In the late seventh century, deep in the mountains of what is now Iran, a retired bishop named Isaac of Nineveh wrote a series of letters to fellow monks and seekers — letters about silence, prayer, the struggle with our own thoughts, and the fathomless mercy of God. For centuries these letters have been treasured across the Christian East as some of the most tender and searching guides to the spiritual life ever written. This edition presents the complete collection of Isaac's letters faithfully rendered in clear, present-day English, preserving the original's meaning, warmth, and spiritual depth while inviting modern readers to encounter it without barriers. Here is none of the stern disappointment of a harsh judge, but the voice of an elder who has himself spent long years in the cell of the heart, and who speaks of divine love with startling boldness. Part of The World Scriptures Library.