Blog Post

Daily Synaxis: An Annunciation Launch

by Erin Doom

Feast of the Assumption of the Theotokos
Anno Domini 2020, March 25

TWO SUMMERS ago I was in Birmingham, Alabama peddling books and culture at the annual conference organized by the Society for Classical Learning. As usual, we had about 25 boxes of books displayed on tables, all of them driven in from Wichita, KS by yours truly. While browsing the selection of books, one of the attendees made a remark I frequently hear while on the road: “Who’s in charge of choosing the books? This is a remarkable selection!” After telling the soon-to-be customer about Warren Farha, founder and owner of Eighth Day Books, who hand-picks each and every book for every single event we do (and over the course of a year, there are many of them), the gentleman went on to make a statement that I have never forgotten: “In an age so overwhelmingly full of readily accessible information, I can see the need in the future for a vocation in curation.”

Indeed!

The more I’ve considered that statement, the more I’ve realized how spot-on it was: we already desperately need folks to be curating. I’ve also come to see how such a vocation applies to both Eighth Day Books and Eighth Day Institute.

I’m convinced that in the same way that Warren’s vocation primarily consists in the curation (and peddling) of book selections – in the brick-and-mortar store, at events on the road, or in the recently revived catalog – my vocation also largely consists in curation (and peddling), just in a different way. I select speakers and themes for events, as well as books to peddle at those events. I select texts from the Bible, the Fathers, the Liturgy, and Literature for seminars. I select essays (old and new), passages from the Fathers, book reviews, hard-to-find material from people like Florovsky and Oldham and Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, all for our blogs and print publications. In the process of selecting all that material, I spend a great deal of time devouring a wide range of reading material.

Yesterday I was inspired. The source of inspiration was threefold:

The day before yesterday I updated EDI’s website homepage with a tag line that was added last year when we launched our new website: “Curating ideas for Christians who seek to renew soul and city.” This must have been the primary spark.
Prufrock. This is a delightful blog at The American Conservative on books, ideas, and art (the name is inspired by T. S. Eliot’s first published poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”). It’s basically a curated list of great things to read, emailed out every weekday. You should check it out here.
Recalling those words by the customer in Birmingham and considering the amount of reading material that I encounter on a daily basis.

So, I thought, why not share some of that reading material with you? Well that’s exactly what the Daily Synaxis is going to do.

Synaxis is a Greek word for gathering. Every morning, Monday-Friday, I’ll be posting a gathering of resources for reading on books and culture. Because I believe the Church's deep and rich Tradition is so vitally important for EDI’s mission of renewing culture, in addition to essays, books, reviews, dissertations, icons, et al, each post will include daily Bible readings, something from the liturgy or liturgical calendar, and a quote or passage from the Church Fathers (similar to the old days when I posted the Daily Word).

*If you'd like to receive the Daily Synaxis in your inbox Mon-Fri, you can subscribe here.

**All books (and icons) in print available from Eighth Day Books. Please support an independent bookstore that believes in the eighth day resurrection of our God and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Give them a call at 1.800.841.2541 or visit there website here. And don't forget Eighth Day Members (Patrons+) receive 10% discount, plus lots of other perks.

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In an isolating secularized culture where the Church's voice is muffled through her many divisions, Christians need all the help they can get to strengthen their faith in God and love toward their neighbor. Eighth Day Institute offers hope to all Christians through our adherence to the Nicene faith, our ecumenical dialogues of love and truth, and our many events and publications to strengthen faith, grow in wisdom, and foster Christian friendships of love. Will you join us in our efforts to renew soul & city? Donate today and join the community of Eighth Day Members who are working together to renew culture through faith & learning.