came next. He began new cycles of teaching at once, and all of us, his students, were watching the phoenix take flesh. Instead of waning, his activity filled with inspiration, knowledge pouring out of him. I believe the golden age of his essential teaching lies in that period.

What he carried was a system of Christian mysticism holding absolute respect for Orthodoxy: selected techniques, the essence made clear. A complete edifice of knowledge and practice, handed to us gradually, with remarkable method, unmatched discipline, and precision.